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Printer Troubleshooting

Admin Manager Cashier

Use this page when a receipt or label printer won't print, prints garbage, or can't be found.

Quick fixes​

  • Nothing prints — Check the printer is on, has paper, and its light is steady (blinking usually means a jam or an open cover). On a computer, make sure the Printer Bridge is running (look in the Windows system tray). Then tap Test Print in the POS Settings (gear icon).
  • Test Print works but receipts don't print after a sale — In the POS Settings, turn on Print receipts after sales.
  • Garbled or strange characters — The printer type chosen in the POS doesn't match the printer. Star printers need the iPad or Android app, a Linux Printer Bridge, or Use Windows Driver (for Star/network printers) ticked in the Windows Printer Bridge (plain text only).
  • Labels are the wrong size — Open Label Templates from the menu on the admin Products page and make Width (mm) and Height (mm) match your label roll.
  • A Bluetooth printer isn't in the search list — Tap Show N other nearby device(s); printers with plain names can be hidden there.
  • Still stuck — Turn the printer off, close the POS, wait 10 seconds, turn the printer on, reopen the POS and test again.

Common questions​

How is my printer connected? On a computer, printers plug in by USB and print through the Printer Bridge program. On the iPad or Android app, the tablet talks to the printer directly over your network or Bluetooth.

The kitchen ticket won't print and I only have one printer. Turn on Use Receipt Printer for Kitchen Tickets under Settings > Edit Settings > Hardware & System, Kitchen Ticket Printer section.

Where is Test Print? In the POS Settings (gear icon), or on the register in the admin. The admin Printers page doesn't have one.

More detail: which kind of printer setup you have

Printer Types Overview​

Before troubleshooting, work out how your printer is connected:

SetupHow it connectsCommon models
Receipt printer on a computerThrough the Printer Bridge on that computer (USB)Epson TM-m30II and other ESC/POS printers
Label printer on a computerThrough the Printer Bridge on that computer (USB)Zebra, Munbyn, Dymo, Brother QL
Receipt printer on the iPad or Android appStraight to the tablet, over your network or BluetoothEpson TM-m30II and other network printers, Star printers, Bluetooth receipt printers
Label printer on the iPad or Android appStraight to the tablet: network, Brother over WiFi, or Zebra over Bluetooth (Android only)Networked Zebra, Brother QL-810W

Brother POS runs in the cloud, so printing always happens from the device at the till. On a computer that means the Printer Bridge (a small Windows or Linux program); in the app, the tablet talks to the printer itself.

More detail: receipt printers on a computer

Receipt Printers on a Computer​

Print jobs go from the POS in your browser to the Printer Bridge, which passes them to your printer.

Printer Not Printing at All​

Step 1: Verify the printer is powered on and ready.

  • The status light should be steady (not blinking or red).
  • If it's blinking, check for a paper jam or an open cover.

Step 2: Check that the Printer Bridge is running.

  • On Windows, look for the Printer Bridge in the system tray (it minimizes there).
  • If it isn't running, start it again.

Step 3: Check the printer is connected to the bridge computer.

  • Check the USB cable between the printer and the computer running the bridge.
  • In the bridge window, check the right printer is picked under Receipt Printer (Port 9100).
  • Try printing a Windows test page to the printer to confirm the USB connection works.

Step 4: Check the register's printer settings.

  • Open the POS Settings (gear button in the top bar), or edit the register under Registers in the admin.
  • Check Enable receipt printer is ticked.
  • The address should be localhost if the bridge runs on this same computer, or the bridge computer's IP address. The port should be 9100.
  • If the bridge is on a different computer that gets its address from the router, the address may have changed. Ask whoever manages your router for a DHCP reservation.

Step 5: Send a test print.

  • Tap Test Print in the POS Settings (gear), or click Test Print on the register in the admin. (The admin Printers page has no Test Print button.)
  • If the test prints, the printer is working and the issue is with a specific action (e.g., receipt printing after a sale — check Print receipts after sales is on).

Step 6: Restart the printer.

  • Power off the printer, wait 10 seconds, and power it back on.
  • Wait for the status light to show ready before testing again.

Printing Garbled or Partial Text​

  • Check the printer type. Most receipt printers need ESC/POS (Epson, etc.). Star printers don't understand ESC/POS. On a computer: on Linux the Printer Bridge recognizes a Star on your network by itself and prints full receipts; on Windows install Star's Windows driver and tick Use Windows Driver (for Star/network printers) in the Printer Bridge, which prints plain text only. For full receipts on a Star, the iPad or Android app is the simplest.
  • Check the bridge window. Make sure the printer picked under Receipt Printer is the receipt printer, not another printer. If the printer prints garbled characters (common with Star printers), try ticking Use Windows Driver (for Star/network printers). It prints plain text through the Windows driver, so receipt formatting such as bold and large text is lost.
  • Update the printer firmware. Visit the manufacturer's website for the latest firmware.

Printing is Slow​

  • Switch to a wired connection. If the bridge computer or printer uses Wi-Fi, try a network cable.
  • Check network congestion. Many busy devices on the same network can slow things down.
More detail: the Printer Bridge

Printer Bridge​

The Printer Bridge connects your local printers to the cloud-hosted Brother POS. It runs on a Windows or Linux computer and passes print jobs from the POS to your printers. The Windows bridge has a section for each printer:

  • Port 9100 — Receipt printer
  • Port 9101 — Label printer
  • Port 9103 — Kitchen printer

Printer Bridge Not Responding​

Step 1: Check if the Bridge is running.

  • Look for the Printer Bridge in the Windows system tray.
  • If it isn't running, start it again.

Step 2: Check the Bridge log.

  • On Windows, the bridge writes a printer_bridge.log file in its settings folder. Press Win + R, type %APPDATA%\BrotherPOS Printer Bridge and press Enter to open it. On a Linux bridge set up with the install script, the log is in /opt/printer-bridge.
  • Open it and look for errors, such as a printer not found.

Step 3: Verify the USB printer is connected.

  • Open Devices and Printers in Windows.
  • Confirm the printer appears and isn't showing any errors.
  • Try printing a test page from Windows directly to confirm the USB connection works.

Step 4: Check the ports.

  • Make sure no other program is using ports 9100, 9101 or 9103 on the computer.
  • Open a command prompt and run: 
    netstat -an | findstr "9100"
    netstat -an | findstr "9101"
  • You should see the Bridge listening on these ports.

Step 5: Test the Bridge from Brother POS.

  • In the POS Settings (gear), point the printer at the bridge computer (localhost if it's this computer) with port 9100 (receipt) or 9101 (label).
  • Tap Test Print or Test Label Print.
Firewall blocking

If the POS runs on a different device from the bridge, Windows Firewall may block it from reaching the bridge. Ask your IT person to allow incoming connections on the bridge's ports.

Bridge Connects But Prints Garbled Output​

  • Check the printer type in the POS matches the printer. Receipt commands sent to a label printer, or Zebra commands sent to a Munbyn, come out as garbage.
  • Check which printer is picked for each section. If several printers are connected to the computer, make sure the bridge window has the receipt printer under Receipt Printer, the label printer under Label Printer, and so on.
More detail: label printers

Label Printers​

Label printers print product labels with barcodes, prices, and product details.

Label Not Printing​

Step 1: Check the printer connection.

  • On a computer: check the Printer Bridge is running and the label printer is picked under Label Printer (Port 9101).
  • In the register's label printer settings, check Enable label printer for this register is ticked and the bridge port is 9101.

Step 2: Check label stock.

  • Open the printer and check labels are loaded correctly.
  • Make sure the printer's label sensor is set for your stock (gap sensor for die-cut labels, continuous for continuous stock).

Step 3: Calibrate the printer.

  • If the printer feeds several labels or stops mid-label, it needs calibration.
  • See your printer's manual for the calibration steps.

Step 4: Send a test print.

  • In the POS Settings (gear), tap Test Label Print.
  • If the test label prints correctly, the issue is with the label template or product data.

Label Dimensions Are Wrong​

  • Check the template settings. Open Label Templates from the menu on the admin Products page, and check Width (mm) and Height (mm) match your physical label stock.
  • Check the printer type. Make sure the Printer Type in the register's label settings matches your printer.

Barcode Not Scanning on Printed Label​

  • Print quality is too low. Increase the print darkness in the printer's own settings, or clean the print head.
  • Label is too small for the barcode. Move the barcode away from the label edge or use a larger label. The template editor warns when a barcode is too close to the edge.
  • The product has no code. Make sure the product has a barcode or SKU in the field the template prints.
More detail: Bluetooth and Star printers on the iPad or Android app

Bluetooth and Star Printers (iPad or Android App)​

The Printer Search Lists Watches, Earbuds and Other Devices​

A Bluetooth search picks up every device nearby. The list shows likely printers first and hides the rest behind Show N other nearby device(s). The app judges what's a printer by its name, so a printer with a plain name (for example "BT-04A") can end up in that hidden group. Tap Show N other nearby device(s) to see everything.

A Network or Star Printer Doesn't Show Up​

  1. Make sure the printer is powered on and either on the same network as the tablet or, for Bluetooth, paired in the tablet's Bluetooth settings.
  2. Tap Search for Receipt Printers again.
  3. For a network printer, try typing its IP address under Or connect a network printer by its IP address and tapping Connect. Most receipt printers print their IP address if you hold the feed button while turning them on.
  4. If it still isn't listed, tap Printer search details under the results. This shows what the search tried and what came back. Include it when you contact support.

The Kitchen Ticket Won't Print and There's Only One Printer​

With no separate kitchen printer, kitchen tickets print on the receipt printer only while Use Receipt Printer for Kitchen Tickets is on. It's in Settings > Edit Settings > Hardware & System tab, Kitchen Ticket Printer section. Turn it on, then reprint the kitchen ticket from Sales History.

No Zebra Bluetooth Option on the iPad​

Zebra Bluetooth label printing is not currently available in the iPad app, so it isn't offered in the iPad's printer settings. It works in the Android app. On an iPad, use a network label printer or a Brother QL-810W instead.

Zebra Printer Not Found on Android​

The app only lists Zebra printers that are already paired in the tablet's Settings > Bluetooth, and whose name looks like a Zebra (for example containing "Zebra", "ZQ", "ZD" or "ZT"). Pair the printer first, then tap Find Zebra Printers again.

More detail: general troubleshooting steps

General Troubleshooting Steps​

If the sections above did not fix your issue, try these general steps:

Step 1: Restart Everything​

In this order:

  1. Power off the printer.
  2. Close the POS (browser tab or app).
  3. Wait 10 seconds.
  4. Power on the printer and wait for it to become ready.
  5. Reopen the POS.
  6. Send a test print.

Step 2: Check the Printer Setup​

Open the POS Settings (gear) (or the register in the admin) and check:

  • Is the printer enabled for this register?
  • Is the address and port correct?
  • Is the printer type correct?

Step 3: Check the Network​

  • Are the POS device, the bridge computer and any network printer on the same network?
  • Is the router or switch working properly?

Step 4: Check the Physical Connections​

  • Network cable firmly connected at both ends?
  • USB cable seated properly (for bridge setups)?
  • Power cable plugged in?
  • Paper loaded and cover closed?

When to Contact Support​

Contact support if:

  • You have worked through all steps above and the printer still does not work.
  • The printer was working and stopped without any changes to the setup.
  • You see error messages in the POS or Bridge log that you do not understand.
  • You need help configuring a new printer model.

When submitting a support ticket, include:

  • Printer make and model
  • How it connects (USB through the bridge, Bluetooth, network)
  • Whether you use a computer, iPad or Android tablet
  • Any error messages from the POS or Bridge log
  • What you have already tried

See Submitting Support Tickets for instructions.

What's Next?​