We’ve looked at the most popular printers used by our clients and picked the ones that perform best. All the printers below are reliable, easy to install and support image printing. We have them in our office for testing and are the first ones we debug in case of issues. So if you want to buy a thermal printer to connect to the order taking app, we highly recommend one from this list.
Compatible printer models:
Delivered worldwide and at quite good prices (including good shipping fees).
When buying a printer from any other sources, pay close attention to its characteristics, as the name alone can be deceiving. There are several models under the same name, and usually they differ only by color and interface (how they are able to connect).
For example, EPSON TM-T20II is a series with 2 models. You need to buy the one with Ethernet, if you wish to connect it to the order taking app. The USB + Serial model would be completely useless.
Default Printers
- EPSON TM-T20II - Model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T82 - Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T82II - Ethernet, WiFi with dongle
- EPSON TM-T88V - Ethernet, WiFi
- STAR TSP143III - Models: Ethernet (LAN) or Wi-Fi (WLAN)
- STAR TSP654 - Model: Ethernet (LAN)Ethernet
Other supported printers
These printers work ok and we actively support them as well:
- EPSON TM-m30, models: Ethernet only, Ethernet + Bluetooth, Ethernet + WiFi
- EPSON TM-T20, model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T20III, model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T20X, model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T70II, model: Ethernet, WiFi
- EPSON TM-T88IV, model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T82III, model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T82IIIL, model: Ethernet
- EPSON TM-T88VI, all models have Ethernet built-in and WiFi with dongle
- STAR TSP143
- STAR MCP31, model: Ethernet
Why we don’t recommend Bluetooth
Although the order taking app allows you to connect a thermal printer via Bluetooth, we don’t recommend it. Here’s why:
- Discovering the printer via Bluetooth is often times rather difficult. Also, for many printers, once the connection is lost, it cannot be re-established automatically;
- Bluetooth has a range of maximum 10 meters and is prone to interferences from other EM waves (like microwave oven or some WiFi networks);
- We have encountered size limitations with printers from different manufacturers (like Star TSP650II).
Why we no longer support USB
USB connection proved to be quite unreliable, that’s why we’ve decided to remove it from the Order Taking App. It turns out that it’s difficult to keep printing and charging at the same time:
- If the device is not charging, the Android system puts the device to sleep mode, so orders might not come through properly;
- When the cable is moved, the Android system may assign a new USB port. The connectivity to the printer is lost, so the device and the printer need to be repaired. In practice, repairing needs to be done several times a day.
Why we no longer support SMS printing
We also had to cut out SMS printing. Some orders are long enough to exceed the SMS limit. The end result is that the printout does not contain all items.
