Dual printers

[daleadmin]

Jon and I got to talking in the chat room (you do visit there, don't you? http://keyhut.com/chat.htm) about having two printers attached to a register. One to print receipts and the second to print reports. Of course the whole point of that would be to print the receipts on a receipt printer and the reports on a regular computer page printer. That way the receipts look like receipts (40 wide) and the reports look like reports using 80 characters per line.

For this to work the printer would have to be connected to different ports on your computer. I use LPT1: and USB but you can also use LPT!: / LPT2: or 2 different USB ports.

You can even try to toss a serial port into the mix but that will mean a straight trip to hell. Don't email me as I am no longer permitted to answer serial printer email by court order after that psychotic rampage I went on following my last attampt to fix a serial problem. Man, it is going to take me forever to pay that off unless donations pick up astronomacally.

But to use a second printer you have to tell the program that it exists and set the parameters for it. To access the dual printer setup from the main POS menu go to 8. Reports and the top left of the screen will tell you to press [F5] Report Print Setup. The instructions below will appear.
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You may set up a second printer to print reports. This will allow you, for example, to print receipts using the normal receipt printer at 40 characters wide and print reports on a standard computer printer at 80 characters wide. Each printer must be attached to a different port on your computer.

If you use the APRINT.EXE program to print to either or both printers you must use the APRINT setup to assign printer #1 as the receipt printer and printer #2 as the report printer. If you only use APRINT to print reports then you must still select that printer as printer #2.

If on the following screen you set 'Use separate report printer' to 'NO' then the settings for the normal receipt printer will be used to print receipts.

If the main printer setting of 'Print receipts' is set to 'NO' and 'Use separate report printer' on the next screen is also set to 'NO' then no reports can be printed.
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I have done my part as far as printing normal reports. (I am currently adding time clock and other reports) and Jon has started work on a new APRINT5 program to handle a second printer.

As usual if you have a comment, suggestion, or complaint about this, DO IT NOW. Because it is much easier to make changes now than after we have finished it.

There will be nothing to download until Jon ahas a test version of APRINT5 ready.

Dale

[peewee3ie]

Hi Dale,

Would it be posable to use the reports printer do to invoices as well.

this is a way it could work

when you have finished a sale just before entering the amount tendered you could select invoice or receipts so if you chose invoice it would use the report printer or if you chose receipt it would print a receipt.

Or is this coming in customer accounts ??

[daleadmin]

Tony,

I do not know. At the time of the sale the receipts would be printed on the receipt printer. But reprints from the customer account feature could be printed on the report printer.

Dale

[daleadmin]

I have finished allowing all program files that print any type of report to print on the report printer. Jon said that he will work on the new APRINT5 program this weekend.

And knowing Jon he will probably finish before Monday so by Monday there will probably be a beta test version for everyone to ignore.

Dale

[peewee3ie]

Hi Dale,

I will download the beta but as I am back to work on monday. I will do my best to be able to report back here by Friday.

Happy new year as well

[peewee3ie]

Dale,

Forgot to ask will this work in dos only as well or does it need (windows) aprint to work.

IE if I have a printer on LPT1 or Com1 for Reciepts and a printer on LPT2 for reports.

I hopping ( fingers Crossed) this will work in dos as well

[daleadmin]

Tony,

It will work without APRINT from DOS as long as you are not printing to a USB port or through the printer driver. It will print to a second printer on a serial port just as crappy as if it was the first printer.

Dale

[Wes]

Sounds like a great feature Dale & Jon!
Have only been able to do this in past with network, and "office" computer set up for larger printer.

[cwathen]

Great feature here, will save a lot of trundling through menu options.

When using the reprint option in Voids, would it be possible to be able to add an option to choose where you'd like the reprint to be printed? Although a 40 column receipt from your slip printer is what you'd want most of the time, there are occasions where you may prefer an 80 column A4 version (business customers who prefer it that way, reprints for your own use that you need to store etc).

Similarly, would it possible to be able to set the open/close paperwork to print to the second printer also?

[daleadmin]

cwathen,

In the coming version the printer selection is pretty much locked down to printer 1 for receipts and printer 2 for everything else.

But it may be something to think about for future versions.

Dale

[digicafe]

Dear dale,

For future version hope you will consider to add this feature:-

1. will save all file read receving file for later view ,(current version will print on receipt (log file)
2. will automatically delete all receiving file after read to make sure not to reread again.
3. can chose price level eg: price level 1 as a default price, price level 2 as a member price and price level 3 as a staff price.
4. can view report total by stock by report range (put start date and end date)
5. can activate password request to press F5 button to do Void ( during ring up sale scareen).
6. have a text reader to read all text file ( exspecialy for DOS user ) consider this coz now day new version of windows can not run 8 bit dos program so we can use 100% DOS.
7. Automatically will save journal file name using date ( eg 010510.jnl is for jounal date 010510)
8. Journal will save all text the text print on receipt including customer check receipt ( press F6 and hold bill will print on printer and will act as a journal too)
9. create cash paymet as a defult paymet will not pop-up chose pay by..( for faster transaction )
10. have one more fast button to view cost price( this function must have admin password)

Thank you for you considering my request.