The Star SP700 printer is an impact dot matrix printer. Unlike thermal printers, the SP 700’s printouts are not discolored by heat, so these printers are especially well-suited to printing in hot areas like kitchens. Since impact printers can be noisy, we recommend using them for order tickets in the back of the house to avoid disturbing the restaurant.

The Star SP700 supports a red and black ink ribbon and therefore supports the POS Configurations setting Print sub-items in red.

What you'll need

Before setting up your printer, ensure you have the following equipment:

Hardware

Star SP700 receipt printer

Ink ribbon

Paper roll (57 x 40 mm)

Connection cables

The Ethernet Cable is not included with your shipment and you'll need to order it separately. Ensure that your Ethernet cable is long enough to reach your internet router from the printer.

Power cable

Ethernet cable

Setting up the Star SP700

Connecting the printer to a network and power supply

To connect your printer, you'll need its power cable and an Ethernet cable.

The printer must be plugged into the same router that provides internet access for your POS device so that both of your devices are on the same network.

1. Plug the power cord into the printer.
2. Plug the other end of the power cord into an electrical power supply, such as a wall outlet.
3. Connect the Ethernet cable to the printer port labeled ‘100/10 BASE’.
4. Plug the other end into an Ethernet port on your router.

Inserting the ink ribbon

1. On the ink ribbon cassette, turn the knob clockwise and make sure the ribbon is tight to prevent the ribbon from twisting as the cassette is inserted into the printer.
2. Open the front cover of the printer.
3. Insert the ink ribbon cassette (knob facing upward) so the ribbon is behind the printhead, facing the paper feed. Press down on the cassette, and it will click once it’s secure.
4. Once in place, twist the knob on the cassette again to ensure the ribbon is as tight as possible.
5. Close the front cover.

Inserting a paper roll

1. Open the rear printer cover by pushing the lever on the right side away from you. Lift the lid.
2. Insert the paper roll so that the end feeds from the bottom. While doing so, ensure the paper roll stays tight and doesn’t unroll.
3. Pull the paper out past the cutter at the front of the printer.
4. Push the cover down to snap it shut.
5. Test the printer by turning it on and pressing the Feed button to ensure that it feeds paper as expected. Once it starts printing, release Feed and tear off any excess paper.

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:

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.
5. Once the first page has finished printing, press Feed once more to finish.

The bottom of the self-test page will show Current IP Parameters. Hang on to this page and note the IP Address, which will be used later.

If Current IP Parameters says 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.

Adding the printer to Back Office

Before adding your printer to Back Office, make sure your iPad is connected to the same network as your printer. Once both your iPad and printer are on the same network:

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. Give the printer a name (we recommend naming it after its function or location, e.g., Star SP700 printer or Kitchen Printer).
5. Enter the printer’s IP address into the relevant field.
   

   For Lightspeed Restaurant to connect with your printer, the printer’s assigned IP address (obtained in section 4) must always match the IP address entered in Back Office.

6. From the Driver drop-down menu, select Star SP700 LAN.
7. Click Save.

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. Find the name of the printer you’d like to print a test receipt from.
7. Under Printers, tap Print test next to the new printer to print a test sheet.
   

   

A successful test print completes the printer's basic setup. But to start printing order tickets, you need to configure the printing profiles and production centers that control how the printer functions in your restaurant.

Troubleshooting

• Your wireless printer and POS device need to be connected to the same network to communicate properly.

  A static IP address is a unique fixed number that you can assign to a wireless printer to ensure it remains constant on your network. When setting up a static IP, choose an IP address outside the DHCP reservation range to reduce the risk of IP conflicts. For more information about DHCP reservations and static IP addresses, consult our Understanding basic networking guide.

  1. Connect your iPad or computer to the same network as your printer.
  2. On your wireless device, open a web browser.
  3. In the URL, enter your printer’s IP address.
  4. Log into the Star Network Utility using these credentials:
     User: root.
     Password: public
  5. It may prompt you to change the password but that’s not necessary, press Cancel.
  6. On the left-hand side menu, navigate IP Parameters > Static. The current IP Address and subnet mask should autofill. If the current IP Address and Subnet mask do not autofill, then manually type in the network configuration obtained from the printer.
  7. Click Submit
  8. On the left-hand side menu, navigate Save > Save.
  9. Click Execute. The receipt printer should then restart and print a new configuration report with Static next to the IP address instead of DHCP.

• The Star SP700 has two lights: Power and Error. When the Power light is on, it glows green, and when the Error light is on it glows red. Their light patterns indicate status or error information. The table below illustrates some of the most common error light patterns, their meanings, and how to troubleshoot them. If your error light pattern is not listed below, check out the Star troubleshooting guide for more information.

  

  

• For your printer to function properly, you'll need to make sure your Status sheet depicts the following DIP configuration, where switches 2, 4, and 8 are turned off.

  • SW 12345678
    On * ** ***
    Off  *  *    *
  1. Turn off and unplug the printer.
  2. Flip the printer upside down.
  3. Unscrew the bottom panel.
  4. Turn off switches 2, 4, and 8 by pushing them down.

Still not working? Please contact our Support Department.

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