how2it03.htm
How to troubleshoot receipt printer problems
Generally, receipt printers are rather trouble-free devices and most of the problems are related to paper or ribbon jams, paper sensors are stuck, the unit needs lubrication, a cable problem or a COM port setting has been either changed or lost.
Important: Before you open a printer's cover, unplug it's power plug or at the very least, turn it off. There are some small but very powerful motors inside and you can lose a finger if you're not careful. If the printer plugs directly into 110v AC power, you should unplug it altogether so you don't expose yourself to a potentially lethal electrical shock.
Is it plugged in and does it have paper? - These are often the first questions we ask a person who's having trouble, and it's amazing how often the response is, "I don't know." Check these things first. Make sure that the printer is powered on, that it has a sufficient supply of paper and is "on-line," ready to print. There's usually a small power light on the printer, and often there's another light that shows when it's connected to the computer, i.e. "on-line."
PRINT/NO PRINT/OPEN DRAWER - Look in the upper left corner of your InfoTouch register screen. There's usually a button there that says PRINT, NO PRINT or OPEN DRAWER. If it says PRINT, that means it will print a receipt. If it says NO PRINT it means that you will NOT get a receipt when the transaction is finished. If it says OPEN DRAWER it means that it will open the cash drawer but NOT print a receipt when the transaction is finished. Check it to make sure it says what you intend your printer to do.
Paper jams - carefully open the cover and look inside the printer where the paper path is. Often small scraps of paper might remain from tear-off bars, etc. Be careful not to poke sharp things into the mechanism such as screwdrivers, knives, etc. but you may find a tweezers or small needle-nose pliers is helpful in removing these items. You may also find paper clips, staples, coins or other small objects have fallen into the printer, and they can easily cause jams, too.
Paper sensors - these are often optical (when the paper is out, the light beam notices and shuts down the printer) but sometimes are mechanical. You can use a can of compressed air to blow out the paper/printing compartment and solve a lot of these problems. The mechanical sensors are a bit trickier, and you have to look very closely along the paper path to see if there's a small wire lever sticking up that would be depressed if there were paper in the printer. These are quite delicate and if they get bent, they often stop working altogether (this is why you don't want to go poking around with screwdrivers, knives, etc.). Sometimes a small piece of paper or dust is the culprit, but if not, the printer may need service.
Print heads - impact printers (the dot matrix type) usually have a small print head that slides back and forth as it prints the receipt. Often there's an adjustment lever that can adjust the position of the print head either closer to or further from the paper; if it's too close, it may jam.
Lubrication - also on impact printers, the print head slides on a steel bar. Paper and general dust from everyday use usually mixes with the lubrication on this slider bar and after a while, the lubrication is gone. Putting a drop or two of 3-in-one oil onto the slider bar on either side of the print head can solve a lot of these woes. Be sure to manually slide the print head back and forth a couple times to spread the oil, and don't use more than a couple drops. Too much oil can cause problems, too.
Printer cable - most receipt printers are serial devices, which means they plug into the serial port of the computer, which is normally a 9-pin or 25-pin jack in the back of the computer. If the computer system has been moved, requiring unplugging everything and reassembling in its new location, it's possible that the cable is now plugged into the wrong place, or perhaps a different cable was substituted. Some printers require a special cable -- not "any" cable will work. If your computer has 2 serial ports, odds are that the receipt printer must be plugged into COM2, which is the secondary serial port. If your computer has only one serial port, then it's likely it should be in COM1, the primary port.
COM port settings - Star receipt printers or printers set into Star emulation mode are designed to work with InfoTouch using 9600 baud, even parity, seven data bits and 1 stop bit. This is called 9600,E,7,1. Epson or Ithaca printers are set to run at 9600 baud, no parity, eight data bits and 1 stop bit (9600,N,8,1). The two settings are mutually exclusive: the Epson setting will not work with the Star or vice-versa.
DOS users: at a DOS prompt, type: MODE COM2:96,E,7,1 to set your COM2 port for a Star, type MODE COM2:96,N,8,1 for an Epson.
Windows users: COM port settings are in the Windows device manager, using simple click drop-down boxes. You should also set the protocol to NONE, or you can try XON/XOFF. After you make the changes, be sure to click APPLY and then OK, and restart your computer to make sure the settings are finalized.
Receipts are way too long - This normally has nothing to do with the printer but everything to do with the InfoTouch receipt format you are using, which is a totally different issue. In short, if you sell one or two items yet your receipt is roughly 11 inches long, it means that you've added a TOP and BOTTOM to your receipt format layout, which forces the printer to a full 11-inch length for every receipt. To fix it, start the invoice formatter, load your chosen receipt format, then select "load default," and then save the new format. The default format does not have a TOP or BOTTOM and the problem will go away. Note that once the TOP and BOTTOM are in your receipt, there is no way to remove them other than to replace it with the default and re-do all your formatting changes (except don't put a TOP or BOTTOM in it again!).