Ask a customer if they want a paper or digital receipt and most will say digital, out of habit — and then quietly lose track of it in an inbox they never check, which isn't really an improvement over the paper slip crumpled at the bottom of a bag.
Paper's real advantage: immediate, physical proof
For an in-person return within days, a paper receipt handed over on the spot is genuinely faster to produce and verify than searching an email — it's also less likely to end up in a spam folder or an unchecked promotions tab.
Paper's real weakness: it fades and gets lost
Thermal paper fades within months, and a paper receipt is easy to lose entirely, especially for anything you'd need to reference later — a warranty claim six months out, for instance.
Digital's real advantage: it survives, if it's actually delivered well
A PDF receipt emailed with a clear subject line ("Receipt — [Business] — [date]") is searchable and permanent in a way paper never is, provided it actually reaches an inbox the customer checks and doesn't get buried.
Digital's real weakness: it's easy to ignore
An email receipt sitting unopened doesn't help a customer any more than a lost paper one would — the format only helps if it's actually delivered in a way customers notice and can find again later.
Offer both, let the customer choose
Printing a receipt at the counter and offering to also email a copy covers both use cases without forcing a customer into a format that doesn't suit how they actually keep records.