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The printer system has two core concepts that work together:
  • Printer Devices — physical hardware (thermal receipt printers, kitchen display systems, label printers, etc.) identified by their network address and connection type. Each device connects to your POS system and outputs a specific media format.
  • Routing Rules — the logic that decides which items or orders print on which device. A single order item can match multiple rules and print to multiple printers (e.g. a kitchen ticket and a receipt).
Printers page showing a list of printer devices with their IP addresses and status

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Printer Devices

A Printer Device is a physical printer on your network. Each device has a network address (IP or USB port), a connection type, and a role in your workflow (receipt printer, kitchen display, label printer, etc.).

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Printer Device Fields

If you configure an Ethernet printer, assign it a static (fixed) IP address on your local network. If the IP changes (due to DHCP), the printer will stop responding. Set a static IP either on the printer itself (via its settings menu or self-test print) or by reserving a DHCP address on your router using the printer’s MAC address. Most printers default to DHCP — you must fix this before relying on network addressing.

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Create a Printer Device

1

Go to Manage → Printers

Click Printers in the left sidebar.
2

Click New Printer

Fill in the Name, Device Type (POS/KDS/Kiosk), Printer Type (Ethernet/USB), No. of Characters, and Default Template.
3

Enter connection details

If Ethernet, enter the IP Address and Port. If USB, enter the port or device path.
4

Optionally set a Fallback Printer

Select another printer of the same device type as a backup if this one goes offline.
5

Test Print

Click Test Print to send a test page. Confirm the printer receives it before saving.
6

Save

Click Create.
If you enter the wrong IP address or port, Test Print will time out silently — the printer itself will not show an error. Always verify the IP and port from the printer’s self-test page (usually printed by holding the feed button while powering on, or checking the printer’s built-in web UI) before saving.

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Routing Rules

Routing Rules decide which items (or full orders) print on which printers, and optionally which template to use. The critical insight is: a single order item can match multiple rules and print on multiple printers. For example, a food item can route to both a kitchen display and a chit printer for the server.

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Why Multi-Printer Routing?

In a typical restaurant workflow:
  • An order comes in (say, a burger + a drink).
  • The burger matches a rule “All food → Kitchen Station” → prints to KDS.
  • The same burger also matches a rule “All items → Receipt Chit” → prints to a thermal chit printer.
  • The drink matches a rule “Drinks only → Bar” → prints to bar display.
Each rule fires independently. This is intentional and powerful — you don’t have to create one complex rule; create simple, overlapping ones and let the system route based on priority and conditions.

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CRITICAL: Item-Level Routing Only Works for KDS Device Type

This is the most important restriction to understand:
  • KDS (Kitchen Display System): Item-level routing rules do function. You can filter by category, product, or order mode, and route different items to different displays within the kitchen. Example: “Appetizers → Appetizers Station”, “Mains → Mains Station”, “Drinks → Bar”.
  • POS (Register/Receipt): Item-level routing rules do not function. A POS printer always uses its Device Default Template and prints the entire order/receipt as one unit. You cannot configure rules to “print only appetizers on this receipt printer” — the rule will be ignored. POS output is simpler by design (a receipt is a register document, not a kitchen station display).
  • Kiosk (Self-Service Terminal): Same as POS — item-level routing is not supported. Kiosk output is also a full-order template.
If you need different POS layouts for different order types (e.g., dine-in vs. delivery), create separate POS device entries, each with its own Default Template, and route entire orders to the appropriate device using order-mode-level rules (not item-level rules).

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Routing Rule Structure

Each rule specifies:

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Include vs. Exclude

  • Include Mode: The rule fires if the item is in the named categories/products/order modes. Leave all lists blank to match everything (equivalent to catch-all for those dimensions). Combine lists with OR logic (if category or product matches, the rule fires).
  • Exclude Mode: The rule fires if the item is not in the named categories/products/order modes. Useful for “send everything to the kitchen printer except drinks” (Exclude mode, Drinks category listed).
  • Is Catch-All: Bypasses all include/exclude logic. Rule always fires. Typically given the lowest priority to act as a default route.

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Example Routing Setup

Scenario: 3 printers, KDS device type. Behavior:
  • An appetizer item matches Priority 90 → prints to Appetizers Station only.
  • A main course matches Priority 80 → prints to Mains Station only.
  • A beverage matches Priority 70 → prints to Drinks Display only.
  • An item from an unmapped category (e.g., Desserts) matches no specific rule, but catches Priority 10 (catch-all) → prints to Hold Station.
Scenario: POS device type (receipt printer). Behavior:
  • A dine-in order (regardless of item type) prints on Counter Printer with the Dine-In Receipt template.
  • A delivery order prints on Counter Printer with the Delivery Receipt template.
  • Item-level category/product filtering is ignored because the device is POS, not KDS.
Start simple: one high-priority rule per category that needs special handling, plus one low-priority catch-all rule as a safety net. Test with the Simulate Routing tool before going live. Add complexity only if your workflow demands it.

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Simulate Routing

Before trusting a new or edited routing rule in production, use Simulate Routing on the Printers page to test it without creating a real order. Enter a sample order mode and a list of items (by category and/or product), and the system shows exactly which printer(s) and template(s) each item would be routed to — based on your current active rules, sorted by priority. This is the fastest way to verify a rule change before staff start taking real orders.
Don’t create overlapping rules without testing them with Simulate Routing first. The multi-printer-match behavior is powerful but can lead to unexpected outputs if rules conflict. Higher priority always wins; ties are broken by creation time. Use Simulate Routing to validate your logic.

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Troubleshooting

See Printer Not Printing if a printer is not responding.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. This is one of the most important features. If multiple routing rules match an item’s category/product/order mode, each rule fires independently and the item prints on all matching printers (in priority order). For example, a food item can print on both a kitchen display and a receipt chit printer. Use priority and filter mode to control which items go where.
POS printers are designed to output a complete register receipt or order ticket as a single unit. They do not support item-level routing (category/product filtering). If you need different layouts for different order types (dine-in vs. delivery), create separate POS printer devices, each with its own default template, and route entire orders by order mode. Only KDS devices support item-level routing because a KDS is a kitchen station display that needs to know which items go to which station.
Work through this checklist: (1) Is the printer powered on and ready? (2) Is it on the same network as your POS terminal? (3) Does the IP address in the dashboard match the printer’s self-test page (press Feed while powering on)? (4) Is there an active routing rule that targets this printer? (5) Use Simulate Routing to check if your rules would match a test item. See Printer Not Printing for a full diagnosis checklist.
Most Epson, Star, and generic receipt/KDS printers use port 9100 for RAW TCP/IP printing. Check your printer’s manual or web UI if 9100 doesn’t work — some models support 515 (LPR), 631 (CUPS), or proprietary ports.
A Fallback Printer is a backup device that receives jobs if the primary printer goes offline or times out. It must be the same device type. Use fallback printers only if you have high-traffic locations and cannot afford print downtime — for example, a backup receipt printer at the counter, or a backup kitchen display. Fallback adds complexity (you must maintain two devices); leave it blank unless you truly need it.

Print Templates

Design layouts and control codes for printer output

Printer Not Printing

Step-by-step diagnosis guide

Order Modes

Create and manage order types (dine-in, delivery, etc.)

Categories

Organize menu items for routing and display