Shopify POS Printer

A POS Cafe Shopify POS printer prints prep tickets on the receipt printer that’s already connected to a Shopify POS device. POS Cafe sends the ticket through Shopify POS, so there’s no server URL, username or password to enter in the printer.

How it differs from other printers

Option	How it prints	What it prints
Shopify POS printer (this article)	Through the Shopify POS app, on the receipt printer connected to that POS device.	POS Cafe prep tickets for orders taken on that POS device.
Epson Server Direct Print and Star CloudPRNT	The printer collects tickets from the POS Cafe print server over the internet.	Tickets for every order at the location, including online orders and saved open tabs.

Requirements

• Shopify POS 11.11.0 or later on each POS device that prints.
• A receipt printer connected to the POS device in Shopify POS, under Connectivity → Receipt printer.
• One Shopify POS printer per location. It stands for the printer connected to whichever POS device takes the order, so each device prints its own orders on its own printer.
• At least one prep area for the printer.

Set up a Shopify POS printer

1. Check the printer name. On the POS device, open Connectivity → Receipt printer in Shopify POS and note the printer’s name exactly as shown.
2. Open the Receipt printers page. In your Shopify admin, go to Apps → POS Cafe → Locations, select your location, then under Devices click Receipt Printers.
3. Add the printer. Click Add printer, then set Printer Type to Shopify POS (Printing API).
4. Enter the name. In Printer name in Shopify POS, enter the name from step 1.
5. Choose the settings. Select the Prep Areas this printer should print, set Copies (1 to 3) and turn on Print Individual Receipts (optional) if you want one item per ticket.
6. Save. Click Add printer.

The window explains how the printer is chosen on each device: “If exactly one printer is connected, it is selected automatically. If several are connected and this name does not identify one uniquely, staff will choose once on that POS device and POS Cafe will remember the choice locally.” Device Source isn’t shown for this printer type.

On the Receipt printers page, the printer shows Shopify POS · prints on this POS and the Ready badge. Its status is shown in Shopify POS, not in POS Cafe.

When POS devices pick up the new printer

After you add a Shopify POS printer, the Receipt printers page shows: “POS devices pick this up within 4 hours. To update a device now, fully close and reopen the Shopify POS app, or open Send to prep and tap Check printer setup again.”

To start printing straight away on a device, either fully close and reopen Shopify POS, or (if you’ve added the Send to prep tile) tap the tile with an empty cart and tap Check printer setup again. You’ll see Printer setup updated. when the device has picked up the change.

What a Shopify POS printer prints

When	What prints
Staff tap Send to prep on the POS device	The items in the cart for this printer’s prep areas, on the printer connected to that device. See Send to Prep.
A sale is completed on the POS device	An automatic prep ticket for this printer’s prep areas, printed from the Order Complete screen.
Staff re-send a completed order	The whole order again, from Re-send all to prep on the Order Complete screen or Re-send to prep on the order’s details.

A Shopify POS printer never prints online orders, and it doesn’t print when a cart is saved as a draft or open tab. To print a round on it before the customer pays, use Send to prep. If an Epson or Star printer (or a Fresh KDS screen) also has the same prep area, the item goes to both.

The automatic ticket after checkout

When a sale is completed, the Order Complete screen shows a Send to prep section that prints the ticket automatically, for example “1 copy sent to Kitchen.” If the order has nothing for this printer, it shows “No new items were assigned to this printer.” If some items were already printed on this printer with Send to prep, they usually aren’t printed again. When POS Cafe can’t confirm what was printed, it prints them anyway, so the prep team may occasionally get a repeated ticket.

If the POS device is offline, you’ll see “Waiting for an internet connection. Automatic printing will resume when this POS device reconnects.”

Note

If the Send to prep section doesn’t appear on the Order Complete screen, fully close and reopen Shopify POS, and check that Shopify POS and the POS Cafe app are up to date.

Reprints

If the printer doesn’t confirm a Send to prep ticket, POS Cafe prints it again the next time staff tap Send to prep. If it doesn’t confirm the automatic ticket after checkout, the Order Complete screen can print it again. One ticket prints at most five times. After that you’ll see a message that it was “printed the most times allowed”; check the printer, and if the ticket is missing, tap Re-send all to prep.

Pause a Shopify POS printer

You can pause a Shopify POS printer on the Receipt printers page. “Pausing stops this POS device’s printer from printing new tickets. Other printers and KDS keep working.” Tickets for orders taken while it’s paused aren’t printed on it later.

After you resume it, POS devices pick up the change within 15 minutes. To update a device straight away, fully close and reopen Shopify POS, or tap Check printer setup again in Send to prep.

Troubleshooting

Message	What to do
“No connected Shopify POS printer was found. Connect the printer, then tap Send to prep again.”	Connect the printer to this POS device under Connectivity → Receipt printer in Shopify POS, then tap again.
“The configured receipt printer is not connected to this POS device.”	Connect the printer in Shopify POS, then reopen the order.
“More than one Shopify POS printer is connected. Choose the prep printer on the next screen.”	On the Send to prep screen, under Choose this POS device’s prep printer, tap Use next to the right printer. The device remembers the choice. Tap Refresh connected printers if it isn’t listed.
“Printing from Send to prep needs Shopify POS 11.11.0 or later. Update Shopify POS, reopen it, then tap Send to prep again.”	Update Shopify POS on the device.
“The Shopify POS printer didn’t confirm the last ticket. Tap Send to prep again to print it again.”	Check the printer has paper and is on, then tap Send to prep again. The ticket may print twice.
“This prep ticket is too large for Shopify POS printing. Send fewer items at a time, or turn off individual item tickets for this printer.”	Send the cart in smaller rounds, or turn off Print Individual Receipts (optional) for this printer.
“The printer for these items is paused, so nothing was sent. Resume it in POS Cafe to send them.”	Resume the printer on the Receipt printers page.