Receipt Printing
Brother POS supports ESC/POS compatible receipt printers. Since Brother POS is cloud-hosted, print jobs are routed to your local printer through the Printer Bridge utility. Receipts can be printed automatically when a sale is completed or manually from the sales history. This page covers how receipt printing works, how to configure it, and how to troubleshoot common issues.
Before You Begin
- Your receipt printer must be an ESC/POS compatible printer (USB or network-connected).
- The Printer Bridge utility must be installed and running on a Windows PC on your local network. The Printer Bridge routes print jobs from the cloud-hosted POS to your local printer. See Printer Bridge for setup instructions.
- Printer settings are configured per-register in the admin panel under Admin > Registers (accessible from the Settings or Cash Drawers page).
The Epson TM-m30II is the recommended receipt printer for Brother POS. It supports network connectivity, ESC/POS commands, and includes a cash drawer kick port.
How Receipt Printing Works
Automatic Printing
When auto-print is enabled on your register:
- A sale is completed (payment processed).
- Brother POS sends the receipt data to the configured printer.
- The printer produces the receipt automatically -- no cashier action needed.
- If the sale was a cash payment, the cash drawer open command is sent separately from the receipt print. They may happen near the same time during sale completion, but they are separate operations.
Manual Printing
From the Sales History panel:
- Select a completed sale.
- Tap Print.
- The receipt is sent to the printer.
You can reprint any sale from the sales history as many times as needed.
Receipt Contents
A standard Brother POS receipt includes:
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Header | Store name, address, phone number, email |
| Sale info | Receipt number, date, time, cashier name |
| Line items | Product name, quantity, unit price, and line total for each item |
| Discounts | Any item-level or order-level discounts applied |
| Totals | Subtotal, tax breakdown (HST or GST/PST), and total |
| Payment | Payment method, amount tendered, and change given |
| Footer | Configurable footer text (e.g., "Thank you for your purchase!") |
Cannabis-Specific Content
Receipts include equivalent grams total (when applicable). Per-item THC/CBD percentages, strain type, and compliance information are NOT included on receipts.
Printer Configuration
Setting Up a Network Printer
- Connect the printer to your local network (Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
- Find the printer's IP address from its configuration printout (most printers have a self-test or status sheet function).
- In the admin panel, go to Admin > Registers (accessible from the Settings or Cash Drawers page).
- Select the register you want to configure.
- Enter the printer IP address and port (default ESC/POS port is 9100).
- Enable Auto-print receipts if you want receipts to print automatically on sale completion.
- Save the settings.
Printer Settings Per Register
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt printer enabled | Whether the receipt printer is active for this register | Off |
| Receipt printer IP | Network address of the receipt printer | None |
| Receipt printer port | TCP port for ESC/POS communication | 9100 |
| Auto-print receipts | Print a receipt automatically when a sale completes | Off |
| Open-drawer-only mode | Only open the cash drawer without printing a receipt | Off |
Receipt header and footer are store-wide settings (configured in Store Settings > Hardware tab), not per-register settings. Per-register settings are: printer enabled, printer IP, printer port, auto-print receipts, and open-drawer-only mode.
Each register can have its own printer. In a multi-register setup, Register 1 can print to Printer A while Register 2 prints to Printer B.
Printer Bridge
The Printer Bridge is the standard way to connect your local printers to Brother POS. Since Brother POS is cloud-hosted, the browser cannot communicate directly with local printers. The Printer Bridge utility runs on a Windows PC on your network and routes print jobs from the POS to your receipt and label printers.
How It Works
- The Printer Bridge runs on a Windows PC on your local network (the same PC where a USB printer is connected, or any PC that can reach your network printers).
- Brother POS sends print jobs to the Printer Bridge.
- The bridge forwards the data to your printer (USB or network).
See Printer Bridge for detailed setup instructions.
Cash Drawer Integration
Most receipt printers have a DK port (RJ11/RJ12 connector) that can trigger a cash drawer to open. When configured:
- Cash payments automatically kick the drawer open when the receipt prints.
- Manual drawer open can be triggered by tapping Open Cash Drawer in the header bar.
The cash drawer connects to the receipt printer via a cable, and the printer sends an electronic signal to open the drawer. No separate driver or configuration is needed -- Brother POS sends the standard ESC/POS drawer kick command along with the print job.
Reprinting Receipts
From Sales History
- Open Sales History from the Recent Activity section in the cart panel (visible when the cart is empty).
- Select the sale you want to reprint.
- Tap Print.
- The reprinted receipt is identical to the original -- there is no reprint marker or indicator.
From the Admin Panel
Managers and admins can also reprint receipts from the admin panel:
- Navigate to Admin > Sales.
- Find the sale.
- Click Print Receipt.
Kitchen Tickets
If your store uses a Kitchen Display System (KDS) or has a kitchen printer, Brother POS can also print kitchen tickets when a sale includes items that require preparation. Kitchen tickets include:
- Order number
- Items requiring preparation
- Special instructions or modifiers
- Timestamp
Kitchen ticket reprinting is available from the sale detail view in Sales History.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Receipt does not print on sale completion | Check that auto-print is enabled for your register. Verify the printer IP and port in register settings. |
| Printer is unreachable | Confirm the printer is powered on and connected to the network. Try pinging the printer IP from the register computer. |
| Receipt prints garbled text | The printer may not support ESC/POS commands, or there is an encoding mismatch. Verify the printer model is ESC/POS compatible. |
| Cash drawer does not open | Check the DK port cable connection between the printer and drawer. The cable may be loose or the wrong type. |
| Receipt prints but is cut off | The paper roll may be running low. Replace the paper roll and try again. |
| "Print" button does nothing | The printer may be offline. Check the network connection and printer status. |
| Slow printing | Network congestion or a slow printer. Ensure the printer is on a reliable network connection. |
Paper Rolls
Specifications
Most ESC/POS receipt printers use 80mm thermal paper rolls. Check your printer's documentation for the exact specifications:
| Specification | Common Value |
|---|---|
| Width | 80mm (3.15 inches) |
| Diameter | 80mm maximum roll diameter |
| Core | 12mm inner core |
| Type | Thermal (no ink required) |
Replacing Paper
- Open the printer cover (usually a lever or button on the front).
- Remove the empty roll.
- Place the new roll with the paper feeding from the bottom of the roll (print side faces up).
- Pull a small amount of paper past the cutter.
- Close the cover. The printer should auto-cut and be ready.
Keep spare paper rolls near each register. Running out of paper during a busy period causes delays.
Best Practices
- Enable auto-print for efficiency. Manual printing adds an extra step for every transaction.
- Test the printer daily. Print a test receipt at the start of each shift to confirm the printer is working.
- Keep spare paper rolls stocked. Thermal paper rolls are inexpensive and essential.
- Use a static IP for the printer. DHCP-assigned addresses can change, breaking the connection. Configure a static IP or DHCP reservation.
- Position the printer within reach. The cashier should be able to hand the receipt to the customer without leaving the register.
- Clean the print head periodically. Dust and residue can degrade print quality over time.
What's Next?
- Label Printing -- Print product labels with barcodes
- Barcode Scanner -- Scan products for fast checkout
- Scale -- Weigh products at the register