Installation guide

Chapter 9: Setup the Optional Computers and Printers 64
Comments on purchasing Receipt Printers and Cash Drawers
Receipt Printers are required only when the Point of Sale software module has been activated. They are used
to print out sales receipts to your customers, either on every transaction or on demand. They also send a signal to
open the Cash Drawer, which is usually plugged in to the back of the Receipt Printer.
There are two types of receipt printer, Dot Matrix Impact and Thermal. Although the Thermal Printers are
slightly more expensive, they are much quicker and more reliable than the Dot Matrix printers and therefore are
definitely recommended.
The system software is ESC POS (Pronounced Escape POS) compliant, so when purchasing your Receipt
Printer, make sure that it is compatible to the ESC POS protocol. This protocol is a multi model, multi manufacturer
standard of communicating the additional commands that Point of Sale printers need, such as “Cut the Paper” and
“Open the Cash Drawer”. Most new Receipt Printers are now ESC POS compatible.
Comments on purchasing a Scoresheet Printer
A Laser printer is required in order to print customer’s scoresheets. A Black and White Laser is most commonly
used, although if you use a color laser printer, any header or footer image you create for the scoresheets will be
printed in color. Although this looks very good, the running costs of a color laser are higher than that of a mono laser.
When purchasing a laser printer, you should also inquire as to whether the printer driver software has a
reputation for being solid, simple and reliable. Unfortunately, some manufacturers have been guilty of producing
software that is overly complex and can be a draw on your computer’s system resources. You should consult your
computer specialist for his opinion of a simple and reliable printer.
You should also take into account the expected duty cycle of the printer. You might print more pages per month
than what some cheaper printers might be designed to print. Therefore there is a higher risk that your rate of usage
may wear the printer out prematurely.
The laser printer will often be connected to the main computer at the front counter via the Parallel Port or via a
USB port. However, as shown in the diagram at the beginning of this chapter, you are also able to use a networked
printer. The advantage of this is that it makes sure that all the Workstations contain exactly the same peripherals,
which help with the simplicity of setting up and sharing printers. The other advantage is that the Scoresheet Printer
no longer needs to be close to the computer. Because it is connected via Cat5 cable to the switch or router, it can be
placed wherever you would like it.
Whichever connection method you use is up to your personal preference. Consult your computer specialist for
more information on networked printers.