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How to connect thermal printer

Last updated on 2024-08-13 5 mins. to read

The instruction below is based on the EPSON TM-M30 series printer. Other printer models that support the ESC/POS standard work in a similar way. Consult your printer's manual for specific instructions.

The steps required to set up your thermal printer is simple. You basically need to make sure the printer has enough paper and is connected to the network.

Add paper roll

Your printer requires a thermal paper roll of the correct size of either 80mm or 58mm depending on the printer model.

  1. Open the printer cover.
  2. Insert the paper roll according to the direction shown in the image below.
  3. Close cover.

Configure network connection

In order for your host system to communicate with your printer by network, your printer must be connected to your router by Ethernet cable or use wireless WIFI.

Ensure your router is capable of allocating a fixed DHCP IP address to your printer to prevent the allocated address from changing.

Ethernet

  1. Simply connect a 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX cable from the back of your printer to your router.
  2. Turn on printer.
  3. Wait a few minutes for the connection to establish, usually when the network light stops blinking.
  4. Take note of the IP address printed out on paper.

WIFI

  1. Plug WIFI dongle to the back of your printer if your printer does not have built-in WIFI.
  2. Turn on printer. Your printer will print out the connection instructions.
  3. From your phone, scan the QR code to connect to the printer's WIFI access point.
  4. The WebConfig page should automatically open.
  5. Enter your router WIFI settings.
  6. Restart your printer and it will now connect to your network's access point.
  7. Take note of the IP address printed out on paper.

Please see video for more information.

Configure SSL certificate

For security purposes, you must ensure the SSL certificate for your printer is valid otherwise the host system will not be able to print to it. SSL certificates have a shelf life and need to be renewed yearly.

  1. Make sure your printer is turned on and connected to your network.
  2. From your browser, navigate to http://<Printer> where Printer is the IP address you obtain from the previous steps.
  3. Login to the Web site. The default login is "epson" and the password is the printer's serial number.
  4. Go to Network > Security > SSL/TLS settings.
  5. Make sure the Server Certificate is set to "Selfsigned Certificate". Under the Self-Signed Certificate section, click on Create button.


     
  6. Enter Common Name = IP address of your printer and set the Validity = 1 year. Modern host systems will reject certificates more than 1 year old. Click Create and restart your printer.

Export SSL certificate

You will need to tell your host system to trust your self-signed certificate. You must first export out the certificate to a file from any Windows or Mac machine.​

Macintosh

  1. From your browser, go to https://<Printer> where Printer is the IP address of your printer. Your browser will show an error because the certificate is not recognized.
  2. Click on Show Certificate. Click on the picture of the certificate and drag to your folder to save the file.


Windows

  1. From your browser, go to https://<Printer> where Printer is the IP address of your printer. Your browser will show an error because the certificate is not recognized.
  2. Click on Advanced followed by Proceed to <Printer>. From the address bar, click on the Not Secure to reveal the certificate. Click on Certificate is not valid. Click on Export and save your certificate to your folder
    .

 

Import SSL certificate

You will need to import the file into your certificate store on the device where your host display is running.

Android display

  1. Transfer the certificate file to your tablet by emailing it to yourself or put on a cloud storage.
  2. From the Settings app, go to Security > Encryption & Credentials > Install a Certificate.
  3. Follow the instructions to add your file to the certificate store.

IOS display

  1. Transfer the certificate file to your iPad by emailing it to yourself, put on a cloud storage or use Air Drop.
  2. On the iPad, open the certificate file.
  3. Click Install when prompted. 
  4. IOS will create a new profile after installing the certificate. Click Done when prompted.
  5. From your IOS settings, go to General > About > Certificate Trust Settings. Find the newly installed certificate and enable it.


Windows display

  1. Transfer the certificate file to your device by emailing it to yourself or put on a cloud storage.
  2. From the Windows start, type "certificate" to open the Manage computer certificates control panel.
  3. Right mouse click on Certificates > Trusted Root Certification > Certificates and click Import.


     
  4. Follow the wizard to add the certificate to the default location.

 

Add to your calendar to remind yourself to change this certificate every year.

Configure POS settings

You will need to tell the POS how to connect to your thermal printer.

  1. From your host display, launch the POS screen.
  2. Click on the POS settings ( ).
  3. Enter the printer's IP address.
  4. Enter the printer's port number (e.g. 8008 for HTTP or 8043 for HTTPS).
  5. Save the settings.

 

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