Who Is This For?
StoreHub merchants whose POS suddenly cannot find a network (LAN) printer, or whose printer only works again after a restart, and who want to find out from the printer itself whether it is still on the store network.
Overview
A network (LAN) printer connects to your StoreHub router with a cable, and your POS finds it over that same network. When the POS says it cannot find the printer, the cause is usually the network connection, not a broken printer.
This article shows you how to ask the printer directly. The printer can print a small slip with its own network details, and that slip tells you which of three situations you are in. You then fix that one thing instead of restarting and hoping.
For printer problems that are not about the network (paper quality, kitchen dockets, cash drawer), see How to Troubleshoot Common StoreHub Printer Issues. To set up or change the network for your whole store, see How to Manage Network Settings for Your StoreHub POS and Printer.
Before You Begin
Your printer has power and a paper roll loaded.
Your printer is a network (LAN) printer, which means it has a cable running from the printer to a router. To check which printers are supported, see FAQ: POS Hardware & Supplementary Device Support.
Your printer is one of the models covered here: an XPrinter (LAN) or a Star TSP600 or TSP650. Epson and other models reset a different way, covered in How to Troubleshoot Common StoreHub Printer Issues.
You can reach your StoreHub router, so you can see which cable is plugged into it.
You are signed in to your POS register.
Step-by-Step Guide
Is the Printer Plugged Into the Same Router as Your POS?
Both devices must sit on the same network before anything else will work. When they are split between two routers, they end up on different networks and cannot see each other. This is the most common reason a POS suddenly stops being able to print.
1. Follow the printer's cable and check which router it is plugged into. It must be the StoreHub router, not your own router and not your internet provider's router.
2. Check the status lights (green and orange) on the printer's cable LAN port. They should be on or blinking, which means there is network activity.
3. On your POS device, check which network it is connected to. It must be the StoreHub network.
4. If either device is on the wrong router, disconnect it and reconnect it to the StoreHub router, either through StoreHub Wi-Fi or with a cable plugged into the StoreHub router. See How to Set Up Your StoreHub Printer.
Add the Printer on Your POS When the POS Cannot Find It
1. On your POS register, tap the menu icon, then tap 'Settings', then tap 'Printer'.
2. Tap 'Search Printers'.
3. Select your printer from the list.
4. Toggle on 'Receipt Printing'.
5. Tap 'Print Test Receipt' to confirm it works.
An empty list usually means one of three things: the printer and your POS are not on the same StoreHub network, the cable is loose or faulty, or the printer lost its connection after being switched off badly.
Do not keep tapping 'Search Printers'. Print the feed test slip in the next section and let the printer tell you which network it is on.
Print the Feed Test Slip
The feed test makes the printer print its own network details on a small slip. The steps depend on your printer model. For an Epson or any other model not listed here, see How to Troubleshoot Common StoreHub Printer Issues.
Read this before you start:
On an XPrinter, hold the button for about 2 seconds only. Holding it for longer than about 3 seconds can reset the printer's settings, and holding it until the printer beeps twice resets it to factory settings and takes it off your store network. If that happens by accident, follow the 'Advanced Reset' section below to put it back.
XPrinter (LAN)
1. Switch off the printer.
2. Hold down the 'Feed' button (on some models it is labelled 'Paper').
3. While still holding the button, switch the printer on.
4. Hold the button for about 2 seconds, then release it. Count slowly: one, two, release.
5. Wait a few more seconds. A slip prints.
Note:
Not sure you got the timing right? Read the slip before you do anything else. If it shows 192.168.123.100, you held the button too long, and the 'Advanced Reset' section below puts the printer back on your store network.
Star LAN printers (TSP600 and TSP650)
1. Switch off the printer.
2. Hold down the 'Feed' button.
3. While still holding the button, switch the printer on.
4. Release the button once the 'Ready' light starts blinking. The slip prints.
Read the Slip: Is the Printer Still on Your Network?
The slip shows the printer's IP address (its address on the network) and its DHCP status (whether the network gives the printer its address automatically).
Compare the printer's IP address with your POS device's IP address. The first three number groups must match. If your POS shows 10.1.2.45 and the printer slip shows 10.1.2.15, they match and the devices are on the same network. If the printer slip shows 192.168.1.7 instead, they do not match and the printer is on a different network.
Use the slip like this:
What the slip shows | What it means | What to do |
An IP address matching your POS, and DHCP enabled | The printer is on your store network and healthy. | Restart the printer, then go back to your POS and tap 'Search Printers' again. |
An IP address matching your POS and DHCP enabled, but the POS still cannot find the printer | The printer is on the right network, so the problem is between the POS and the printer. | Push the network cable firmly into both ends, restart the printer, and tap 'Search Printers' once more. If it is still not found, contact StoreHub Support and send them a photo of the slip. |
The IP address 192.168.123.100 | The printer has been reset to factory settings. | Follow 'Advanced Reset' below. |
DHCP disabled, and an IP address that does not match your POS | The printer is on a fixed address that belongs to a different network. | Contact StoreHub Support to reconnect it. |
Advanced Reset for XPrinter (LAN) Printers: When the Slip Shows 192.168.123.100
The address 192.168.123.100 is the factory address on an XPrinter (LAN) printer. The printer is working, it has just forgotten your store network. This happens when the 'Feed' button is held too long. Putting it back takes two parts.
Star and Epson printers reset a different way and come back on a different address. For those models, see How to Troubleshoot Common StoreHub Printer Issues.
Reset the printer
1. Switch off the printer.
2. Hold down the 'Feed' button.
3. While still holding the button, switch the printer on.
4. Keep holding until the printer beeps twice, then release. A slip prints showing 192.168.123.100.
Put the printer back on your store network
Before you start: your POS device can only open the printer's setup page if it is on the same address range as the printer. For many stores it is not, and the page will not open. If that happens at step 1, stop there and contact StoreHub Support. An agent will do this part with you.
1. On your POS device, open a web browser (Safari on an iPad, Chrome on Android) and go to 192.168.123.100. The printer's setup page opens.
2. Tap 'Configuration'.
3. Select 'DHCP Client' so the network gives the printer its address automatically.
4. Tap 'Save'.
5. Tap 'Restart'. You should hear a beep from the printer.
6. Run the feed test again. The slip should now show an address matching your POS.
Note:
If the setup page does not open, or it asks you for a login you do not have, check that the printer is plugged into the StoreHub router and that the feed test reset slip really showed 192.168.123.100. Your POS device may also need a temporary network address before it can reach the setup page. Contact StoreHub Support and an agent will do this part with you.
When the Printer Keeps Going Offline and Only a Restart Brings It Back
Some printers work after a restart, then drop off again a couple of hours later. Restarting is not fixing it. Each time the printer starts up, the network hands it a fresh address, and the POS is still looking for the old one.
The durable fix is a fixed IP address, which means the printer keeps the same address every time it starts. Contact StoreHub Support and ask for a fixed IP address to be set on the printer via Live Chat.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
The POS cannot find the printer when you tap 'Search Printers' | Print the feed test slip and compare the printer's IP address with your POS device's IP address. If the first three number groups do not match, the two are on different networks. |
The printer was working, then suddenly went offline | Check the cable and the router first. If it keeps happening after every restart, the printer's address is changing. Contact StoreHub Support to set a fixed IP address via Live Chat. |
The feed slip shows an IP address starting with 192.168.123 | The printer has been reset to factory settings. Follow the 'Advanced Reset' section above to put it back on your store network. |
The feed slip shows DHCP disabled and an address that does not match your POS | The printer is fixed to an address on a different network. Contact StoreHub Support to reconnect it. |
Nothing prints when you hold the 'Feed' button | Check the paper roll is loaded the right way round and the printer has power, then repeat the feed test. If nothing prints the second time, this points to a hardware fault. Contact StoreHub Support and share your test result. |
The test receipt prints but real receipts do not | On your POS, tap the menu icon, then tap 'Settings', then tap 'Printer', and toggle on 'Receipt Printing'. |
The lights next to the printer's cable port are off | Push the cable firmly into both ends, then try a different numbered 'LAN' port on the StoreHub router. Never use the port labelled 'WAN' or 'Internet'. If the lights stay off, try a different cable. |
FAQs
1. My printer suddenly goes offline and I have to restart it every time. How do I stop this?
Ask StoreHub Support to guide on how to set a fixed IP address on the printer via Live Chat. The restart works because it forces the printer back online for a while, but the network keeps handing it a new address, and your POS is still looking for the old one.
2. The IP address on my printer slip is different from the one on my POS. What does that mean?
It means the printer and the POS are on two different networks, so the POS cannot see the printer. Check that both are connected to the StoreHub router, not to your own router or your internet provider's router. See How to Manage Network Settings for Your StoreHub POS and Printer.
3. How long do I hold the 'Feed' button?
On an XPrinter, about 2 seconds for the test slip. Holding it longer, until the printer beeps twice, resets the printer to factory settings instead and takes it off your store network. On a Star TSP600 or TSP650, release the button when the 'Ready' light starts blinking.
4. My slip shows 192.168.123.100. Is my printer broken?
No. That is the factory address on an XPrinter, which means it has been reset and has forgotten your store network. Follow the 'Advanced Reset' section above.
5. Can I connect the printer to my POS over Wi-Fi instead of a cable?
A network (LAN) printer connects to the StoreHub router with a cable, and your POS connects to the same router over StoreHub Wi-Fi. The two meet on the router. For other printer types and models, see FAQ: POS Hardware & Supplementary Device Support.
6. My POS asks me to type an IP address under 'Manual' Wi-Fi settings. What do I put in?
Leave it on automatic and do not type an address in yourself. Changing your POS device's own network settings can take the POS offline as well as the printer, in the middle of service. If a step you found somewhere tells you to set a manual address on the POS, contact StoreHub Support first via Live Chat.
Need Help?
Contact StoreHub Support via live chat in your StoreHub app or email [email protected].
Was This Article Helpful?
Let us know below or contact support for further assistance.