Printers
Setup → Printers is Manage Local Printers: connect the agent on this PC, add printers, and they sync automatically when you save.
- Plans
- Bistro, Brasserie, Signature, Enterprise
- Can it be switched off?
- No. It is part of every plan that includes it and cannot be switched off.
Viewing this screen needs a printers permission; editing needs the manage one.
Two completely different ways of printing
Section titled “Two completely different ways of printing”Which one applies to you depends on what you are printing from, and mixing them up is the usual reason nothing comes out.
From the web dashboard on a PC. The browser cannot talk to a thermal printer, so a small program — the print agent — runs on that PC and does it. The dashboard talks to the agent; the agent talks to the printers.
From the Android or iOS POS app. The app connects to the printer itself, over your network or over Bluetooth. No agent, nothing to install on a PC.
So a tablet can print while the office PC cannot, and vice versa, and both are normal.
Connecting the print agent
Section titled “Connecting the print agent”Fields: Agent URL and Agent API key, with Auto-detect agent and Recheck connection buttons. The status reads Connected or Not connected, and shows the agent version when it is up.
The key comes from the agent’s own setup page, or Auto-detect agent finds both for you. The configuration is stored in that browser, on that PC — so each PC that prints is configured once, and configuring the office PC does nothing for the one at the counter.
Two errors worth telling apart:
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Invalid API key for this agent. | The agent is running; the key is wrong. Re-copy it from the agent setup page. |
| Could not reach the print agent. Check Agent URL and that the agent is running. | Nothing is listening. Start the agent, then retry. |
If auto-detect finds nothing: Could not find Print Agent on this computer. Start the agent (Start-Agent.vbs), then try again.
Printers sync to the agent automatically when you add or edit one. Sync now forces it, and confirms with Printers synced to local agent.
Adding a printer
Section titled “Adding a printer”| Type | What you enter |
|---|---|
| USB (ESC/POS) | Optional vendor ID and product ID |
| LAN (ESC/POS) | IP address and port |
| Bluetooth (ESC/POS) | Bluetooth address |
| System (Windows queue) | The exact Windows printer name |
For a Windows queue, use Detect printers on this PC — it lists the queue names, and the name must match exactly. That button is Windows-only.
Also on the form:
- Printer name — what staff see, so Kitchen Printer beats EPSON TM-T88VI.
- Location — kitchen, bar, counter. Free text.
- Test print — do this before you trust it.
What each printer prints
Section titled “What each printer prints”Receipt role
Section titled “Receipt role”| Role | Prints |
|---|---|
| Kitchen + customer (both) | Everything |
| Kitchen tickets only | Kitchen and bar tickets |
| Customer / bill only | Receipts and bills |
A one-printer venue uses both. A kitchen printer and a counter printer are the common split.
Station categories
Section titled “Station categories”Which menu categories this printer is responsible for. Leave it empty for catch-all — it then prints items not assigned to another kitchen printer.
That catch-all is what stops a new menu category silently not printing anywhere. A bar printer set to Drinks and a kitchen printer left empty is the arrangement that survives you adding categories later.
Paper width
Section titled “Paper width”| Option | For |
|---|---|
| 80mm thermal (standard) | Most receipt printers |
| 58mm thermal | Narrow, often handheld |
| 76mm impact | Epson TM-U220 and similar dot-matrix |
Paper width matters beyond the paper: the receipt layout used for a printer is the live layout for its paper width. See Receipts and tickets.
Android print mode
Section titled “Android print mode”Mobile Print Settings (Android) has three modes — Auto, Force Desktop, Force Mobile RawBT. Leave it on Auto unless printing from Android is failing and support asks you to change it.
If nothing prints
Section titled “If nothing prints”Work through Orders not printing. The order of checks is: is the agent connected, is the printer’s role right, does any printer cover that item’s category, and does a test print work.