Set up and test your kitchen printer

Tickets can print by themselves when you accept an order. There are two kinds of printer. Pick yours, then follow its steps. Everything starts in your dashboard: Settings → Printer and devices → Set up a printer, which walks you through six steps (select printer, choose connection, pair or register, print a test ticket, assign to kitchen, finish). If that page says kitchen printing is switched off for your account, it isn't on your plan yet: ask us to switch it on.

A. An everyday receipt printer (Bluetooth or USB), through your Android tablet

Most low-cost 58 mm and 80 mm receipt printers work, if they understand "ESC/POS" (most do). This needs the Android tablet that runs Live orders.

1. Install RawBT on the Android tablet from the Google Play store, and open it.
2. Connect the printer in RawBT. Switch the printer on, pair it in Android's Bluetooth settings (or plug it in by USB), then in RawBT choose it as the printer and press its own test print. If RawBT can't print, the printer won't work this way.
3. Choose it in your dashboard. On that same tablet, open Settings → Printer and devices → Set up a printer. In Select printer choose Low-cost 58mm Bluetooth receipt printer (or the 80mm one, or your model if it's listed). In Choose connection pick Through the Android tablet.
4. Print a test ticket from the setup steps. Check the line of dashes fits on one line, then say whether it printed properly.
5. Choose when tickets print (when you tap Accept is best) and how many copies, then Finish.

Your tablet can't tell us whether a ticket really printed, so check each one comes out. Orders accepted on another device wait on this tablet with a Print button.

B. A cloud printer (Star CloudPRNT or Epson Server Direct Print)

These plug into your router and print by themselves, even with the tablet off. Examples: Star mC-Print3 or TSP143IV, Epson TM-T88VI.

1. Plug the printer into your router with a network cable and switch it on.
2. Start the setup: Settings → Printer and devices → Set up a printer, select your printer model, and in Pair or register you're given a printer address (a web link).
3. Paste the address into the printer's own settings page (the setup steps show how for your model: Star calls it CloudPRNT, Epson calls it Server Direct Print).
4. Wait for "Printer ready" (up to a minute), then print a test ticket and check it.
5. Choose when tickets print and how many copies, then Finish. Live orders shows Printer ready while the printer is connected, and warns if it runs out of paper.

Check it with a real order

Place a test order (see Test an order from start to finish), tap Accept on the tablet, and check the ticket prints with the right dishes, choices and total. Reprints are marked REPRINT so nothing is cooked twice.

No printer? You can still print a ticket from the device's own print dialog: in Live orders, Controls → Print ticket when I accept. Ask us before you buy a printer and we'll tell you whether it will work.