This article provides generic instructions for setting up compatible receipt and ticket printers and connecting them to your Lightspeed Restaurant POS. Before proceeding, check out our Supported hardware article to see if your particular receipt printer has its own article with specific instructions. The necessary steps to set up your printer may vary depending on your device model.

Hardware requirements

To set up a receipt printer, you first need to unpack the printer and make sure you have all the necessary cables and power cords, and then connect them to your device. The hardware you need will change depending on the connection type. See below for some hardware examples:

Receipt printer
Power cable
Ethernet cable  (For network connections) or Lightning cable  (For USB connections)
Ink ribbon cassette (Impact dot matrix printers only. Thermal printers do not use Ink ribbons).
Paper roll (58-mm width)

Setting up your receipt printer

There are several ways to connect a receipt printer to your POS. The most common method is to connect the printer directly to your router using an Ethernet cable. Another option is to connect the printer to your POS using a Lightning to USB cable. Finally, some newer receipt printers support wireless connections, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, which allow them to connect to your local network without the need for cables.

Connecting a network printer via an Ethernet cable

To connect your printer and POS with a wired network connection, you need an Ethernet cable.

1. Connect one end of your Ethernet cable to the port on your printer, sometimes labeled "LAN."
2. Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into a numbered Ethernet port on your router.

Your printer should now be on your network. Before you can connect your printer to Back Office, you will need to find the printer’s IP address.

Connecting a wireless network printer

To connect your printer and POS using a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection, you need a router and printer with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) capabilities.

1. Ensure your receipt printer and router supports WPS. Check the hardware documentation or the manufacturer's website to confirm that they support this feature.
2. Press the WPS button on your router. This button is typically labeled with the WPS symbol  and may be located on the back or side of the router.
3. Within two minutes, press the WPS button on your receipt printer. This button may be labeled with the WPS symbol, or it may be labeled as "Pair" or "Connect."

The printer should now be on your network. Before you can connect your printer to Back Office, you will need to find the printer’s IP address.

Finding the printer’s IP address

To connect your printer and POS, you will need the IP address of the printer on your network. To find the IP address, print the self-test page. Below are common steps for producing self-test pages on most receipt printers. Instructions may vary depending on your device. Refer to your printer's manual if the following steps do not work:

1. Turn the printer off.
2. Hold down the feed  button.
3. While continuing to hold feed, turn the power on.
4. Wait for the device to start printing, then release feed.

The self-test page generally shows the IP Address. Hang on to this page and note the IP Address, which will be used later. Continue the setup by adding your printer to Back Office.

If the IP address is 0.0.0.0, the printer couldn’t establish a network connection. Check that the Ethernet cable securely connects your printer and router, or try a different Ethernet port on your router and repeat the steps above. If your printer uses a wireless network connection, consult the manufacturer's documentation and repeat any steps to connect it using WLAN.

Connecting a printer via USB

To connect your printer with a wired connection, you need a Lightning cable and a compatible printer that supports a USB connection. Note: Using this connection method means your printer can only be linked to a single iOS device at a time.

1. Connect the USB end of your Lightning cable to the USB port back of the printer.
2. Connect the lightning cable to the available port on your iOS device.

Next, learn how to add your printer to Back Office.

Connecting a printer via Bluetooth

Connecting a printer with Bluetooth requires a printer with Bluetooth capabilities. Additionally, you need to ensure Bluetooth is enabled on your iOS device. Note: Using this connection method means your printer can only be linked to a single iOS device at a time.

1. On your iOS device, go to Settings.
2. Select Bluetooth .
3. Make sure that Bluetooth is enabled. If it isn't, toggle  it on.
4. Put your printer into "discovery" mode to allow it to be detected by other Bluetooth devices. Consult your device's manual for instructions on how to do this, as it can vary depending on the printer.
5. On your iOS device, look in the "My Devices" section for the name of your device and tap its name to initiate the pairing process.

Next, learn how to add your printer to Back Office.

Adding your printer to Back Office

Once you've finished with the physical setup of your printer, add your printer to Back Office so that you can connect to it from your POS device.

1. Log in to Back Office using your Lightspeed Restaurant credentials.
2. From the navigation menu, select Configuration > Printing > Printers.
3. Select Add Printer.
4. Enter the printer's name (we recommend naming it after its function or location, e.g., "Kitchen Printer").
5. From the Driver drop-down menu, select your printer's driver from the list.
   • Note: If you do not see your printer in the list of drivers, it's possible that your printer can be used with drivers intended for another printer. These drivers are marked "(or compatible)," such as the TM-U220 matrix printer, or the TM-T88 thermal printer

     

6. (For network printers) Enter the printer’s IP address into the IP Address field.
   • Note: For Lightspeed Restaurant to connect with your printer, the printer’s assigned IP address (obtained in Finding the printer’s IP address) must always match the IP address entered in Back Office.
7. Click Save to finish.

Printing a test receipt

With the above steps complete, log in to the Lightspeed Restaurant app, reload your configuration, and print a test receipt to ensure your printer is connected.

1. In the Restaurant POS App, tap the Status Preview tab (four dots on the navigation bar).
2. Tap the reload icon to sync the device with the latest Back Office configuration.
   
   
3. From the main screen, select your user profile.
4. Tap Settings on the navigation bar.
5. Select Printing center. 
6. Tap the newly-setup Printer to perform a print test.
   

   

Congratulations! Your Printer can now print tickets and receipts from your Restaurant POS devices.

What’s next?

Learn how to assign this printer to your kitchen, bar, or front of house by visiting our article About printing profiles.

Visit Adding and editing receipt templates to learn how to customize the layout of your receipts and production tickets.