Receipt printer, cash drawer and barcode scanner

Most grocery lanes need four things: a screen, a receipt printer, a cash drawer and a barcode scanner. This article connects the last three. Scales are covered in label scale barcodes.

Receipt printer

Grocery stores use thermal receipt printers: no ink, fast, cheap paper. Most take 80 mm rolls; some small models take 58 mm.

1. Connect the printer to the register PC by USB, or to your network by cable.
2. Install the printer’s driver from the maker.
3. In the printer settings, set the paper size to your roll width.
4. Print a test page from the printer settings to check it works.

How receipts print from the browser

GetGroceryPOS runs in the browser, so the simplest setup is browser printing: when a sale finishes, the receipt opens and goes to the default printer.

1. Make the receipt printer the default printer on that register.
2. Set margins to none and scale to 100% in the browser’s print settings.
3. Some browsers can be set to print without showing the dialog every time; on a shared PC this saves a click per sale.

If you want receipts to print with no browser dialog at all on several lanes, ask us on the onboarding call and we set up the print option that fits your devices.

Languages on paper

Receipts in Spanish, Vietnamese or other Latin-script languages print on almost any printer. Chinese, Korean, Arabic and Urdu need a printer and driver that have those fonts. Arabic and Urdu also need right-to-left support.

1. Create a test product with its name in your language.
2. Ring it up and print the receipt.
3. If you see boxes or question marks, the printer cannot draw those characters. Try the printer’s graphics (image) print mode, or choose a model that supports your script.

We check your printer model on the demo, before you spend money.

Cash drawer

A cash drawer is usually opened by the receipt printer, not by the computer.

1. Plug the drawer’s cable into the printer’s drawer port (it looks like a phone jack).
2. In the printer driver settings, turn on “open cash drawer” after printing.
3. Ring up a cash test sale. The drawer should open as the receipt prints.

Keep the drawer key with the manager. A drawer that is left unlocked overnight is an invitation.

Barcode scanner

USB and Bluetooth barcode scanners act like a keyboard. They type the number and press Enter.

1. Plug the scanner in, or pair it by Bluetooth.
2. Click into the POS search box.
3. Scan a product. It should be added to the sale.

For a fast lane, use a scanner with a stand so cashiers can slide items past hands-free.

Tablets and touch terminals

Any device with a current browser works: Windows PCs, all-in-one touch terminals, Android tablets and iPads. Printing and drawer setup is easiest on a PC or Windows terminal. On a tablet, use a printer that supports printing from that tablet. The hardware guide lists what to look for.

Common problems

The scanner adds the item twice. The scanner sends two Enter keys. Change its suffix setting by scanning the configuration barcode in its manual.

Receipts print very small or cut off. The paper size or scaling is wrong. Set the paper width and 100% scale.

Boxes instead of Chinese characters. The printer lacks the font. Try the graphics print mode or a printer with that language.

The drawer opens on every print, even card sales. That is a printer driver setting. Some stores prefer it; others set it to open only for cash.

Related: Ring up your first sale · Language and custom translations · Hardware guide