Thermal Receipt Printer Not Printing

Thermal Receipt Printer Not Printing

If your receipts are not printing, follow the steps below in order. They start with the quickest checks and move on to more detailed settings. These steps are for Windows 11.
Info
If your reports are not printing on a standard A4 printer, click HERE.

Step 1: Check the Printer Lights, Cables and Paper

If your receipt printer is listed in Windows but its status says Not available, or it looks greyed out, start here. Check the following:
  1. Power light (power symbol): The first of the three small lights on top of the printer should be lit (green or blue). If it is off, switch the printer on.
  2. Error light (marked Error or an exclamation mark): The second light should be off. It can light for a few seconds at start-up. If it stays lit or flashes, check the cover and paper.
  3. Paper light (marked Paper or a paper roll symbol): The third light should be off. If it is lit, load a new roll.
  4. Cover and paper: Press the paper cover down until it clicks. If you open it, check the roll is in and nothing is jammed.
  5. Cables: The USB or network cable and the power cable are pushed in firmly at both ends. The power adapter also has a plug in the middle that comes apart. Push that together firmly too.
  6. Power switch: It is on the lower front of the printer, next to a power symbol. Most printers have a rocker switch you click on or off. Some newer printers have a small push button under a plastic cover. Press it with the tip of a pen through the hole in the cover.
Try printing a receipt again. If it still does not print, continue to Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows.

Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows

  1. Click the Windows Start button. This is the Windows logo (four squares) on the bar along the bottom of your screen, at the bottom left or in the middle.
  2. Type Printers on your keyboard, then click Printers & scanners.
  3. Select your receipt printer in the list. It has EPSON in its name, for example EPSON TM-T82II Receipt.
Its page shows buttons such as Open print queue, Print test page and Printer properties. Leave it open for the steps below. If the status under the printer's name says Paused, click Open print queue, click the ... next to the printer's name, then click Resume all.

Step 3: Clear the Print Queue and Restart the Print Spooler

A stuck print job can stop everything behind it from printing.
Clear the print queue
  1. On your receipt printer's page, click Open print queue.
  2. Click the ... on the right, level with your receipt printer's name. Do not use the ... at the very top right of the window.
  3. Click Cancel all, then close the window.
Restart the Print Spooler
  1. Hold down CTRL, SHIFT and ESC on your keyboard to open Task Manager. If Windows asks to allow changes, click Yes.
  2. In the menu down the left side, click Services. If the menu only shows small pictures, click the three horizontal lines at the top of it first. Services is near the bottom, just above Settings.
  3. Find Spooler in the list, right-click it, then click Restart.
  4. Close Task Manager.

Try printing a receipt again. If it still does not print, continue to Step 4: Print a Windows Test Page.

Step 4: Print a Windows Test Page

A Windows test page checks the connection between the computer and the receipt printer without using Retailer.
  1. Open your receipt printer's page (see Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows).
  2. Click Print test page.
If the test page printed, go to Step 5A: Test Page Prints, but Retailer Does Not Print.
If the test page did not print, go to Step 5B: Test Page Does Not Print.

Step 5A: Test Page Prints, but Retailer Does Not Print

The most common cause is that the receipt printer's name in Windows no longer matches the name Retailer is set to use. This can happen if the printer was renamed, reinstalled or replaced.

Check the Printer Name

  1. Open your receipt printer's page (see Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows) and click Printer properties.
  2. On the General tab, note the printer's name in the box at the top. Leave the window open.
  3. Open Retailer on the computer that the receipt printer is connected to. On the top menu bar of Retailer, click Setup → Point of Sale → Terminals → Report Mapping.
  4. Find the lines showing POS, POS invoice or POS Payment under Report Type. The name in the Printer column is the name Retailer is set to use.
  5. If the Windows name is different, click in the name box on the General tab, type the name exactly as it appears in the Printer column, then click OK. This is easier than changing every report mapping setting.
  6. Close and reopen Retailer, then try printing a receipt again.

If the Names Already Match

If the names already match, or receipts still do not print, check the following:
  1. Make sure receipt printing has not been turned off by mistake. Click HERE for the steps.
  2. Check your receipt printing settings in Retailer. Click HERE for the POS printing settings and HERE for troubleshooting receipt printing in report mapping.

Step 5B: Test Page Does Not Print

The self test checks the receipt printer on its own, without the computer. Make sure there is paper in the printer and the cover is closed.
  1. Turn the printer off with the power switch (see Step 1: Check the Printer Lights, Cables and Paper).
  2. Find the round Feed button on top of the printer, next to the lights. It has a small picture of a paper roll with an arrow and, on some printers, the word Feed. Press and hold it.
  3. Keep holding the Feed button and turn the printer back on. It can take about 10 seconds to start printing.
  4. When the page starts printing, let go. It shows details such as the firmware version, the connection type under Interface (for example USB or Ethernet) and, for network printers, the IP Address.
  5. The page ends with a message about selecting modes, and the Paper light keeps flashing. The printer is waiting for you. Press and release the Feed button once, quickly. Do not hold it down. The light stops flashing and the printer is ready to print again.
If the self test did not print, the problem is with the printer itself. Check the roll is loaded correctly, the cover is closed and nothing is blocking the paper. If it still does not print, contact Tower Support.
If the self test printed, the printer works and the problem is the connection to the computer. Find out how the printer is connected, then follow the matching section below.

Find Out How the Printer Is Connected

  1. Open your receipt printer's page (see Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows) and click Printer properties.
  2. Click the Ports tab. The port with a tick next to it is the one the printer is using.
If it starts with USB, the printer is connected by a USB cable. If it shows an IP address (four numbers separated by dots, for example 192.168.1.86), it is connected by a network cable. The self test page also shows the connection type under Interface.

USB connection
  1. Turn the receipt printer off.
  2. Unplug the USB cable from the computer and plug it into a different USB port directly on the computer. Do not use a USB hub or extension.
  3. Turn the receipt printer on.
  4. Print a Windows test page again (see Step 4: Print a Windows Test Page).
If the test page prints, go to Step 5A: Test Page Prints, but Retailer Does Not Print. If it still does not print, go to Step 6: Printer Missing or Not Set Up.
Network connection (IP address)
A network printer can change its IP address, for example after a router restart or power outage, if it is not set to a fixed (static) IP address. Windows is then still sending receipts to the old address.
  1. Find the IP Address line on the self test page, for example 192.168.1.86.
  2. Compare it with the IP address next to the ticked port on the Ports tab. If they are the same, the IP address is not the problem. Go to Step 6: Printer Missing or Not Set Up.
  3. If they are different, click Add Port... on the Ports tab.
  4. Choose Standard TCP/IP Port and click New Port...
  5. Click Next. In Printer Name or IP Address, type the IP address from the self test page. The Port Name fills in automatically.
  6. Click Next, then Finish, then Close.
  7. Make sure the new port is ticked, then click Apply.
  8. Print a Windows test page again (see Step 4: Print a Windows Test Page).
If the self test page has no IP address, the printer is not connected to your network. Check the network cable at both ends and try restarting your router. Restarting your router stops the internet and Retailer working until it restarts, which usually takes 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 6: Printer Missing or Not Set Up

Receipt printers need the official Epson driver for the exact model, and a printer added in Windows that uses that driver. Windows does not do either of these automatically. A USB receipt printer may only show up as an unspecified device when it is plugged in. This does not mean it is set up. Use this section if the printer is new, was recently replaced, stopped working after a Windows update, or is not in the list in Printers & scanners.

USB Printer Missing After a Windows Update

Major Windows updates can remove a USB receipt printer, so receipts suddenly stop printing. Open Printers & scanners (see Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows, steps 1 and 2). If your receipt printer is in the list, this is not the problem. If it is missing, add it back:
  1. Next to Add a printer or scanner, click Add device. Wait a few seconds while Windows searches.
  2. When The printer that I want isn't listed appears, click Add a new device manually.
  3. In the Add Printer window, click Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings (the first option is selected by default), then click Next.
  4. On Choose a printer port, click the drop-down next to Use an existing port. Do not leave it as LPT1. Choose TM0001 (or similar), or USB001 (Virtual printer port for USB) if there is no TM port. Click Next.
  5. On Install the printer driver, click EPSON on the left, then the driver that matches the model on your printer's sticker on the right, for example EPSON TM-T82II Receipt5 (it may end in Receipt5 or have (203 dpi)). Click Next.
  6. If asked Which version of the driver do you want to use?, leave Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended) selected and click Next.
  7. On Type a printer name, replace the name with the one the printer had before. To find it, open Retailer, click Setup → Point of Sale → Terminals → Report Mapping, and look in the Printer column. Click Next.
  8. On Printer Sharing, click Do not share this printer (the other option is selected by default), then click Next.
  9. On the last screen, leave Set as the default printer unticked, click Print a test page to check, then click Finish.
  10. Close and reopen Retailer, then try printing a receipt again.

Check the Printer Model and Driver

  1. Look at the sticker on the underside of the printer and note the model, for example TM-T82II. On an older TM-T88, the sticker is on the side.
  2. Open your receipt printer's page (see Step 2: Open Your Receipt Printer in Windows) and click Printer properties.
  3. Click the Advanced tab and check the name in the Driver box. It must be the same model as the sticker. If it is different, or no Epson driver is listed, install the correct driver using the matching article below.
Info
For installing an Epson TM-T82 (TM-T82II, TM-T82III, TM-T82IIIL or TM-T82IV), click HERE.
Info
For installing an Epson TM-T88, click HERE.
Info
If you have replaced a TM-T88 and need to remove the old driver first, click HERE.
Info
To watch a video of a receipt printer being installed, click HERE.

If none of these steps fix the problem, contact Tower Support.