Separate hardware from software first: the self-test printed at power-up proves the mechanism and the print head work. If it prints, the problem is the cable, the driver or the print queue. If it does not, check the paper, the cover, the power supply and the error light.
Procedure
Read the error light
Nearly every receipt printer signals out-of-paper, open cover and overheating with a light or a blink pattern. The exact meaning is in the manufacturer’s documentation for that model.
Open the cover and check the roll
In direct thermal printing only one side of the paper reacts to heat. A roll loaded upside down feeds normally and prints nothing. Also check that no scrap of paper is trapped under the head.
Check the power supply
Try the power brick on another outlet and confirm the connector is fully seated. A printer that lights up but will not print can also be starved of current during head heating, on an overloaded power bar.
Run the self-test
If the self-test prints, the mechanism, the head and the paper work, and the fault is on the computer side. If it does not print, the fault is in the hardware.
Test the cable and the port
Swap the cable and the socket. On an all-in-one station, plug the printer directly into a rear USB port on the station: an unpowered hub is a common cause of intermittent drop-outs.
Clear the print queue
A stuck job at the head of the queue holds everything behind it and the printer looks dead. Cancel all documents, restart the operating system’s print service, then send a test page from the driver.
Check the driver and the declared port
A virtual serial port whose number has changed, or a generic driver installed instead of the manufacturer’s, produce exactly this symptom. Compare the port declared in the driver with the one the operating system actually assigns.
Cross-test
Plug the printer into another station, or another printer into the station in question. That test separates a device fault from a station fault, and it is the information you will be asked for if you open a return request.
Check these before calling support
- The self-test has been attempted, and the result written down.
- The roll is loaded the right way round and is the correct width.
- The fault has been reproduced on a second station, or with a second unit.
Useful terms
- Direct thermal printing
Direct thermal printing is a process that darkens heat-sensitive paper through contact with a heated head.
- ESC/POS
ESC/POS is the command set created by Epson that most receipt printers understand.
- Auto-cutter
The auto-cutter is the mechanism that trims the receipt at the end of printing.
- 80 mm and 58 mm thermal paper
Thermal receipt paper is sold in rolls of two main widths: 80 mm for counter and kitchen printers, and 58 mm for compact and portable models..
Hardware involved
- MG80 (Printers)