The first step in setting up your Docket Printer is to establish how it connects to your computer; that is, does it use a Serial (COM), Parallel (LPT) or USB connection? Your computer will have ports laid out in a similar fashion to what is shown below:

Note the connection type of your printer and the port number that it will plug into. If you are using a USB connected Docket Printer, Retail Support - Setting up a USB docket printer in RetailManager may help.

If your docket printer is connected to a Serial (COM) or Parallel (LPT) port, you do not need to install a printer driver; RetailManager will communicate with the printer without it. Printer drivers for these types of printers can often conflict with RetailManager and cause the printer not to work.

1. Go to the Setup menu and choose Hardware.
2. Click the Docket Printer tab. See our example below.
   
3. Select the option Use Docket Printer and select the Model of your Docket Printer and chose the Port which it is connected to. These three options will often be enough to get a response from the printer.
   Note: RetailManager v12 (and later) users will also need to specify whether the printer is a Serial/Parallel printer or a USB printer.
4. Depending on the printer model you select, the Triggers used in the Second Colour, Double Width and Paper Cutter fields will change. These Triggers are simple commands which tell your printer to perform a function. If your printer model is not listed, you can select a model which is similar to your own as it may use the same or similar Triggers. Alternatively select the Other printer model and consult your printer documentation for the correct Triggers.
5. Click Test. If you are using a Parallel (LPT) port printer, you will receive this message:
   
6. Click OK and click Test again.
7. If the printer does not respond or test properly, follow through with the setup tips below:

Printer self-test

You can get your printer to perform a self-test by following a couple of simple steps:

1. Turn the docket printer off then press and hold the printer's paper feed key.
2. While your finger is still on the feed key, switch the docket printer back on. A test page should print.

A successful printer self-test will print the printers specific settings such as the connection type, buffer level and other details. Take note of these details. If the self test did not print or printed unreadable / garbled text, the printer is likely to be faulty; consult your printer vendor for repair or replacement.

Buffer Size

The buffer size option can be set to any number between 1 and 99. The default setting of 4 will work for most printers, but some printers may vary in setting from 1 to much higher buffer levels.

Check your printer's documentation or the printer self-test for the correct buffer size for your printer. It is also safe to try different buffer levels by trial and error if you are unable to find the correct setting within your documentation.

Serial (COM) Port Settings in RetailManager

If your printer is a Serial (COM) Printer, the Settings button will open a small serial docket printer settings window:

1. Match these settings to that which printed on the printer self-test (they are also likely to be specified within your printer's documentation).
2. The last option in this screen; the Flow Control, should be set to Hardware for most printers and the Hardware Control set to DSR. A small number of printers will use the Xon/Xoff Flow Control setting. See your printer's documentation for correct settings for your Docket Printer.
3. Click Apply to return to the Hardware Options window.
4. Test the changes by going to the Tools menu, choosing Reprint then choosing Last Sales Docket.

Serial (COM) Port Settings in Windows Device Manager

A similar set of Serial (COM) port options can be found in your windows Device Manager. These also should match the correct settings for your printer.

1. Open the Device Manager window as follows:

   1. In Windows XP

      1. From the Windows Desktop, right-click My Computer and choose Properties.

      2. Click the Hardwaretab then click Device Manager.

   2. In Windows 7

      1. Click the Windows Start button and choose Control Panel.

      2. Click Device Manager.

2. Locate the Ports (COM & LPT) option, and then double-click the port number your printer is connected to. The Communications Port (COMx) Properties window appears.
   
3. Click the Port Settings tab. The Serial port settings are displayed as shown in the following example.
4. Match the settings to the correct settings for your printer then click OK. The correct Serial Port settings for your printer can be found within your printer's documentation or by performing a printer self-test.
5. Test the printer once again in RetailManager.

Generic Printer Driver Test

Setting up RetailManager on a Windows XP network or Retail Support - Installing a generic text only printer driver in Windows Vista or Windows 7 have detailed instructions on setting up and testing with a Generic / Text only printer driver.

In addition to the Docket Printer Hardware options, there are printing options which can also affect what transactions you print and how many copies are printed.

To check these options:

1. Go to the Setup menu and choose Options then choose Printing.
2. To print transaction dockets to your Docket Printer, select 40 col against each respective transaction type.
3. To print additional copies of a transaction docket, increase the multiplier value against that transaction type.
4. To disable printing of a particular transaction type, go to the Settings tab and deselect the option for the respective transaction type. 

This error will appear if the printing settings specify a 40 column docket printer for Dockets, but the hardware options do not have the option Use Docket printer selected.

Solution

Setup your Docket Printer options as outlined from Task 2 above.

If your Docket Printer is printing the last few characters of a line/s onto a second line, this may be due to a buffer size options not being set correctly.

To fix this, try a different Buffer Size setting detailed in Task 2 above.

If you are using a Serial (COM) Port Docket Printer, it may also be due to incorrect serial port settings, also detailed in Task 2 above. Also check these settings in the Windows Device Manager.

Your company name is printing in larger characters because the Double Width feature is switched on in the Docket Printer Hardware options.

To toggle Double Width on or off you can enter or remove the respective Triggers from the Double Width fields:

To toggle Double Width ON:

1. Ensure your printer model is selected and the correct Double Width Trigger appears in the ON field.
2. Clear all text from the Double Width OFF field.
3. Click Apply then click Test.

To toggle Double Width OFF:

1. Ensure your printer model is selected and the correct Double Width Trigger appears in the OFF field.
2. Clear all text from the Double Width ON field.
3. Click Apply then click Test.

Most printers can print in a second colour. This is generally red, but sometimes blue or grey.

The Triggers to toggle this feature behave in the same fashion as Double Width.

To toggle Second Colour ON:

1. Ensure your printer model is selected and the correct Second Colour Trigger appears in the ON field.
2. Clear all text from the Second Colour OFF field.
3. Click Apply then click Test.

To toggle Second Colour OFF:

1. Ensure your printer model is selected and the correct Second Colour Trigger appears in the OFF field.
2. Clear all text from the Second Colour ON field.
3. Click Apply then click Test.

If your printer responds to a test in the Hardware options, but won't print a sales docket, this may be due to either Hardware or Printing options not being effected by the program. Often refreshing one or more of these settings will get the printer working.

Some simple settings refresh tips include:

1. Switch the printer off then on.
2. Close and restart RetailManager and / or your computer.
3. Go to the Setup menu and choose Hardware. Click the Docket Printer tab and deselect the option Use Docket Printer. Click Apply then select the option Use Docket Printer and click Apply again.
4. Go to the Setup menu and choose Options then choose Printing. Select the A4 option against the Docket printer option then click Apply. Change the option back to 40 col then click Apply again.

If your printer is printing dockets on every sale but you only want it to print dockets on selected sales, you need to edit your printing options. To do this:

1. Go to the Setup menu and choose Options then click Printing.
2. Click the Settings tab.
3. Deselect the Sales Dockets option. This will prevent Dockets printing when processing Sales.
4. Click OK.

To print a Sales Docket on selected sales you can reprint the last sales as follows:

Go to the Tools menus and choose Reprint then chooseLast Sales Docket.

If your printer is printing garbled or unreadable text, this is an indication that the printer may be faulty.

To determine whether the problem is with the printer or elsewhere, follow these suggestions:

1. Perform a printer self-test. If the self-test is ok, then try the next step. If the printer still prints in garbled/unreadable text, then it is likely to be faulty; please consult your printer vendor.
2. Print a test page in Windows. If the test page prints ok, then try the next step. If the test prints garbled/unreadable text, then it may be a problem with the printer, the port it is connected to or the cable used to connect it. Connect the printer to an alternate Port (perhaps even on another computer) and if possible using an alternate cable. If the printer still won't print properly, then it is likely to be faulty; please consult your printer vendor.
3. Test with various different buffer size levels in RetailManager.
4. If you are using a Serial (COM) Port Docket Printer, check your port settings in RetailManager and in the Windows Device Manager.
5. Refresh the Printing and Hardware Options.
6. If the printer does not print successfully after all of these suggestions have been tried, then the printer is likely to be faulty; please consult your printer vendor.

If your printer is not automatically cutting off dockets after the print, the trigger to enable the printer's Paper Cut feature may not be enabled. In order for this feature to work, it requires that the printer actually have a Paper Cutter built into it.

1. Go to the Setup menu and choose Hardware.
2. Click the Docket Printer tab.
3. Select the Use Docket Printer option and ensure the correct Printer model is selected.
4. In the Paper Cutter section of the window, select the Activate option. You can, if you wish, also adjust the Lines to advance before cut option (increasing the number of lines will feed more paper after a sale is printed).
5. The Triggers to activate this feature will appear in the Half Cut or Cut fields or both.
6. Select the appropriate cut option for your printer then click Apply.
7. If your printer does not cut the paper after setting these options, the Paper Cutter Trigger displayed may not be the correct one for your printer. Consult your printer's documentation for the correct cut commands.

If your printer is only printing the first part of sales dockets, and seems to be stopping after a certain amount of character print, this may be due to an incorrect buffer setting.

Try a different buffer setting, as detailed in Task 2 above.

If you are using a Serial (COM) Port Docket Printer, it may also be due to incorrect serial port settings, as detailed in Task 2 above. Also check these settings in the Windows Device Manager.

Barcode scanners are basically an extension of your keyboard. They are usually a keyboard wedge device, which plugs into the keyboard port of the computer and the keyboard is then piggy-backed behind it. Some barcode scanners plug directly into a com port at the back of your computer. Do not install any drivers included with the scanner - RetailManager addresses bar code scanners directly.

The possible reasons for this occurring are:

• The printer or paper is of poor quality Poor quality paper may allow ink to creep, and labels will not have a sharp finish. LaserJet printers produce a higher quality barcode than DeskJet or inkjet printers.
• The scanner has not yet been configured to read Code 128 type barcodes. This can be fixed by reading the barcode manual and configuring the scanner to read the Code 128 barcodes as well as the EAN 13 (which is normally printed on a factory barcode).
• If your barcodes are not aligned correctly on the sheet of labels, you may need to customise your own user-defined dimensions. There are several support notes available on customising labels.
• If you scan an item and get no response from RetailManager, try scanning it in another program such as Notepad. Click the Windows Start button, choose Programs, choose Accessories then choose Notepad and scan a barcode. If you do not get a response, it may indicate a problem with the scanner itself.

More troubleshooting tips can be found by hitting F1 while running RetailManager. This launches the procedure guide. Go to Setup and choose Hardware to find more detailed solutions to hardware problems.