SlipGuide
How to keep receipts from fading
Most receipts are printed on thermal paper, which darkens where it's heated instead of using ink, so the print fades with heat, light and rubbing. To keep them readable, store them flat in a cool, dark, dry place, away from plastic sleeves, and make a copy on the day: a photo or a scan won't fade.
Photograph it on the day
A clear photo is a copy that doesn't fade.
How to do it: Snap it at the till, before it goes in your pocket.
Keep it cool and dark
Heat and sunlight speed up fading.
How to do it: Don't leave receipts in a car, on a sunny desk or near a heater.
Don't laminate it
Thermal paper reacts to heat, so a hot laminator can turn the whole receipt dark.
How to do it: Use a paper envelope or a folder instead.
Avoid vinyl sleeves
Soft plastics, like many PVC sleeves, can fade thermal print.
How to do it: Use paper envelopes or polypropylene sleeves.
Store them flat
Rubbing and folding wear the print away.
How to do it: Keep receipts flat in an envelope, not crumpled in a wallet or a pocket.
Keep lotion and sanitizer off
Hand cream, oils and hand sanitizer can smudge or fade the print.
How to do it: Handle receipts by the edges with dry hands.
Copy it onto regular paper
A photocopy or a print on normal paper won't fade like thermal paper.
How to do it: Staple the copy to the original for important purchases.
Rescue a faded one quickly
A faint receipt can be easier to read in a photo with the contrast turned up.
How to do it: Photograph it in good light and raise the contrast. If it's too far gone, ask the shop whether they can reprint it.
Snap it, get a row
Slip reads the merchant, date, tax and total from your photo into a table, so the numbers are saved even if the paper fades.
How to do it: Start with the free receipt plan to see how your receipts would be set up. Get my receipt plan
Your receipts, one clean table. Answer six quick questions and see your receipt plan: your columns, your tax rates and a clean month-end export.
Get my receipt planAvailability: Slip is an iPhone app on pre-order. Plans start on launch day, with a full refund any time before launch.
Questions
Why do receipts fade?
Most are printed on thermal paper, which uses heat instead of ink. Heat, light, rubbing and some plastics make the print fade or darken.
Can I laminate a receipt to protect it?
No. The heat of a laminator can turn thermal paper dark. Keep it in a paper envelope, and keep a photo or a copy on regular paper.
What's the surest way to keep a receipt readable?
Photograph it on the day, and keep the paper flat in a cool, dark place, away from plastic sleeves.
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Updated October 12, 2026