Sciometa POS · How-to guide
Connecting a USB Printer
Set up a thermal printer plugged into one till, pick the right device, and know which tablets can use USB at all.
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Check what your till can do
What works depends on what the till runs:
| Till runs | USB receipts | USB cup labels | Can you pick a specific printer? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android | Yes | Yes | Yes — by USB device |
| Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes — by printer queue |
| macOS / Linux | Yes | No | No — detected automatically |
| iPad / iPhone | No | No | — |
On macOS the printer is found automatically. That is fine for one printer, and means a counter with two cannot choose between them.
Plug it in, then open the app's settings
Connect the printer to the till by cable and switch it on.
Then, in the Sciometa POS app on that till, open SettingsPOS and scroll to the group headed This device only — these settings stay on this register and do not follow the store selected above. Expand Receipt Printer.
Choose USB and pick the printer
Under Connection type, choose USB rather than WiFi / Network. The line beneath confirms it: Prints directly to a USB-connected thermal printer.
On Android, pick the printer from the USB / serial port list. Each entry shows its name and identity, like TM-T20II (VID:1208 PID:8217).
On Windows, the printer is addressed by its queue — the name Windows knows it by — under Windows printer.
On macOS, there is nothing to choose; the status line reads No printer chosen — the best match is detected automatically.
If the list is empty, a panel appears instead of the dropdown — see the Troubleshooting table below for which one you are looking at.
Send a test print
Select Test print.
On success you get Test page sent. Check the printer for output. On Android the system asks for USB permission at this point, not earlier — that prompt appears on the first real print attempt, so grant it and the page follows.
If nothing comes out, open Diagnostics. It lists the platform and how many USB targets — or Windows printer queues — the app can actually see. A count of zero means the printer is not reaching the till at all, which is a cable, power or driver problem rather than a setting.
Cup labels and the order summary
The same card carries two more printers, both optional.
Cup Label Printer — One sticker per cup. Needs a Brother QL label printer. USB labels work on Android and Windows only. Pick the roll size actually loaded, because the wrong size is cropped, and you can limit which categories produce a label.
Auto Print Order — Automatically print order summary after checkout, with categories you can exclude. Note that when all are OFF, every category is included. On USB there is no separate order-summary printer to choose: there is only one target.
Still not working?
| What you see | Most likely cause |
|---|---|
| "No USB printer detected" (Android) | Check that the printer is powered on and the cable is connected, then Rescan. If Android asked for USB permission and it was dismissed, run a test print again to be asked once more. |
| "No printer registered in Windows" | The printer is plugged in but has not been added to Windows yet. Use Open printer settings and add it there first — the "Generic / Text Only" driver works for most thermal printers. |
| Both printers stopped after the USB hub was unplugged and replugged | USB permission is granted per physical connection, so re-plugging voids it. Run a test print to be asked again. If one printer is still stuck, switch that printer off and on by itself. |
| The app says the print succeeded but no paper came out | The printer may be out of paper, its cover open, or asleep — these are not always detectable. Check the paper before reprinting, and never assume a second attempt is safe without looking. |
| "Last used: … — not connected right now" | The chosen printer is unplugged or switched off. It is used again automatically when it reappears; the app shows the name so the choice does not look forgotten. |
| Printing stops partway with a byte count in the message | Out of paper, cover open, or the printer needs switching off and on. The byte count is there so you can judge whether to reprint the whole receipt. |
| The printer did not respond in time | It may still have printed — check the paper before printing again. |
| Labels do not print but receipts do | No label printer is chosen, or the till is a Mac: macOS can print receipts over USB but not labels. |
| Another till cannot see this printer | Expected. A USB printer belongs to the till it is plugged into. Use a network printer if several tills must share one. |
| The setting will not save | Assigning a printer to a device needs manager permission; label categories in particular can only be changed by a manager. |