Printer Bridge
Use this page to install the Printer Bridge — a small program for a Windows or Linux computer that lets the POS running in that computer's web browser print receipts, labels and kitchen tickets (and read a Wi-Fi scale).
Start with Set Up Your Printer: pick what your register runs on (computer, iPad or Android) and see which printers work and how they connect.
Quick steps
- Plug in (or install) your receipt printer on the computer, plus any label or kitchen printer, and turn them on.
- In the admin, open Registers and edit the register used on that computer. Download PrinterBridge.exe from that page (Linux: the Linux package).
- Double-click PrinterBridge.exe. Pick your Receipt, Label and Kitchen printers from the lists (leave unused ones on (None)).
- Tick Auto-start in the bridge window so it starts with Windows. It then tucks itself into the system tray.
- Back on the register edit page, tap Check Again — the banner should show the bridge was found. Tap Test Print, then click Update Register.
You don't need the Printer Bridge. The apps print to network and Bluetooth printers directly.
Common questions
Printing stopped working. Check the bridge is still running — look for its icon in the system tray. If you quit it, printing from the browser stops. Start it again from PrinterBridge.exe.
The bridge forgets my printers when it restarts. Download the latest PrinterBridge.exe from the register edit page. The current version remembers your choices.
Receipts print garbled characters. Tick Use Windows Driver (for Star/network printers) in the bridge window. Receipts then print as plain text, without bold or sizes.
Does it work on a Mac? Not currently. The Printer Bridge runs on Windows and Linux (Ubuntu or Debian).
More detail: when you need it, and how it works
When You Need the Printer Bridge
You need the Printer Bridge if:
- You run the POS register in a browser on a computer and want it to print receipts, labels or kitchen tickets, or open a cash drawer through the receipt printer.
- You use a Wi-Fi scale with the POS in a computer's browser.
You do not need the Printer Bridge if:
- Your register is the iPad or Android app. The apps print to network and Bluetooth printers directly.
How It Works
Browser (POS on this computer) ──> Printer Bridge (same computer) ──> Printer
When the POS in the browser prints, it sends the job to the Printer Bridge address saved on the register (normally this same computer). The Printer Bridge passes the job to the printer you picked for receipts, labels or kitchen tickets. In the Windows Printer Bridge window you choose which installed printer is your receipt, label and kitchen printer; the receipt printer starts out set to the Windows default printer. A printer can be plugged in by USB, or be a network printer installed on that computer.
Printing From the Admin
Admin pages run in the cloud, which can't reach a printer sitting on your counter. So some admin printing also goes from your browser to the Printer Bridge on the computer you're working at:
- Loyalty card printing from the admin. When you click Print Card, the browser checks for a Printer Bridge on that computer and sends the card straight to it. If no bridge is found, the card is sent from the server instead.
- Customer cards printed from the POS go to a Zebra Bluetooth label printer if one is connected. Otherwise they go through the Printer Bridge.
Scale Relay for Wi-Fi Scales
In addition to printing, the Printer Bridge helps the POS in a browser work with a Wi-Fi scale.
A Wi-Fi scale usually plugs into a small USR-W610 adapter that puts it on your network. A browser can't talk to that adapter directly, so the bridge sits in between. It does two jobs:
- Passes the live weight through. It connects to the scale and hands the readings to the register in the browser.
- Scans for the scale. When you tap Scan for scale in the POS scale settings on that computer, the bridge does the search for the browser. It calls out for scale adapters on the network, and if none reply, it checks each address on the network for one.
It runs inside the same Printer Bridge program, so stores don't run a second one. On Windows it starts and stops together with the printers. On Linux it runs when the bridge was set up with the included install script. If the scale part fails to start, printing is not affected.
The search needs the Printer Bridge running on the same computer as the browser. If it is running and Scan still says no bridge was found, download the latest Printer Bridge. Older versions can't search for scales.
The iPad app connects to the scale adapter and scans for it on its own. The bridge is only needed for the scale when you use the POS in a browser. (The Android app reads USB scales only.) See Scales for the register-side setup.
More detail: finding the bridge automatically
Finding the Bridge Automatically
You don't always have to look up the bridge computer's address by hand. Tap Auto-Detect in the label printer section of the POS Settings (gear):
| Device | What Auto-Detect does |
|---|---|
| Computer (browser) | Checks for a Printer Bridge running on this same computer. |
| iPad app | Uses the bridge computer's address if it has been shared with your store. Otherwise it looks for the bridge on your network. Allow the Local Network permission if asked. |
If Auto-Detect can't find the bridge, type the bridge computer's IP address in by hand.
Bridge Settings on the iPad
By default the iPad and Android apps hide the bridge address and port fields in their printer settings. For the rare case where an iPad prints to a Printer Bridge on another computer (for example, labels to a USB label printer on a back-office PC), turn on iPad printing to a bridge on another PC in Settings > Edit Settings > Sales & Integrations tab. The app's printer settings then show the bridge address and port.
More detail: system requirements and installation
System Requirements
- Operating System: Windows 10, Windows 11, or Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
- Software: The Windows download is ready to run, with nothing to install first. The Linux package runs on Python 3.
- Printers: One receipt printer, one label printer and one kitchen printer, each plugged in by USB or installed on the computer
- Always On: The computer must remain powered on and the Printer Bridge must be running for printing to work
The Printer Bridge must be running whenever the POS on that computer needs to print. Use the auto-start method below so it launches when the computer boots.
New stores don't have to hunt for these downloads. The Setup Wizard has a "Set up & test your hardware" step that offers the Printer Bridge downloads, tells you whether the bridge is detected, and lets you test your devices before your first sale. This page is the full reference for doing it by hand or troubleshooting later.
Installation
Step 1: Download the Printer Bridge
Download the Printer Bridge from the register edit page in your admin panel, or from the Setup Wizard's Hardware step:
- Windows:
PrinterBridge.exe. UsePrinterBridge-x86.exeonly on 32-bit Windows. - Linux: the Linux Printer Bridge package (
printer_bridge_linux.zip).
Step 2: Connect Your Printers
- Connect your receipt printer to the computer (or install it, if it's a network printer).
- Connect or install your label printer and kitchen printer, if you have them.
- Make sure the printers are powered on and show up on the computer.
More detail: running the Printer Bridge on Windows and Linux
Running the Printer Bridge
Windows
- Double-click PrinterBridge.exe.
- In the window, pick your Receipt, Label and Kitchen printers from the lists (leave the label or kitchen printer on (None) if you don't use one). The lists show the printers installed in Windows, so a USB or network printer must be installed in Windows first. Leave Use Windows Driver (for Star/network printers) unticked for a normal receipt printer. Tick it only if the printer prints garbled characters: it then prints plain text through the Windows driver, without bold text, sizes or other receipt formatting.
- The bridge starts automatically. If at least one printer is available, it minimizes to the system tray. Closing the window also minimizes it to the tray instead of quitting.
Your printer choices are saved the moment you pick them, and the bridge comes back with them after it is closed, after the computer restarts and after you download a newer PrinterBridge.exe. On the very first launch, the receipt list starts on your Windows default printer — or, if Windows has no default printer set, on the first printer in the list.
Right after Windows starts, a USB printer can take a few seconds to show up. If a printer you picked isn't there yet, the bridge shows Waiting for saved printer(s) to appear and waits up to about 30 seconds for it. If it still isn't there, the bridge starts with another printer for now and says so in its Status area — but your saved choice is kept, so the next launch tries your printer again. Pick a different printer in the list only if you really want to change it.
The bridge keeps its settings and its log in a BrotherPOS Printer Bridge folder in your Windows user's app-data folder, not next to the program. To open it, press Win + R, type %APPDATA%\BrotherPOS Printer Bridge and press Enter.
To have the Printer Bridge start automatically when you sign in to Windows, tick Auto-start (next to the Start Bridge, Stop Bridge and Test Print buttons) in the Printer Bridge window. Untick it to stop that.
Linux
Unzip the package and run the included install script (install.sh). It sets the bridge up to start automatically on boot, find your printers on its own, and run the scale relay. The package also contains a README.txt with manual setup steps, but a bridge set up for a single printer that way doesn't run the scale relay.
More detail: connecting the register to the bridge
Connecting the Register to the Bridge
The register's printers are set on the register, not on the Printers page:
- In the admin panel, open Registers and edit the register used on that computer.
- In the receipt printer section, the banner shows whether a bridge was found on this computer. Tap Check Again after starting the bridge.
- Under Printer Bridge Connection, leave Bridge Host on this computer (or tap Auto-Detect), and keep the suggested Port.
- Tap Test Print. The test is sent from your browser to the bridge.
- Do the same in the label printer section. For kitchen tickets, pick the kitchen printer in the Kitchen list of the Windows Printer Bridge (on Linux, the bridge has to be started with the kitchen printer's name). Then turn on Kitchen printer (separate, via bridge) and enter the bridge computer's address and the kitchen port, 9103.
- Click Update Register.
You can also check and change these from the POS itself in the POS Settings.
The Printers page is used by admin label printing, such as loyalty cards. It has no Test Print button. Test bridge printing with Test Print on the register form or in the POS Settings (gear), which send the test from your browser to the bridge.
More detail: monitoring and troubleshooting
Monitoring the Printer Bridge
The Windows Printer Bridge shows its activity in the Status area of its window, and also writes it to a log file, printer_bridge.log, in the BrotherPOS Printer Bridge folder described above.
Log entries include:
- Start-up: which printers were started, and whether the scale relay started.
- Print jobs: when a job arrives and whether it reached the printer.
- Errors: USB disconnections, communication failures, or other issues.
Review the log if you experience intermittent printing issues.
Troubleshooting
Printer Bridge Does Not Start
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| No printers selected! or Auto-start failed - no printers available | Pick at least one printer in the Printer Bridge window. Check the printer is installed and turned on. |
| Printer missing from the list | Reconnect the USB cable, then check the printer shows in Windows' printer settings. |
| The bridge forgets my printers every time it restarts | Download the latest PrinterBridge.exe from the register edit page. Older versions lost their choices on every restart; the current one keeps them. |
| The bridge closes with an error as soon as it opens | This happened on older versions on computers with printers installed but no Windows default printer. Download the latest PrinterBridge.exe, or set a default printer in Windows' printer settings. |
Print Jobs Not Arriving
- Check the Printer Bridge: Is it still running? Look for its icon in the system tray.
- Check the register: On the register edit page, does the banner find the bridge? Is Bridge Host set to this computer?
- Check the firewall: If the bridge is on a different computer from the POS, Windows Firewall may be blocking it. Add a firewall exception (see below).
Adding Firewall Exceptions
- Open Windows Defender Firewall.
- Click Advanced Settings.
- Click Inbound Rules > New Rule.
- Select Program, click Next, and choose PrinterBridge.exe.
- Select Allow the connection.
- Apply to all profiles (Domain, Private, Public).
- Name the rule "Brother POS Printer Bridge" and save.
USB Printer Disconnects
If the USB printer disconnects intermittently:
- Try a different USB cable.
- Try a different USB port on the PC.
- Avoid using a USB hub; connect directly to the PC.
- Check that the printer's power supply is stable.
If the Printer Bridge is quit, printing from the browser stops (and a Wi-Fi scale stops working in the browser). Keep it running during business hours, and tick Auto-start in the bridge window so it launches when the PC starts. To close it for real, right-click its tray icon and choose Quit.
More detail: more questions
Common Questions
Can the Printer Bridge run on macOS or Linux? The Printer Bridge is available for Windows and Linux (Ubuntu or Debian). macOS is not currently supported. Contact support if you need printing from a Mac.
Can one PC bridge multiple receipt printers? Each Printer Bridge runs one receipt printer, one label printer and one kitchen printer. For more receipt printers, contact support for guidance on your setup.
My receipt printer is on the network. Do I still need the bridge? On a computer running the POS in a browser, yes. The browser can't send jobs straight to the printer, so install the printer on that computer and pick it in the Printer Bridge. The iPad and Android apps print to network printers directly.
Do I need the Printer Bridge just to use a Wi-Fi scale in a browser? Yes. A browser can't reach the USR-W610 by itself, so it relies on the Printer Bridge running on the same computer, both to read the weight and to Scan for scale. The iPad app talks to the scale directly and doesn't need the bridge. See Scales.
What's Next?
- Receipt Printers — Configure receipt printer settings in Brother POS.
- Label Printers — Configure label printer settings.
- Scales — Set up a Wi-Fi scale that reads through the Printer Bridge.
- Cash Drawers — Connect a cash drawer to your receipt printer.