External Hardware (Printers, Barcode Scanners & Cash Drawers)
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      Receipt Printer/Printing Options

      Whether you need a receipt printer for the Tasting Room, Boutique or Restaurant, this article lays out your options.

      First Things First

      Cloud Printing vs Local Printing: Which is best for you?

      Cloud Printing

      Local Printing

      Do you have a Move 5000 POS device? If so, you can print directly from the device! Learn how to configure the POS Profile here.

      Cloud Printing at a Glance

      • Cloud printing has a 5 second delay to print receipts.
      • The requirements are a one-time configuration of the printer.
      • No static IP or SSL certificate is required.
      • This is native to Commerce7 and if you have a support question, you can reach out to us for assistance.

        • Purchase, Installation & Setup for Cloud Printing

          There are two printers to choose from: The Epson OmniLink TM-T88VII and the Star MC-Print3. Learn about both here.

      Local Printing at a Glance

      • Local printing is 3-4 seconds faster since it is direct (as opposed to the cloud). 
      • Requirement: Installation of the printer (with required software) + SSL certificate.
      Our trusted Partner, Treefrog Digital, can walk you through the one-time setup of your printer, which requires configuration with your network. This process takes approximately one hour via a video call, and there is an hourly fee. Feel free to schedule remote assistance with them.Learn more about Local Printing option in general here.

      Epson Printer Setup for Quicker (Local) Printing

      Our trusted Partner, Treefrog Digital, can walk you through the one-time setup of your printer, which requires configuration with your network. This process takes approximately one hour via a video call, and there is an hourly fee. Feel free to schedule remote assistance with them.

      The SSL Certificate for 2023 is expiring on Jan 11th 2024. You need to install the new certificate on each printer before this date to prevent any interruption in printing. Learn how to do this here. Or you can schedule remote assistance with Treefrog Digital for an hourly fee.

      By default, your printer uses Cloud printing. Cloud printing has a 5 second delay to print receipts. The requirements are a one-time configuration of the printer. No static IP or SSL certificate is required.

      Local printing is 3-4 seconds faster since it's direct. It prints the receipt instantly, but it has a few requirements:

      • You must use an Epson TM-T88V-i, TM-T88VI, TM-T88VI-i receipt printer.
      • You must setup a static IP address on the printer or assign one using DHCP. This IP address must be set in your POS Profile so you don't want it to change on the printer. You may need your IT provider to assist you with setting up an assigned/static IP address.
      • An SSL certificate provided by Commerce7 must be installed annually on all printers. For support with this installation you can contact Tree Frog Digital

      Note: The Epson TM-T88VII printer has been removed from the list, as the latest versions of this printer do not currently support direct printing (due to the custom SSL certificate that is required).

      Configuring the printer

      1. Plug the printer into ethernet and power and install the paper roll, turn the printer on and if your network automatically provides an IP address a receipt will print out listing the temporary IP address of the printer.
      2. Enter this IP address into a web browser and you will be prompted to login
        1. The username is epson
        2. The password is either epson or the printer serial number.

      Static IP Address Setup

      1. On the basic tab after logging in, you will see the Mac address for the printer. You can use this mac address to create a Static IP address assignment on your router, domain controller or device that runs DHCP for your network. You may want to work with your IT provider to get this setup.
      2. Turn the printer off and on again and the printer will always have the same IP address used. You can select TCP/IP to view the IP address and optionally set a Manual (Static) IP address here if your network does not allow for DHCP reservations.

      SSL Certificate Installation

      1. Import the SSL Certificate
        1. Choose Certificate Import
        2. Select File Type = Password Protected PKCS#12 Certificate
        3. Download this file Commerce7.P12 and then click Choose File and find this file in your downloads folder.
        4. Enter the password c72024 and click Import, then click Restart and wait for the printer to restart, this page will be displayed after restarting.
      2. Set the Server Certificate to use the CA-Signed Certificate1
        1. Under Security click SSL/TLS
        2. Select CA-Signed Certificate1
        3. Verify under Authentication - Certificate List that "CA-Signed Certificate1 Subject" is equal to *.local.commerce7.com.
          (If not. then the certificate was not imported correctly and you'll need to restart and try the import again)
        4. Click Send and restart the printer.

      Enable EPOS Print 

      For TM-T88VI, TM-T88VI-i, TM-T88VII

      1. Select EpsonNet Config for TM-i
      2. Select ePOS-Print under services and change the setting to enable, then click Apply & Restart

      POS Profile Setup

      1. In Commerce7 Admin select Settings > POS Profile and select the POS profile you want to edit
      2. Scroll down to Receipt Printers and click Add Printer
      3. Select the type as Local and enter the static IP of your printer from above into IP Address
      4. Enter a Title, this is used when you print a receipt in the printer selection list, so pick a name that makes it easy to identify the printer/location.

      Try a Test Print

      1. Open an order from POS > Orders
      2. Select Actions and Print Thermal Receipt
      3. Select the new printer you added from the list and click Print
      4. Your receipt should print instantly with no delay.

        Setting Up the Epson Printer Epson OmniLink TM-T88VII (Cloud)

        Note: If you ordered the older version of this printer model, Epson OmniLink TM-T88VI-i, you can also follow the steps described here as the set up is the same. 

        Step 1: Adding the Epson OmniLink TM-T88VII Printer to the POS Profile

        1. To set up this integration, first navigate to Settings > POS Profiles
        2. Select the POS Profile you want the printer added to.

          Commerce7-Settings (13)
        3. Once you have select the POS Profile, scroll to the bottom of the selected POS profile to reach the Receipt Printers section. 
        4. For each receipt printer you'd like to add to a POS profile, add a Printer ID and Title.
          1. Type - Select Cloud this is the default and what you need to set for Cloud Printing.
          2. PrinterID - Create your own 6-30 digit, alphanumeric ID or use the printer serial number. You cannot have spaces or use special characters in this ID (numbers and letters only). Make note of this, as you will be using it in Epson configuration step.
          3. Title - Give your receipt printer a title. Staff will select a printer by title when deciding which printer to send receipts to. Example titles could be "Printer1", "Counter Printer", etc.
        5. After entering all your receipt printers, click Save. 

        Step 2: Configuring the Epson OmniLink TM-T88VII Printer

        1. Install supplied sample paper roll into the printer.
        2. Plug in the printer to a Cat5/Cat6 Ethernet Jack on your local network, and plug in the power and turn the printer on.
        3. Wait 1 minute and the printer will startup and print the local IP address it obtained from your network.
        4. Type in the IP address into a web browser from a computer on the same network (Example: http://192.168.1.78)
        5.  Login with the following credentials:

        Username = epson
        Password = epson (if "epson" doesn't work, try the using the serial number on the side of the printer as the password).


          6.   Once logged in, you will land on the EpsonNet Config page.

          7.   Click Epson OmniLink TM-T88VII.

          8.   Next, you will see the EpsonNet Config for TM-ii as follows:

        Printer2 (1)

        9.   Click Server Direct Print

        • Server1 URL = https://apigateway.commerce7.com/lambdas/print-receipt?tenantId={your tenant identifier} 

        For example, https://apigateway.commerce7.com/lambdas/print-receipt?tenantId=spectrawinery

        You can find your tenant ID from the admin panel and navigate to Settings > General 

        Make sure the URL is exact. Spelling it slightly incorrectly, such as "tenantID" will not work. 


        Commerce7-Settings (14)

        • Interval = 5 (Do not set less than 5 seconds or service may be throttled).
        • ID = The ID of the printer you configured earlier in the Commerce7 POS profile. If you have not set up the POS Profile yet, here are the steps.
        • Name = The ID of the printer you configured earlier in this documentation in the POS profile section of the Commerce7 admin panel. 
        • Server Authentication = Disabled 

        10. Under Device Admin click Printer and the following page will be displayed. 

        image-14 (1)

        • Device ID = The ID of the printer you configured earlier in the Commerce7 POS profile. If you have not set up the POS Profile yet, here are the steps.
        • IP Address = Enter the internal IP 127.0.0.1

        11. Click Apply and restart. 

        Setting up the Star MC-Print3 Printer (Cloud)

        1. Paper: Put the roll of paper into the printer.
        2. Power: Plug in Ethernet & Power & Turn the printer on.
        3. The printer should print out its IP address with-in 1 minute.
          1. Most networks are configured with DHCP to provide new devices an IP address. If your printer does not print out an IP address with-in a minute of turning it on, you should consult your IT department or provider for instructions.
        4. Enter the IP address on the printout into your browser to get to the printer configuration page. (example: http://192.168.1.100)
        5. Enter the default username and password 
          1. username = root
          2. password = public
        6. You will be prompted to change the password, put in a password and record this for future use.
        7. Click CloudPRNT in the left hand navigation under Network Configuration.
          left click cloudprnt 
          1. Under CloudPRNT Service select "ENABLE"
          2. Enter the Server URL as https://apigateway.commerce7.com/lambdas/star-print-receipt?tenantId="your-tenant-id-here"
            1. Example: https://apigateway.commerce7.com/lambdas/star-print-receipt?tenantId=spectra-winery
          3. Click Submit
            enable and enter server final
          4. Click the flashing red Save link in the left hand navigation
            save-3
          5. Click the Execute button.
            execute-1
          6. Go back to CloudPRNT and choose Accept all (warning - not secure) for the HTTPS Client Settings. Save and Execute.

        Factory Resetting the Star MC-Print3 printer

        1. Turn your printer off.
        2. Use a pen to press and hold the Reset button.
        3. While holding the Reset button, turn on the printer.
        4. Keep holding the Reset button until the lights on the front of the printer begin to flash.
        5. Release the Reset button.
        6. If only the ethernet light is flashing - press and hold Feed button until the network settings print out.

          Note: If other combinations of lights are flashing - press the Feed button until only the ethernet light is flashing, then try step 6 again.

        7. The printer is now reset.

        Adding the Star MC-Print3 Printer into the POS Profile 

        1. Log into the Commerce7 Admin Panel
        2. Click Settings > POS Profiles
          Screen Shot 2023-05-15 at 11.44.13 AM
        3. Choose the POS Profile(s) that you will be installing the printer for. (Learn more about POS Profiles here).
        4. Scroll down to Receipt Printers
        5. Click Add Printer
          1. Choose the Type = Star Cloud
          2. Enter a Title for the printer, the title will show up as the printer selections when you print a receipt.
            star POS profile copy
          3. Enter the printer serial number as the PrinterId, you can find the serial number on the bottom of the printer.
            serial
        6. Click Save POS Profile

        Using the Printer

        Using the Printer in POS

        1. Be sure you are in the correct POS Profile. To change the POS profile select the menu (3 line) icon at the top left.
        2. Next, select POS Profiles and use the drop down menu to select the POS Profile that you added the printer to and Save.
        3. When Order payment is complete, on the confirmation modal, you'll see a button to Print Receipt.
        4. If you have multiple printers use the drop down menu to select the printer you'd like to have the receipt sent to. 

        The next time you print a receipt, the device will automatically remember and select the last printer you used. 

        Using the Printer in Admin

        1. Open any Order
        2. Click More Actions 
        3. Click Print Thermal Receipt
        4. Choose the applicable Printer

        Local Printing Options with Treefrog Digital

        These printing options require Installation, Annual SSL Certificate Update, and Support through Treefrog Digital.

        We have worked diligently to establish additional printing solutions for our clients. As Commerce7 is focused on building customer centric shopping experiences, we partnered with Treefrog Digital to offer you more flexibility with your printing set up. 

        Background

        By default, receipt printers print through the cloud. This means that the receipt printer checks the cloud every 15 seconds to see if there are any receipts to print. If there are, it prints them, if not, it does nothing. We know that this is a long time to wait for a receipt to print. 
        To speed up printing, receipts would need to print "locally" instead of checking the cloud. We were unable to change this previously as it is not possible to print from a secure web app directly to a printer that is not secure. 
        This is where Treefrog Digital comes in. We've enabled local printing, but in order for it to work, you will need specific printers and need an SSL certificate to make it secure.
         
        Treefrog Digital services include:
        • Printer configuration - feel free to schedule remote assistance with Treefrog Digital for an hourly fee.
        • SSL certificate installation on the printer.
        • Annual SSL certificate renewal: You can do this yourself via the steps here. Or you can schedule remote assistance with Treefrog Digital for an hourly fee.

        There will be a setup fee to configure the devices, and a yearly fee for the renewal of the SSL certificate. Please contact Treefrog Digital for any additional questions regarding set up, cost, and support for these devices. 

         

        Purchasing the Printers

        The following printers are now integrated with Commerce7, and can be purchased through the links below.  *** Note the links below have multiple options to purchase, you must ensure you purchase the model with an ethernet interface, we do not recommend or support the wifi interface.

        Please only purchase the printer from the source linked below. There are many fake/knock off devices on Amazon and we only recommend the following site.

         Printers for Local Printing

        Printers for Cloud Printing

          • Ethernet connectivity only
            • Please note that we do not recommend or support the WiFi connectivity as it is complicated to setup and maintain. 
            • You will require a cat5/cat6 ethernet cable to connect this to your network.
         

        Troubleshooting

        Inability to Print (Printer is unresponsive, job is in queue, but never prints, etc).

        1. Connectivity Issues: One of the most common reasons for a printer not printing is connectivity problems. This can occur if the printer is not properly connected to the computer or network. Check the cables (USB or network) to ensure they are securely plugged in. Also, verify that the printer is turned on and connected to a power source.

        2. Print Queue Issues: Print jobs can get stuck in the print queue, preventing new print jobs from being processed. This can happen due to a variety of reasons, such as a software glitch or a problematic print job (paper jams). Clearing the print queue or restarting the print spooler service can often resolve this issue.

        3. Factory Reset: When all else fails, sometimes a simple factory reset does the trick!