At the till
Printing receipts
How to send a receipt straight to your printer instead of the browser print box, how to set the printer up once, and what to check when nothing comes out.
Outlyz prints a receipt two ways. In an ordinary web browser it opens the print box your computer already uses, and somebody presses print. On a counter running the Terminal app it goes straight to the roll, and nobody presses anything.
The second way needs two things. The Terminal app on that computer, and the printer chosen once inside it. This page sets both up.
You do not need any of this to sell. A shop with no printer takes sales exactly the same way, and the receipt is on screen for a customer who asks.
Step by step
1. Check you are in the app, not a browser tab
Open the till and click your name at the top right. If the menu has "Printer" in it, you are in the right place. Printing straight to the roll only works in the Terminal app. In a browser the printer screen still opens, and tells you "Printing straight to the roll needs the Terminal app on this computer." with a link to get it. Everything else about the till is the same either way.
2. Open the printer screen
Click your name at the top right of the till and choose "Printer". A window opens headed "Printer", with the line "Choose the printer at this counter. This is kept on this computer only, so each till can have its own." That last part matters. Two tills in the same shop can have two different printers, and neither one has to know about the other.
3. Say where the printer is
The first field is "Where is the printer" and has two answers. "Plugged into this computer" is the usual one, for a printer on a cable. "On the shop network" is for a printer with its own address, usually one that several tills share. Pick the one that matches the cable, or the lack of one.
4. Fill in the one detail it needs
For a printer that is plugged in, the field is "Printer name". On Windows this is the shared name Windows already gave it, and the example in the box shows the shape. If you do not know it, open Windows Settings, then Printers, and use the name shown there. For a printer on the network, the fields are "Printer address" and "Port". The address is the one the printer prints on its own settings page, usually by holding its feed button while switching it on. Leave "Port" on 9100 unless the printer says otherwise, because almost every till printer uses it.
5. Choose the paper width
Two sizes cover nearly every shop. "58mm (small roll)" is the narrow one, common on a pharmacy counter. "80mm (wide roll)" is the wider one behind a supermarket till. Measure the roll if you are unsure. Getting this wrong does not stop the receipt, it wraps every line so the receipt comes out long and hard to read.
6. Print a test page before your first customer
Click "Print a test page". A short page comes out with your shop name on it. The screen says "Sent to the printer. Check the paper." when it went, and "Nothing came out. Check the printer is on and the details above." when it did not. The test uses what is on the screen, not what was saved, so you can correct a detail and try again without saving anything in between. Do this now rather than at the counter. Finding a wrong setting with somebody waiting is the thing this button exists to avoid.
7. Save it
Click "Save". The screen says "Printer saved." and closes. From then on every receipt on that computer goes to the roll on its own. Nothing else changes about how you sell.
Worth knowing
The setting belongs to the computer
It is kept on that machine, not on your account. Sign in on another till and it has its own printer, or none. That is deliberate: the printer belongs to the counter, not to the person standing at it.
Nothing is ever lost when printing fails
If the printer is off, unplugged or set up wrong, the browser print box opens instead. The sale is already recorded either way. A printer problem is never a lost sale.
Going back to the print box
Click "Forget printer" in the same window. It answers "Printer forgotten. Receipts will open the print box instead." Use it when a printer is taken away or replaced.
Questions
The receipt opens the print box even though I set the printer up.
Three things do that. You are in a browser tab rather than the Terminal app. The printer is switched off. Or the details are wrong. Open the printer screen and click "Print a test page", which tells you which of the three it is.
Every line is wrapping and the receipt is very long.
The paper width is set wider than the roll. Open the printer screen, change "Paper width" to the other size and print a test page.
Can two tills in one shop use one printer?
Yes, if it is a network printer. Choose "On the shop network" on both tills and give both the same address. A printer on a cable can only serve the computer it is plugged into.
Do I have to set this up again after an update?
No. The printer stays chosen on that computer through updates and sign outs.
Outlyz does this
Outlyz tracks your stock, orders and deliveries, and every container you expect back. UGX 20,000 per person per month. The first month is free and no card is needed.
Or call 0780 784870 and we will set it up with you.