Printer Setup

Printer settings are found in the POS under Settings > Printer. Each device manages its own printer configuration — printers are stored locally and not synced between devices.

Supported Printers by Platform

The Add Printer form adapts to the app you're using — each platform shows only the connections and options it can actually use.

Platform	Supported Printers	Connections
Web app	Epson and Star printers with a built-in web server	Network (HTTP)
Desktop app	Any network receipt printer	Network (raw TCP)
iOS app	Epson and Star	Network, Bluetooth
Android app	Epson and Star	Network, Bluetooth, USB

Why only Epson and Star on the web?

Web browsers cannot open raw TCP connections. Epson and Star receipt printers include a built-in web server that accepts print jobs over HTTP — this is the only way to send ESC/POS commands from a browser. The desktop app doesn't have this limitation because it can connect directly over TCP.

On the mobile apps, Bluetooth and USB printing go through Epson's and Star's official SDKs, so those connections also require an Epson or Star printer. Generic printers work over the network only.

Adding a Printer

1

Open Printer Settings

Go to Settings > Printer in the POS. If no printers are configured yet, you'll see an empty state with an Add Printer button. Every printer gets a Printer Name — just a label, auto-filled as "Receipt Printer" (then "Receipt Printer 2", and so on) — which you can change to anything that helps you tell your printers apart.

2

Choose How the Printer Connects

This is the step that changes per platform:

• Web app — pick the Vendor: Epson or Star. This is the first choice on the web, because browsers can only reach these two brands' built-in web servers.
• Desktop app — printers connect over the network; there's nothing extra to pick here.
• Mobile apps — pick a Connection Type: Network, Bluetooth, or USB (USB is Android only). The fields below change to match your choice.

3

Identify the Printer

Network printers — enter the IP Address (for example 192.168.1.100). WCPOS probes the address to detect whether it's an Epson or Star device, and auto-fills the port, command language, and vendor. You'll see a "Detected: Epson" or "Detected: Star" label once detection completes. On the web app, it also shows the exact endpoint URL it will connect to.

Bluetooth or USB printers (mobile) — pick your printer from the discovered-device list. Selecting a device fills in its name and vendor automatically. Tap Scan for printers (Bluetooth) or Refresh (USB) if your printer isn't listed yet.

If automatic detection doesn't get everything right, you can adjust it all under Advanced Settings.

4

Save and Test

Click Save. WCPOS sends a test print first, and only saves the printer if it succeeds.

The test print is a short diagnostic — a numbered column ruler, centered normal and double-size text, a left/right alignment row, and a paper cut. It's designed so you can confirm the paper width, alignment, sizing, and cut are all configured correctly, not just that the printer is reachable.

If the test fails, you'll see the error along with a Save without testing option to save the profile anyway.

Connection Types (Mobile Apps)

On the iOS and Android apps, a printer can connect three ways. Pick the Connection Type at the top of the Add Printer form, and the connection fields update to match.

Network

The printer is on the same Wi-Fi network as your device. Enter its IP address — see Finding Your Printer's IP Address. Network printers can be Epson, Star, or Generic.

Bluetooth

The printer is paired to your device over Bluetooth. Tap Scan for printers and choose yours from the list — its name and vendor fill in automatically. Bluetooth printing uses Epson's and Star's native SDKs, so the printer must be an Epson or Star model.

USB (Android only)

The printer is connected by a USB cable. Tap Refresh and pick it from the connected-device list. Like Bluetooth, USB printing requires an Epson or Star printer. iOS has no general USB peripheral support, so this option only appears on Android.

notitie

The Port setting only applies to network printers — it's hidden for Bluetooth and USB connections.

Advanced Settings

Expand Advanced Settings to fine-tune the printer configuration. Most of these are filled in automatically once the vendor is known.

Setting	Options	Description
Vendor	Epson, Star, Generic	Printer manufacturer. On the web app, Vendor is the primary choice at the top of the form (Epson or Star only) rather than an advanced setting. Generic is available for network printers on the desktop and mobile apps, but not for Bluetooth or USB connections.
Port	Auto-filled	Network port for the printer. Network only — hidden for Bluetooth and USB.
Language	ESC/POS, StarPRNT, Star Line Mode	The command protocol the printer speaks. Auto-filled from the detected vendor.
Printer text width	58mm (32 chars), 80mm standard (42 chars), 80mm wide (48 chars)	How many characters fit on a line. Match this to your paper and printer — most 80mm printers are 42 characters per line, some are 48.
Full receipt raster	Off / On	Print the whole receipt as an image instead of text — see Full receipt raster below.

Printer Options

These toggles sit at the bottom of the Add Printer form:

Option	Description
Auto-cut paper	Cut the paper automatically after each receipt
Auto-open cash drawer	Send a kick command to open a connected cash drawer after printing
Set as default	Make this the default printer — used for any receipt that isn't routed to a specific printer

Looking for "auto-print after checkout"?

Automatically printing a receipt when a sale completes is a cart setting, not a printer setting — turn on Auto-print receipt in the POS cart settings. Which printer it uses is decided by your default printer and any per-template printer routing.

Print routing

If you use more than one template — say a thermal receipt and an A4 invoice — print routing decides which printer each template prints to. Routing has three layers, checked in this order:

1. Per-job override. On the receipt screen, a printer dropdown sits next to the template switcher. Picking a printer here overrides everything for that one print job. Switching templates resets it back to Auto.
2. Settings override. Go to Settings → Print Routing to assign a specific printer to each template. For example, route your thermal receipt to the Epson network printer and your HTML invoice to the system print dialog. Set a template back to Auto to remove the override.
3. Auto-match. When no override is set, WCPOS matches automatically:
   • Thermal templates route to thermal printers whose character width matches. A 58mm thermal template prefers 32-column printers; an 80mm template prefers 42- or 48-column printers.
   • HTML templates route to the system print dialog.
   • If multiple printers match, the default printer wins.

If you manually send a template to an incompatible printer — say, a thermal template to the system dialog — an amber mismatch warning appears on the receipt screen. The print still proceeds but the output may not render correctly.

Routing overrides are stored per device. Each iPad, phone, or computer manages its own routing — there is no server-side sync.

notitie

The Print Routing settings page only appears once you've added at least one printer. With no printers configured, every template uses the system print dialog implicitly.

Full receipt raster

By default, WCPOS sends receipts to thermal printers as text — fast, compact, and crisp, using the printer's built-in fonts. The catch: thermal printer fonts only cover a limited set of characters. Scripts the printer has no font for — many non-Latin alphabets, right-to-left text, some symbols — can come out as blank boxes or garbled characters.

Full receipt raster fixes this. When it's on, WCPOS renders the whole receipt as an image and sends that image to the printer, so the printout matches exactly what's on screen — in any language or script.

Turn it on per-printer under Advanced Settings. Things to know:

• It's slower. An image is much larger than a line of text, so the receipt takes longer to send and print.
• Use it only when you need it. If your receipts print fine as text, leave it off.
• It applies to thermal printers on any connection (network, Bluetooth, USB). It doesn't apply to the system print dialog, which already prints from a full-page rendering.

Discovering Printers

On the mobile apps, the Add Printer form lists nearby printers for Bluetooth (iOS and Android) and USB (Android only) connections — tap Scan for printers or Refresh and pick yours from the list. Its name and vendor fill in automatically.

For network printers on any platform, enter the IP address directly — see Finding Your Printer's IP Address below. The web app has no network discovery (browsers can't scan networks), so it always uses manual IP entry.

Finding Your Printer's IP Address

Most receipt printers can print a self-test page that includes the IP address:

• Epson: Hold the feed button while powering on
• Star: Hold the feed button for 5 seconds while powered on

Alternatively, check your router's connected-devices list or your printer's configuration utility.

Static IP Recommended

Receipt printers should use a static IP address to prevent the address from changing when the printer restarts. Configure this either:

• In your printer's built-in web interface (usually accessible at http://<printer-ip>)
• In your router's DHCP settings (assign a reserved IP to the printer's MAC address)

Epson Printers

Epson printers with ePOS support communicate over HTTP. WCPOS sends SOAP/XML requests to the printer's built-in web server.

Connection details:

• Port 8008 (HTTP) or 8043 (HTTPS)
• Endpoint: /cgi-bin/epos/service.cgi

Confirmed working models:

• Epson TM-T70-i 2 (network)
• Epson TM-m30iii (with Printus middleware)

tip

Make sure your Epson printer has ePOS enabled in its configuration. Access the printer's web interface at http://<printer-ip> to check and enable ePOS settings.

On the mobile apps, Epson printers can also connect over Bluetooth or USB through Epson's native SDK — no IP address or ePOS web server required.

Star Printers

Star printers with WebPRNT support communicate over HTTP. WCPOS sends commands to the Star WebPRNT endpoint.

Connection details:

• HTTPS or HTTP
• Endpoint: /StarWebPRNT/SendMessage

On the mobile apps, Star printers can also connect over Bluetooth or USB through Star's native SDK.

Generic Printers

The desktop app supports any network receipt printer via raw TCP. Enter the printer's IP address and port (usually 9100). This works with most thermal printers regardless of manufacturer, as long as they accept ESC/POS commands.

On the mobile apps, Generic printers are also supported — but for network connections only, not over Bluetooth or USB (those require an Epson or Star printer). The web app does not support Generic printers at all.

Cash Drawers

Cash drawers connected to a receipt printer can be triggered automatically after each sale:

1. Enable Auto-open cash drawer in the printer options
2. The POS sends an ESC/POS kick command after printing

notitie

Cash drawer control requires a thermal printer profile — the browser print dialog cannot trigger cash drawers.

Troubleshooting

Printer not detected during setup

• Confirm the printer is powered on and connected to the same network as your device
• For network printers: check the IP address is correct (print a self-test page)
• For the web app: confirm the printer is an Epson or Star model with ePOS/WebPRNT support
• For the desktop app: try the Generic vendor option with port 9100
• For Bluetooth: pair the printer in your device's Bluetooth settings first, then tap Scan for printers
• For USB (Android): check the cable and approve the USB permission prompt if one appears
• Check that no firewall is blocking the connection

Printer detected but nothing prints

• Check the paper roll — it may be empty or jammed
• Verify the Printer text width setting matches your paper (58mm or 80mm)
• Try printing a self-test from the printer itself to confirm it works
• Check the command language matches your printer (ESC/POS for Epson, StarPRNT or Star Line Mode for Star)

Receipt is garbled or has wrong characters

• The command language setting may be wrong — try switching between ESC/POS, StarPRNT, and Star Line Mode
• Make sure the Printer text width setting is correct
• If the receipt is in a non-Latin script or a right-to-left language, turn on Full receipt raster in Advanced Settings — it prints the receipt as an image so any language renders correctly

Cash drawer doesn't open

• Confirm Auto-open cash drawer is enabled in the printer options
• Check the drawer is connected to the printer's DK port (not a separate power source)
• Not all printers support the drawer kick command — consult your printer's documentation

Cannot connect from the web app

• The web app can only connect to Epson and Star printers with built-in web servers
• Generic and USB printers are not supported on the web — use the desktop or mobile app instead
• If your site uses HTTPS but the printer only speaks HTTP, the browser may block the connection as mixed content

Bluetooth printer won't connect (mobile)

• Pair the printer in your device's system Bluetooth settings before adding it in WCPOS
• Bluetooth printing supports Epson and Star printers only — Generic Bluetooth printers aren't supported
• If the printer doesn't appear in the list, tap Scan for printers again and make sure it's powered on and in range