Hi, Travis from POSGuys.com.
Today we're going to go over Square point of sale and basically what printer is going
to work with it.
You have a bunch of options, they generally are all Star, but there are Bluetooth options,
USB options, Ethernet options, impact, so depending on your needs, there's probably
a Star printer that's going to fit it.
Your most basic version is the TSP100, this is the original in USB.
USB only works with the Square Stand, so if you're going to use it outside of the stand,
you're going to need an Ethernet version of it.
Configuring it is very similar, once you plug it in in Square, you'll see a notification
that the stand is connected and that the printer is connected.
So there's your printer connected, you'll see the printer listed here.
You select it, and then you basically tell it when you want it to print, whether you
want it with receipts or you want it with tickets, etc, and you can print a test page from it.
The TSP100ECO is similar to the 100, but it uses less power, and also there is no power switch.
If you look at the front, there's a feed button, but there's no power switch.
The way that it knows to turn on is through the USB port, so you have to have power to
the printer of course, but then when the USB is plugged in, then the printer will turn
on, so if I disconnect it, you'll see the power goes out, the stand also loses connection
and it doesn't see the printer.
Once you plug it back in, then the printer will turn on and then it'll reconnect to the
printer on it.
The speed on it is slightly faster than the 100, not remarkably faster.
So they're two similar printers, this one uses less energy and is a little bit cheaper
than the TSP100III.
So the 100III is similar size to the 100, 100ECO, but it's faster and it also has more
connectivity options.
This one is an Ethernet model, so it works with Square in the stand, it also works with
Square outside of the stand.
It also works with the majority of other point of sale applications out there, so it's a
better choice if you're going to be starting with Square and then some day you think you
might upgrade to something like ShopKeep.
The speed on it, you'll see is much faster than the other printers, it's almost double
in speed.
So this is probably our most recommended model out of it, just because of the flexibility
on it.
If you're going to go very mobile, the SM 220 is a Bluetooth battery powered printer,
so this is completely wireless, and you can take the tablet out of the stand and print with it.
It connects just like the other ones, so once you have a Bluetooth connection established,
then you can connect to the printer, and you can print a test receipt.
And there it prints a little smaller size receipt than the other ones, the width on
it is a little smaller, there's no automatic tear bar, but if you're going mobile, smaller
is better.
One other thing to keep in mind is this cannot connect to a cash drawer, so if you're going
to be opening a cash drawer, you do need one of the traditional style printers.
A Bluetooth printer like this does not connect to a cash drawer, you cannot open a cash drawer with it.
The last printer is the SP700, and this is your traditional impact printer, and this
is what you're going to want to use for kitchen printing, so if you're doing food service,
you can put an Ethernet model in the back, this is Ethernet connection on it, and when you print,
it's loud, but it prints impact, so heat won't affect it, when you get next
to the stove, it's not going to turn black, so that's why it's used in a kitchen settings.
You definitely want to go Ethernet so that it can be away from your tablet set up.
So those are your printer choices for printing with Star.
Your most basic TSP100, if you're going to go USB you want to save some money, the ECO
is your best bet.
Probably the most recommended printer would be the 100III with Ethernet, just because you can use it with
stuff outside of Square.
This is your kitchen printer, portable Bluetooth printer.
There is a series of printers that are slightly faster than this that also are compatible,
the 650 series on it, those also have replaceable interfaces, so if you buy
a USB interface now, you can take it out and put an Ethernet or a WiFi or a Bluetooth interface
in it later.
They are more expensive, they are a little faster, I'd probably stick with 100 series
if you're going to be using it with Square.
They all configure in the software in the same way.
Square detects it and then it prints to the printer on it.
You can't use Epson printers at this time, only Star printers work for Square.
For more information on buying a Star printer for your Square set up, please visit us at
POSGuys.com.
Thanks!