Why Won’t My Printer Print?

There are many reason that your receipt or report printer will not print. The wrong printer may have been selected in SalonTouch, the printer name may have changed, the wrong windows driver may have been installed, the cable connecting the computer to the printer may have been knocked loose, or there may be a mechanical problem with the printer itself.

Our support staff will directly support printers purchased from us directly.  Any printer capable of printing in Windows will function with SalonTouch; however, SalonTouch strongly recommends Star printers for receipt printing.

The steps below are listed in order of complexity.  Many printer issues can be resolved in a couple simple steps.

Software Issues:

In SalonTouch, check the printer driver for the printer that is used to print receipts.

• Click Setup
  
  
• Click Printer/Cashdrawer on the left of the screen.
  
  
• In the Receipt Printer Driver drop down check to see if the correct printer is listed.  If it is not, change to the correct one.
  
  
• You can test the receipt printer by clicking on the Test button on the right of the printer or for Evolution click the Receipt Messages tab and clicking Test Print at the bottom of the page.

Restart the computer. You will want to use the Windows Shutdown process instead of simply turning off the power.  This will restart the Windows Print Spooler which is the service that controls all printing. 

Hardware issues:

· Check the power light for the printer. If it is not on, turn on the printer.

· Check the printer status lights.  If there are red or yellow lights on the printer, there may be hardware issues with the printer.  Check with the manufacturer’s manual or support to determine what the errors are.

· Check to see if the receipt printer is plugged into the computer.  If it is not, plug it back in.  The name of the printer may change in Windows so check the SalonTouch Printer/Cashdrawer section again.

· Check that the printer has paper. It needs to be properly aligned and feeding.  Check with your printer manufacturer for information on how to determine this.  You can perform a feed test to see if it is printing.

Computer issues:

Clearing your print queue

If you keep attempting to print when your printer is not working properly, then your computer will keep piling up failed print jobs, which can cause both your computer and printer to not function properly. You will need to clean out all of the receipts that didn't print before you start troubleshooting. Follow the steps below to learn how:

•  Windows 10

1. Click on the Start menu > Devices and Printers.
2.  Right-click on the receipt printer you are using.
3. Click See What’s Printing.
4. If there are stuck print jobs, Click Printer > Cancel All Documents.
5. Click Yes. 

•  Windows 7

1. Click on the Start menu > Devices and Printers.
2. Right-click on the receipt printer you are using.
3. Click See What’s Printing.
4. If there are stuck print jobs, Click Printer > Cancel All Documents.
5. Click Yes. 

1. Right click on the Windows icon in the bottom left.
2. Open Devices and Printers.
3. Right-click on the receipt printer you are using.
4. Click See What’s Printing.
5. If there are stuck print jobs, Click Printer > Cancel All Documents.
6. Click Yes.
7. This will clear the print jobs from the queue.
   
    

 If this did not work, there may configuration issues with the printer.

It is possible that the device drivers for the printer have not been installed, installed incorrectly, or have been damaged.  Most receipt printers do not use Windows Updates and require drivers to be manually installed.  SalonTouch Software Support will install Star receipt printer drivers as a courtesy for our clients who have a support plan and purchased the printers from SalonTouch or an authorized re-seller.  Device drivers can be downloaded from the manufacture's website or from the disk that came with the printer

If you are unsure of how to manually install printer drivers, it may be best to contact the manufacture's support or a local computer technician for assistance with this.