Printer Troubleshooting

Clubspot supports both thermal and impact printing within the POS application. This article aims to provide guidance on any issues you might encounter with your printers or printing.

To check your printer status at a glance, go to Point of Sale → Printers in the dashboard. The WAN port column of the table is the best telltale of whether or not Clubspot can establish a connection to the printers.

OPEN means that Clubspot can communicate with the printer without any issues

FILTERED or CLOSED means that Clubspot cannot reach the printer. The printer could be off, the correct port forwarding rules may not be in place, the WAN IP address could be wrong, the firewall is blocking our print server’s traffic, or the ethernet cable running to the printer could be disconnected at some point.

Note that the Printer Status interface is only compatible for the supported Star TSP100III and Epson TM U220B printers. If you have printers that are not recommended for the Clubspot system the WAN Port my not correctly reflect the printer status.

If all printers are showing as “Filtered” in the printer status display, the issue is most likely related to an incorrect IP address. This typically happens when the public IP address of the club’s network has changed. To confirm this, use a device that’s connected to the same local network as the printers and search for “what is my IP address” in a web browser. Compare the result with the WAN IP address configured in Clubspot.

If they don’t match, the Clubspot system won’t be able to route print jobs correctly. In this case, please reach out to Clubspot Support so the correct IP address can be updated on your behalf. This problem should not occur if the club is using a static IP address, as static addresses are designed to remain consistent.

Static IP addresses or use of a DDNS service are a requirement for using printers via the Clubspot Point of Sale as this is the only way to reliably send prints to the club without disruption.

Another common cause of this issue is missing or incorrect port forwarding rules. During the initial onboarding process, Clubspot confirms that the required ports are open to allow communication between your printers and our print servers. However, if the router has been factory reset or a new network has been installed, these port forwarding rules may have been erased. Your IT team will need to re-establish the correct settings on the router.

To restore printer connectivity, port forwarding must be configured so that traffic from Clubspot’s print servers can reach the internal IP addresses of your printers. The print servers use the following IP addresses: 35.169.197.221 and 34.139.36.184. These IPs should be set as the external source when configuring port forwarding on the router. Each printer on your network will also have an internal static IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.110), and the router should forward traffic to that address on internal port 9100. The external port can be assigned as 9100, 9101, 9102, and so on, with one unique external port assigned per printer. For example, if you have three printers, you might forward external port 9100 to the first printer, 9101 to the second, and 9102 to the third, all targeting internal port 9100.

The exact steps to configure port forwarding will depend on the specific router used at the club, but generally, it involves logging into the router’s admin panel and setting the appropriate rules under its port forwarding or NAT configuration settings. If you’re unsure how to proceed, your IT support team can assist, or you can contact Clubspot Support for guidance. Maintaining accurate IP and port forwarding settings is critical for ensuring uninterrupted print functionality within the POS system.

If only one printer isn’t printing while the others are working normally, the issue is most likely isolated to that specific device and is typically hardware-related. This kind of problem is rarely caused by a change to the public IP address or a loss of port forwarding rules, since those would generally affect all printers at once.

1. Look for any flashing or red lights on the printer. The Star TSP100II printer will have a solid blue light if operating as expected. The Epson U220B printer will have a solid green light. If you have no lights or flashing or red lights of any kind, follow the hardware troubleshooting guide here.

2. If you have a solid blue or green light, try turning the printer off and turning it back on and check the platform in Point of Sale —> Printers to see if that port is open or closed / filtered. Open will indicate that we can successfully connect to that printer. Closed or filtered means we have no connection or the printer has a hardware issue.

3. If you have a solid blue or green light, have restarted the printer, and still see the port as filtered, then this likely means that there is an incorrect port forwarding rule specific to that printer, or a hardware issue that the printer does not have an error light for.

Power Issues

Start by confirming that the printer is fully plugged into a working wall outlet and powered on. Loose or partially connected power cables are one of the most common reasons a printer may appear offline. If the printer shows no lights at all, try another power outlet or cable to rule out a bad power outlet.

No Ethernet Connection / Cable Issues

Check the Ethernet status lights. On the Star TSP100III, a flashing blue light indicates that the printer is not receiving a network connection — likely due to a bad or unplugged Ethernet cable. On the Epson TM-U220B, inspect the small LED next to the Ethernet port on the back of the printer. This light should be solid green when connected. If not, try swapping the Ethernet cable or plugging into a different port on your router or switch.

Quick Connectivity Check & Test Print Diagnostics

Before diving deep into port configs or cabling swaps, always try this first: turn the printer off and on again. If that doesn’t work, power off the printer, wait 10 seconds, then power it back on while holding the “Feed” button. This will trigger a test print, which often brings stubborn printers back online. For Epson printers, you can also press the small reset button on the back using a pen or paperclip to generate the same kind of printout.

The test print provides valuable diagnostic info like the printer’s current IP address. If no IP address is listed, the printer is not connected to the network. If an IP address is listed, it means the printer is talking to the network, and the issue likely lies in port forwarding rules, not hardware.

Paper Jam

If a printer has a blinking red light, this often indicates a paper jam, cover open, or similar physical error. Open the printer lid carefully and remove any jammed or mis-fed paper. Make sure the cover is securely closed before powering the printer back on.

Printer Overheating

Printers can overheat if they’ve been printing continuously for an extended period. This typically results in a pause in operation and may show as a red or warning light. Allow the printer to cool down for a few minutes before restarting.

No Paper

Always check whether the printer is simply out of paper. Make sure the paper roll is loaded correctly and that the cover is closed tightly. A loose cover can prevent the printer from detecting the paper even when it’s present.

Incorrect Paper Type

Using the wrong type of paper is a common issue. The Star TSP100III uses thermal paper, while the Epson TM-U220B requires impact (bond) paper and an ink ribbon. To identify thermal paper, scratch it lightly with your fingernail — it should leave a dark mark. Impact paper will not respond this way. Using the wrong paper type will prevent the printer from producing output even if it appears operational.

No Ink (Impact Printer Only)

For the Epson TM-U220B, ensure that the ink ribbon is installed and still has ink. If the ribbon is dry or missing, the printer may go through the motions of printing but nothing will appear on the paper.

Bad Network Switch

If only one printer is offline and the Ethernet cable and printer hardware appear to be working, the issue may lie with the network switch the printer is connected to. Network switches are small hardware devices used to connect multiple devices (like printers, POS terminals, and computers) to the main router. Over time, switches can fail or have individual ports go bad, especially in dusty or high-moisture environments such as kitchens, bars, or under-counter installations.

Start by checking if other devices connected to the same switch are having issues. If multiple devices are experiencing intermittent connectivity or are offline, this is a strong indicator that the switch is faulty or underpowered. In some cases, a simple power cycle of the switch (unplugging it for 10 seconds and plugging it back in) can restore connectivity. However, if the issue persists, you should try bypassing the switch entirely: disconnect the printer’s Ethernet cable from the switch and plug it directly into the router or into a different, known-working switch.

Also inspect the physical switch itself — look for blinking or missing indicator lights on the Ethernet port the printer is connected to. A port with no activity lights may have failed, even if the rest of the switch appears functional. Try moving the printer’s Ethernet cable to a different port on the switch. If the connection comes back online, the original port was likely the problem.

If your club uses Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches, make sure the power supply for the switch is stable and correctly rated. Inadequate or inconsistent power can also cause devices to drop off the network intermittently.

Replacing the switch with a known working unit is often the best way to rule it out completely. If the printer works when moved to another switch or connected directly to the router, the original switch should be replaced.

For more detailed guidance, and definitions for all hardware error lights you can refer to the official documentation below:

• Star TSP100III Troubleshooting Guide

  https://www.star-m.jp/products/s_print/tsp100iiiw/manual/en/troubleshooting/faq.htm

• Epson TM-U220B Technical Reference Guide

  TM-U220 Technical Reference Guide.pdf

If these steps don’t resolve the issue, please contact Clubspot Support for further assistance.

There are two types of receipts that can be sent to a printer: Customer receipts, and Tickets. Distinguishing between the two is important for ensuring prints are sent to the appropriate printer.

Customer receipts are produced for customers to be able to view, sign, and tip. Routing for customer receipts is determined by the settings on the Point of Sale.

To configure customer receipts to a given printer, make sure the profile (Point of Sale > Profiles) that the POS device is using has the desired receipt printer set.

You can determine which printer or printers a customer receipt can print at for each POS profile, and also whether or not you want automatic customer receipts to print when orders are fully closed out. Make sure that the POS device in question is then assigned to that profile so that it picks up the correct settings, including your printer settings!

The use of profiles is strongly recommended for your POS operation. If you are not using a profile, the settings, including the printers selected, will be determined by the logged-in POS user. If that is then changed from a different device, it can remotely change the settings across any other device that is logged into that user. If you are troubleshooting customer receipts printing to the incorrect printer, and notice that you do not have a profile set up, create that profile and assign it to the specific POS device before further proceeding.

There are a few different ways that tickets can be sent to a printer. When you click the fire button on a POS order, it will fire the items on that order and print tickets based on the logic configured for your system. If the POS profile you are using is set to “Create ticket after payment,” then closing the order will fire a ticket. This setting is typically only recommended for counter service type orders where closing the order is the instruction for firing it. Clubspot ensures that a single item can only be fired once on a given order.

There are a few different ways to route tickets by item and location to different printers. Take a look at the logic for how this works:

1. Clubspot checks for printers specifically on a given product. When that product is fired, it will follow the printing instructions assigned there. You can tag or assign multiple printers for a single item.

2. If there are no printers tagged at the item level, Clubspot will check the subtype assigned to that product. Any tagged printers on the subtype that the product has will determine which printers that item fires to.

3. If there are no assigned printers at the product or the subtype level, Clubspot checks to see if the Point of Sale that is firing the ticket has any default ticket routing set. This is controlled by the Profile that is being used on that POS device.

Every restaurant operation can be a little different, but Clubspot has some general recommendations to try to make the maintenance of your printing logic as seamless as possible.

• Try to set your printers at the subtype level so that this is as simple as possible. Doing so also ensures that if you need to change your routing in the future, it is one update, rather than requiring an update on every single one of your products. Subtype printer assignment is typically used for your kitchen items

• Use the ticket routing from the POS profiles for firing tickets to the bar. Unlike food, you might not always want a particular item to print. For example, you may want to print drink tickets from Server Station 1 to the bar but then not print those same items if they are plugged in at the Bar location. To accomplish this do not set any product or subtype level mapping for those items and then set the default ticket routing (just on Server Station 1) to send to the bar. Remember, only if an item has no printers assigned at the product or the subtype level, will it fire to the printers set for internal ticket routing on the POS profile.