In the case of a thermal receipt printer that will not print, the first step in troubleshooting should be to ensure that the thermal head is heating up. Thermal printers operate by applying heat to a special thermally sensitive paper, creating marks on the paper to form text and images. If the thermal head is not heating up, it cannot create these marks, leading to no print output. Verifying that the thermal head is operational can help isolate the issue, whether it's a hardware malfunction of the thermal head itself or another problem in the printer.
References:
* CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Exam Objectives, specifically sections dealing with printer technologies and troubleshooting methods, which would include understanding the operational basics of different types of printers, including thermal receipt printers.
* Fundamental knowledge of how thermal printers function, emphasizing the critical role of the thermal head in the printing process and the need to ensure it's operational when troubleshooting printing issues.