This guide focuses on diagnosing and solving problems that may arise after setting up the Star SP700 or Epson TM-U220B ticket printers.
Table of Contents
Networking Issues
This section covers how to solve problems related to how your printer, network, and iPad communicate.
My printer is not listed on the 'Printers' screen. / "No Printers Found"
There are a few reasons why this problem can occur. The printer may be disconnected, the iPad may be connected to the wrong network, or there could be a hardware issue.
Follow the steps below to troubleshoot this issue. After each step, check if the problem is resolved.
Check that the printer is connected to power, plugged into your router, and switched on.
Make sure all cables are plugged into the correct printer ports as outlined in the Star and Epson Ticket Printer articles. If the printer does not power on, follow these steps to troubleshoot:
Make sure the iPad is connected to the Wi-Fi network for the router the printer is plugged into.
Open the Settings app and tap ‘Wi-Fi’. If the iPad is NOT connected to the right network, tap the correct network name to connect. Then, follow these steps to forget all other networks.
If using a dual band router, try connecting the iPad to each of the router’s Wi-Fi networks.
This error message appears on the Retail POS (S-Series) app when there is a problem communicating with the printer. Follow the steps below to resolve this issue.
Follow the steps below to check if your Star SP700 or Epson TM-U220B ticket printer is receiving an IP address from the router.
Instructions for Star SP700:
Flip the power switch to turn off the printer.
Hold down the FEED button and power the printer back on.
Release the FEED button after the printer beeps.
Two sheets of paper will print. At the bottom of the second, look for 'Current IP Parameters Status'.
The printout shows your printer’s IP Address and some other network details. If there is no IP Address, perform the troubleshooting steps below.
Instructions for Epson TM-U220B:
With the printer powered on, hold the button on the back of the printer for 3 seconds.
Release the button once the printer begins to print.
At the bottom of the printout, look for 'TCP/IP Status'.
The printout shows your printer’s IP Address and some other network details. If there is no IP Address, perform the troubleshooting steps below.
My printer is not receiving an IP address from the router.
Follow these steps to troubleshoot the connection between your printer and router if the printer is not receiving an IP address.
Power the printer off.
Verify the printer is physically connected to your router.
If the printer is already plugged into the router, plug it into a different numbered port.
Power the printer back on.
If the problem persists, follow the additional steps below:
Power the printer off.
Try using a different ethernet cable to connect the printer to your router.
Power the printer back on.
As a last resort, power off the printer and reboot your router.
Star SP700 Status Light Issues
This section covers issues communicated by the status lights on the front of the Star SP700 ticket printer.
The ERROR light is blinking and the POWER light is solid.
An ERROR light blinking about once per second means the printer has either run out of paper or is about to run out. If the ERROR light is blinking much quicker, it means there may be a paper jam.
Power off the printer.
Push the lever to open the printer's back cover.
If the printer is out of paper, load a new roll and close the cover on the paper.
The paper must be loaded so it feeds up from the bottom of the roll.
Here you’ll find miscellaneous ticket printing issues not related to networking or hardware.
How do I reprint a kitchen ticket?
Reprinting a ticket is necessary when the original ticket is not printed due to an error or when the ticket is printed but gets damaged or lost. Tickets can be reprinted for any saved sale currently on a register.
Select a sale from the Saved Sales screen that needs to be reprinted.
Tap the printer icon and select ‘Reprint Ticket’.
The ‘Reprint Ticket’ option is not available.
‘Reprint Ticket’ is only active for saved sales when all items on the sale have already been sent to the kitchen.
Tap the disk icon to save changes to the sale.
Tickets will automatically print for previously unsaved items assigned to a ticket printer.
My printer is connected, but tickets do not print.
This problem can occur when you skip a step during the printer’s initial setup. If there are no error messages in the Retail POS (S-Series) app and no error lights lit on the printer, continue below to troubleshoot.
Follow the steps here to check if the printer is listed on the 'Printers' screen in the Retail POS (S-Series) app.
If the printer is not listed, follow these steps to troubleshoot.
If the printer is listed but is not switched on, tap the switch to toggle it on.
If the printer is listed and is already switched on, go to step 2.
In BackOffice, make sure Printer Groups are properly set up. Learn how to set up Printer Groups here.
Printer Groups allow you to manage which items print to the ticket printer. Each Printer Group must have at least one department or category of items and one or more ticket printers assigned to it.
Get updates on the iOS or Android register to sync printer group changes from BackOffice.
Tickets print for some items, but not for others.
If some items do not print and there are no error messages, it means those items are not set up for ticket printing. Follow the steps below to check an item’s department and category and assign it to a printer group.
In BackOffice, click ‘Items’ and select ‘Item List’.
Search for and select an item that is not printing to the ticket printer.
Click to Enlarge
Make note of the item’s department and category.
Click to Enlarge
Check if the item’s department or category is assigned to a printer group.
If it is not, click to edit a group and assign the department or category. Don’t want to assign the entire department or category? Visit our setup article to learn how to assign individual items.