Troubleshooting
Table of Contents
Printer is unable to print (hardware issue)
Learn how to troubleshoot hardware-specific issues when a printer is unable to print.
Printers may encounter issues that may prevent them to print correctly or at all.
This article discusses the basic troubleshooting steps that you can take if the printer shows that it’s still connected to the network and the POS can still recognize the printer but fails to print.
In this article, you’ll learn how recognize when a printer's hardware is preventing it from printing, the causes, and how to fix the issue.
For information on how to troubleshoot network-related issues, refer to POS can’t connect to a printer or All devices offline.
Indicators
The following scenarios can be observed when a printer can’t print:
- A print request is sent to the printer but nothing is printed.
- LED lights on the printer indicate that a problem has occurred.
- A printed receipt, ticket, or label appears faded or blank.
Common causes
- A paper jam prevents additional print requests to come through.
- The printer’s paper roll is empty.
- The printer’s ink cartridge is empty (does not apply to Thermal Printers).
- The printer may be faulty.
Troubleshooting
General
To perform basic troubleshooting, follow the steps below:
- Check your printer’s LED lights. You may need to refer to the printer’s manufacturer manual to determine what the lights represent.
- If there are no LED lights or if the printer isn’t powering on, move the printer to a different power outlet. If the printer continues to be unresponsive, contact the printer’s manufacturer to check if a replacement can be arranged.
- If there are lights on the printer that may represent a specific hardware error, refer to the printer’s manufacturer manual or contact the printer’s manufacturer to determine the specific error.
- Check if the printer has any paper jams. Make sure that the paper roll or stack is seated correctly. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, move to the next step.
- Check whether the paper roll or tray is empty, and refill if necessary. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, move to the next step.
- If the printed results are faded or blank, check whether the ink cartridge has enough ink. Note that this doesn’t apply to Thermal Printers. Replace or refill the ink cartridge if necessary.
Kitchen Printer
If a Kitchen Printer is unable to print, make sure that the following is set up correctly:
- A menu Item is assigned to a Kitchen Station. For more information, refer to Set up and manage a Single Item.
- The Kitchen Printer is paired with a corresponding Kitchen Station. For more information, refer to Configure Kitchen Printers for each Kitchen Station.
- The Kitchen Printer's status on the Eats365 POS is “ONLINE” with green light. For more information refer to POS can’t connect to a printer.
Print Dump
Kitchen Printers act similarly to a computer, in such a way that it has its own memory. In some instances, and for several reasons, this memory gets bogged down. Performing a Print Dump clears out the printer’s memory which allows the printer to start from a clean slate and accept print jobs from the POS system again.
To clear a Kitchen Printer’s memory, follow the steps below:
- Press the power button to turn off the kitchen printer.
- Hold down the feed button, then press the power button to turn the kitchen printer back on.
- Release the feed button. The kitchen printer will print out its specifications, then a print test to confirm that the Print Dump was successful.
Issue not resolved
If you’ve performed all of the steps above and the printer still can’t print despite the POS recognizing that the printer is still connected to the network, contact the Eats365 ServiceDesk Team through WhatsApp.