No we don't get any waste or extra cuts on a normal receipt print.
Our printer model is the Epson TM-T70 and we are using the Windows Driver ("Advanced Printer Driver"). ie. not using OPOS Driver.
Link to printer drivers & specs here: https://download.epson-biz.com/modules/pos/index.php?page=prod&pcat=3&pid=32
After some web searching it appears that different Receipt Printer models use different Control Codes to Kick the Cash Drawer (or cut the paper). Perhaps CF is sending a control code that works on some Receipt Printers but leads to the drawer kicking plus some other (blank) characters on other Receipt Printer models?
On this website is a list of drawer kick control codes by printer brand/model: http://keyhut.com/popopen.htm
Could this be the reason?
Note: Many POS systems have a setting whereby the admin user can type in their control codes for the selected receipt printer. This allows the Developer to accommodate all printers without having to keep a table of control codes vs printer models.
This may be off topic a little, but thought i'd mention it here. We added a new tab for cash drawer setup within Options. This will create some separation for the devices and allow you to use a full page invoice as well as a independent cash drawer. Simply install a generic text/only device and link it to the proper port. All you need to do from there is select the device/printer within Options.
The pop command is now sent independently of the receipt so it should do what you are looking to do.
Thx Lothill Team,
js
Thanks for the post Jarron, the only command being sent to the printer is the drawer pop command. I know that some printer drivers also have actions that occur when a command is sent to the printer (line feed, paper cut, drawer pop, etc). If you are getting a little piece of paper that prints and cuts, it's my guess that the Windows printer driver has some other commands being sent which are in addition to the commands being sent by CF. I know the POSX driver has a "Printer Commands" tab within the Windows printer driver properties. If the "End of Document" setting within the POSX driver is set to anything other than "No Feed" a little piece of paper will print and auto-cut. Take a look at the Windows printer properties and let me know what you see.
Thanks, James
When I pause my PC's print queue and use a PDF printer driver, I can see:
Doc 2) The body of the receipt with some more control characters at the end (presumably for feed, font selection & partial cut of the paper).
Both Docs print. Doc 1 prints as a short, blank receipt. Doc 2 prints as a normal receipt.
For a "No Sale": The same "empty" Doc 1 is issued to the print queue and it does print. No Doc 2 is printed (of course!).
So Doc 1 is being treated as a printable document in the print queue and is causing a blank receipt to print each time. Note: It is also (correctly) kicking the Cash Drawer open.
Why the change in behavior?
Previously I only saw this behavior when using the "No Sale" function (ie. a single Doc 1). I did not see Doc 1 when printing a Normal Receipt. This is because Cashfootprint previously placed the "B" control character within the Receipt document, not in a second document as it does now. (I gathered this from the comment above: "The pop command is now sent independently of the receipt....").
Potential Fixes
A) Long Shot: Perhaps Doc 1 also contains one or more hidden non-Control Font characters that are causing the Print? Could you pls check? If so, an easier fix. The Doc 1 print file is nearly 2kb in the print spool and when I open it with a Hex editor it seems to have a lot more in it than just the Control Character (but I'm not sure, might all be print metadata, not my area of expertise).
B) Most Likely: Perhaps the Epson driver will always print a document, even if it only has a Control Font character in it? That is, it looks to me as if the Control Fonts are not supposed to be used standalone - ie. they are intended to be used inside of a printable document.
Solution 1 - Partial Solution Change Cashfootprint to revert back to printing the Control Font character within the Normal Receipt document instead of in a separate document (merge Doc 1 & Doc 2).
"No Sales" will still result in an empty, printed receipt (Doc 1). But this is better than the current situation where every Normal Receipt is accompanied by a blank receipt.
Solution 2) Change Cashfootprint to not use the Windows Driver and Control Fonts. Instead use ESC/POS commands. Perhaps ESC/POS allows standalone Drawer Kicks without printing to the Windows printer queue?
Solution 3) Epson users switch to using OPOS Drivers instead (which will hopefully behave differently). However, when I tried using the Epson OPOS Drivers with Windows 8 a year ago I had many incompatibility issues.
Other Notes
- I did try your suggestion to use a text device just for the Drawer Kick. However, this still creates a print job in the Windows Print Queue for Doc 1 (and a blank receipt).
Should this be set up as a Problem ticket?
thx,
js
ps. PDF copies of Doc 1 & Doc 2 attached.
I write POS software and am familiar with this problem. It is not an extra character going to the printer, nor a printer setting.
In order to get the printer to react to any command immediately, one has to send a "dump" or "eject" command after the escape sequences. This causes the paper eject. If this command not done then the printer reacts only when it gets a request to print a receipt (or if the program is closed). It is frustrating. I have this problem at more than one site where my customers wish to open the drawer without a receipt print, particularly my pub sites where almost every sale requires the drawer open, but no receipt.
Hi Dermot O'Dea,
do you know how to get rid of that issue? I have a star tsp700ii printer, and every time I do a no sale to open the draw it prints a 7" blank paper. if i make a test sale it does the same thing then print the receipt after. I am still in trial mode of this software but this is the only reason why I have purchased it yet. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
While We are talking about the Cash Drawer. Unless I'm missing it somewhere in Options. I'd like to see the System ask for a password for a no sale in future updates!
Thanks, and God Bless
Cedric
Jarron stephens
We use an Epson- Receipt-Printer-driven Cash Drawer.
When our staff use the No Sale function to open the cash drawer, a short, empty receipt is printed. This is very wasteful of thermal paper and confuses the staff.
It seems that Cashfootprint opens the cash drawer for No Sale by sending a single line receipt with a blank character (or carriage return, line feed, or similar).
Instead, can Cashfootprint be enhanced to just send the Drawer Open command to the Receipt Printer?