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Printing Hub - AutoPrintr (legacy), Printers

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Overview

This page will be the central hub for all things print-related

Table of Contents

AutoPrintr

Note: This is for the legacy version called AutoPrintr. Please see our AutoPrinter article for how to upgrade to the new version.

AutoPrintr is a printing system designed and built by us to work with our software.

What it Does

  • Automates your printing tasks

What it Doesn't do

  • Does not work on Mac, Autoprintr is Windows based
  • Should only be installed once per location

Table of Contents

 

Download and Install AutoPrintr

You can download the latest LEGACY version of Autoprintr here: AutoPrintr 2.0.25 (Legacy version)

Note: AutoPrintr should be installed on one computer only. Installing on multiple machines will result in duplicate prints.

After downloading, Windows 10 users should follow these steps.

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Go to your Downloads folder.
  3. Right-click the setup_2.0.25 file and select Run as administrator.
  4. If it gives you any unsafe file warnings, ignore them and run it anyway. It is safe. :)

If you already had the service installed, you may need to stop it to install a newer version.

  1. Press Windows key+R on your keyboard. This should open the Run dialog.
  2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
  3. Click AutoPrinter in the list.
  4. Click Stop to its left.

Set Up AutoPrintr

  1. Once you run AutoPrintr, enter your RepairShopr login credentials.

  2. If the Login dialog does not pop up after installation,
    1. In the lower right, click ^ in the system tray.
    2. Right-click the AutoPrintr cloud icon.
    3. Click Login.

  3. After logging in we recommend checking the "Add to Startup" and "Run the Service" checkboxes so that AutoPrintr starts up when the OS logs in.

  4. In the Printers section, choose which printer gets which document type and how many.

  5. All done — now when you print in the Web App, jobs will auto print to the right place!

You are able to access the Logs and Jobs at any time by clicking ^ in the system tray, then right-clicking the AutoPrinter cloud icon.

Quick Troubleshooting tip

If you have just installed the service and it is not printing despite triggers being active, please restart the computer. This may sound silly, but this has worked for many Users as sometimes Windows requires a restart for a service to begin running.

 

Troubleshooting

Please note: AutoPrintr should be installed only once per location.

The first step in Troubleshooting is to make sure you are running the latest version of Autoprintr.

You can download the latest LEGACY version here: AutoPrintr 2.0.25

Common problems and fixes

Cash Drawer will not open

Please note the following screenshots work for the Epson TM-T88V but the same steps, in general, should work on any receipt printer.

Open up your Control Panel and navigate to Devices and Printers.

Right-click on your receipt printer and select "Printer Properties."

  1. In the pop-up window, click "Preferences."

  2. Then in the next pop-up window click the "Peripherals" tab at the top.

  3. Then make sure your Cash Drawer is set up properly like in the image below.

  4. Click "Operation Check" to ensure that your cash drawer opens at this time.

  5. Click "Apply."

Next, go back to the first "Printer Properties" pop-up window.

  1. Instead of clicking on "Preferences" like we did last time, click the "Advanced" tab.

  2. Move down and click "Printing Defaults."

  3. Click the "Peripherals" tab.

  4. And the "Cash Drawer" will be exactly the same as the first time we adjusted the cash drawer settings, shown here.

Please make sure that both of the cash drawer settings in both the "Preferences" area as well as the "Printing Defaults" area are the same.

Once that's all set up, Apply it all and then set up your printer in AutoPrintr if you haven't already and print a receipt.

The “Pop Drawer” button does not pop the cash drawer

If the drawer pops when you print a receipt but does not pop when you click on the “Pop Drawer” button on the POS tab, you will have to configure your register in RepairShopr as well as AutoPrintr.

To do this:

  1. Confirm that you are assigned to the proper Register in the software by navigating to "User Menu" (your email address in the far top-right corner) > Change Register and select the proper Register.

  2. Select the same Register in AutoPrintr underneath the receipt printer using the “Register” drop-down at the bottom, shown here:

  1. If you do not see your Register in that drop-down area, you may need to log out of AutoPrintr, close the program, and then re-start it by right-clicking on the icon and selecting “Run as Administrator”.

  2. Log in and check to make sure the Register is included in the drop-down menu.

Service keeps crashing/Eternal 'Please Wait' spinner

  1. Closeout of AutoPrintr by right-clicking the icon on the taskbar and selecting "Exit".

  2. Navigate to: C:\ProgramData\AutoPrintr and right-click on that folder, then select "Properties"

  3. Once the "Properties" window is open, click on Security > Edit > Users > Allow > Apply, as shown here:

  4. Reboot and test AutoPrintr


Receipts print extra length/keep spooling

AutoPrintr does not have any kind of print settings and uses the defaults that your printer has, and so for this, you will have to modify your printer driver settings. The following video goes over one way to do this at the 6-minute mark:


Labels print rotated/sized incorrectly

AutoPrintr uses your printer driver settings to adjust the size and orientation of the labels, so adjusting the settings will be the first step.

In Windows you can navigate to Control Panel > Devices and Printers to get to your printer, then right-click.

You may also want to try a complete re-installation of your printer driver if you cannot find the proper sizing/orientation settings.

Starting off with a clean installation of your printer driver and AutoPrintr will be the best way to begin troubleshooting as you'll be starting off with a clean slate 

Windows 10 blocking Autoprinter

Error "An administrator has blocked you from running this app. AutoPrintr.Service.exe"

This error is commonly seen on older unsigned versions of Autoprintr.

To fix this we recommend downloading the latest version of Autoprintr and doing a clean install, making sure to run the install application as an Administrator. You can find instructions on doing a clean install here

If you are still seeing this error after a clean install please have a look at this article on how to remove the block, by adding an exemption to the application in Windows 10.

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-fix-app-has-been-blocked-your-protection-windows-10#open

Steps for clean re-install

If nothing you try is working, or your installation does not match these descriptions, please try the clean re-install steps below. Performing a clean re-install will wipe out your previous installations and install a brand new copy of AutoPrintr, which can help with troubleshooting any issues you may be having. It is important that you follow every single step as follows:

  1. Stop the service by opening up your start menu and typing "Services", then hitting Enter. You should see the Windows Services menu with a list of all of the services currently on Windows. Find the "AutoPrintr Service" option and right-click it, then select "Stop" from the list. If it is already stopped or you don't see the service, then you can continue on.

    Otherwise, make sure the service is stopped before continuing.

  2. Uninstall AutoPrintr via the Windows "Control Panel > Uninstall a Program" option. Find AutoPrintr in the list of installed programs and uninstall it as you normally would.

  3. Important: Remove any remaining files.
    1. Open up your start menu and type "run", then press Enter so the "Run" dialog box pops up.
    2. Type "%programdata%" (without the quotation marks) in the "Run" box and press Enter. A File Explorer window will open up with a list of folders.
    3. Find the "AutoPrintr" folder and delete it. If there is no "AutoPrintr" folder shown, then make sure you are searching this directory: C:\ProgramData. If you are in that directory and you still cannot find the AutoPrintr folder, then you can continue on.

  4. Important: Reboot your computer.

  5. Download the newest LEGACY version of AutoPrintr 2.0.25

  6. Run the installation file by navigating to where it downloaded, right-clicking and selecting "Run as Administrator".

  7. If you have a strict anti-virus or web filter, now is the time to create an exception for the AutoPrintr program, or you can temporarily turn it off. Create exceptions for two files named "AutoPrintr.exe" and "AutoPrintr.Service.exe", both usually found in: C:\ProgramFiles(x86)\RepairShopr\AutoPrintr.

  8. Start AutoPrintr. Log in and test configuring your printers as well as printing from the software.

AutoPrintr no longer prints

It could be you need to make sure your firewall allows the ports and domains used by AutoPrintr.

AutoPrintr uses ports 80 and 443.

You can allowlist these domains as well.

  • The default websocket host:
    ws.pusherapp.com
  • Cluster specific websocket hosts that you may be using if you aren't on mt1:
    ws-[your-cluster].pusher.com
  • The sockjs fallback host for when websockets aren't supported on the client:
    sockjs.pusher.com

And finally, optionally our stats collection endpoint. You can safely leave this blocked and ignore any related errors. It's also possible to block this entirely in pusher-js:
stats.pusher.com

And for the server you will need:
api.pusherapp.com

Or, again if you are on a cluster other than mt1:
api-[your_cluster].pusher.com

Also, make sure that the application has right security permissions to run using the below instructions.

Steps to change security permissions

  1. Close out of AutoPrintr by right-clicking the icon on the taskbar and selecting "Exit."
  2. Navigate to: C:\ProgramData\AutoPrintr and right-click that folder, then select "Properties."
  3. Once the "Properties" window is open, click Security > Edit > Users > Allow > Apply, as shown here:

After making those changes, reboot your computer and try printing again.

 

Reset your browser

There are times when, after trying every trick in the book, AutoPrintr still will not function. Resetting your browser to its default settings will sometimes work in those situations.

 

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Google Cloud Print

As of January 1st, 2021, Google Cloud Print was deprecated by Google and no longer works. See their Migrate from Cloud Print article for more info. We encourage Windows users to switch to AutoPrinter.

Receipt Printers

Supported Receipt Printers

  • Epson TM-T88V
  • STAR TSP143 USB
  • STAR TSP143 Ethernet
  • Star TSP100

The STAR TM-T88III and IV do not have all the settings needed to work with Cloud Print currently and so are not supported. Some users have had success with Citizen receipt printers, but setup may take longer.

Installing Receipt Printers

Epson TM-T88V

1. Start by downloading the TM-T88V driver here.

2. Walkthrough the installation steps. Make sure you select the appropriate port:



Star TSP100 and TSP143

See our Star TSP100 Printer Setup article.


Types of Receipts

Ticket Receipts

  • Ticket Receipts can be found by going to the Ticket > Select Print Icon (Top Right) > Ticket Receipt

  • If you have AutoPrintr enabled, you can set the ticket receipt to print automatically at ticket creation so that you can give it to your customer right away

  • Barcodes on ticket receipts are system generated and identify each unique ticket. Scanning this barcode in the "Search All the Things" field will bring up the ticket page

  • Ticket receipts are not currently customizable

Payment Receipt

  • Payment Receipts can be found by going to a Payment and clicking on the PDF or Printer button on the receipt
  • If you have Autoprintr enabled, you can set this to print automatically when payment is successfully accepted.
  • The barcodes on payment receipts are based on the customer's phone number.
  • Scanning this barcode into the "Search All the Things" or on the search box on the Customers page will bring up the individual customer page
  • Payment receipts are not currently customizable

If you have Autoprintr set up you can choose to have receipts print automatically when triggering events occur.

Print Receipts Locally

Ticket Receipts

Go to the Ticket > Click on the Printer Icon (top right) > Select Print Receipt

Payment Receipts 

You can manually print a Payment Receipt by going to the invoice Scrolling down to the Payments section.

You can then select the payment and that will bring you this screen where you can print the receipt manually.

Troubleshooting Receipt Printers

Receipts print extra length/keep spooling

AutoPrintr do not have any kind of print settings and use the defaults that your printer has, and so for this, you will have to modify your printer driver settings. 

 

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Label Printers

Supported Hardware

You can find a full list of all supported all hardware here.

Setting up the Zebra LP2844 Label Printer

1. Download this driver on your Windows computer

2. Run the .exe file

3. When you're asked to specify the printer model, choose "Eltron LP2844"

4. Confirm that it's showing up at Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers

5. Right-click on the Zebra to edit its properties. Select the "Port" tabs. Select USB001 if it's not already selected.




6. Right-click on the Zebra again to edit its preferences Select a 1"x3" paper size Select the "landscape" orientation

7. You are now ready to print labels!

8. Make sure that when you print to the Zebra using the windows print dialog that the paper size selected is also 1x3

Printing Labels with DYMO on a Mac

This article uses the Star TSP100 receipt printer as the example but works for DYMO 450 (non-turbo) as well.

Neither Safari nor Chrome provides an option to allow you to set a default printer and paper size. So to work around it, follow the instruction below.

  1. Open Firefox.
  2. Go to File Menu > Page Setup.
  3. Select the format for your receipt printer.
  4. Set the paper size to 72x2000mm or the size appropriate for your labels.
  5. Select Save as Default in the Settings drop-down menu.
  6. Click Ok.

 

**Customer Support is not responsible for making sure this process works. This workaround has been provided because OSX doesn't allow you to change printer settings within the operating system. We suggest using printers within a Windows environment so you can configure the settings at the operating system level.

Supported Label Types and Sizes

The majority of labels in the system are sized for 1.125" x 3.5"

There are also specialized square labels used for printing special, square inventory stickers

  • Zebra - Zebra Compatible Direct Thermal Labels 1.25x1 4OD compatible

Types of Labels in Repairshopr

Labels provide a way to identify your customers, tickets assets and products by creating a unique barcode for each. 

  • Labels are available to identify Customer, Tickets, Assets, and Products
  • Basic labels or In-stock labels 
  • A barcode on each label to easily scan for sale or search
  • We don't support the use of labels that were created outside of RepairShopr
  • Labels are not customizable 

Customer Labels

  • Displays barcode, your business name, your phone number, Customer Business Name, Customer Phone Number, and Customer Email Address
  • Barcodes are based on the customer phone number. Scanning this barcode into the "Search All the Things" or on the search box on the Customers page will bring up the individual customer page
  • If you have AutoPrintr enabled, you can set this to print automatically at ticket creation
  • Customer labels are not currently customizable

Asset Labels

  • Displays barcode, Asset Name, Customer Business Name, your business name, your phone number, your email address.
  • Barcodes are system generated and identify each unique customer asset. Scanning this barcode in the "Search All the Things" field will bring up the asset page
  • If you have AutoPrintr enabled, you can set this to print automatically at asset creation
  • Customer asset labels are not currently customizable

Ticket Labels

  • Displays your logo, barcode, ticket number, Issue Type, Ticket Subject, Customer Business Name, Customer phone number, Customer email address, your company name, phone number, email address.
  • Barcodes are system generated and identify each unique ticket. Scanning this barcode in the "Search All the Things" field will bring up the ticket page
  • If you have AutoPrintr enabled, you can set this to print automatically at ticket creation.
  • We suggest AGAINST using the Ticket Label for customer work, since you will need to cover up the label with a new label for every repeat job with the customer - and it will be highly confusing for tracking a job if that label is ever not up to date. Typically the labels aren't easily removable, so if a computer comes in a few times in a year - it could start to get really ugly.
  • Ticket labels are not currently customizable

Product Labels

In RepairShopr: Basic and In-Stock.

Basic Labels are your standard UPC labels containing Product information such as price, UPC code, etc. If you're using the Basic Label type, your Products are sold on a first-in, first out basis. This means that the first Product that made its way into your Inventory will be the first Product removed from your Inventory when scanning the barcode, instead of removing the specific instance of the Product as In-Stock labels do.

If your Products are set to maintain stock or are serialized, they are using In-Stock Labels which do not contain a UPC code and instead contain the Instance ID or the serial number (if available) for the particular Product. Each of these labels is tied to a specific Product instance in your Inventory, and therefore, when scanned, the specific Product instance gets removed from your Inventory regardless of the order in which it came into your Inventory.

Basic Label

  • Displays barcode, Product Name, and Retail Price

  • This barcode is based on the UPC/serial number for that particular product. Scanning this barcode into the Search Products and Inventory field will bring up the Inventory Item page

  • Product labels are not currently customizable

  • To print all your product labels, click on one of the buttons at the bottom of the inventory page

In-stock Labels

  • Displays barcode, Product Name, and Retail Price it also contains the Instance ID or the serial number (if available).
  • Scanning this barcode into the Search Products and Inventory field will bring up the specific product instance
  • Each of these labels are tied to a specific Product instance in your Inventory.
  • When scanned, the specific Product instance gets removed from your Inventory regardless of the order in which it came into your Inventory
  • In-stock labels are not currently customizable
  • To print all your product labels, click on one of the buttons at the bottom of the inventory page

Notes when using In Stock Labels

It's important to note that you should be utilizing either Basic Labels or In-Stock Labels, but not both, across a single Product type in your RepairShopr account. This is because the way that the RepairShopr system treats each of these label types (as we explained above) affects your account when adding or removing Products from your Inventory.

Issues can arise, such as previously-sold items being treated as "available to be sold" in the system because certain flows in RepairShopr use the Basic Label instead of the In-Stock label, not recognizing that an In-Stock label may have been previously used to sell a Product.

If you'd like more information, please reference our Inventory Settings knowledge base article.

Disable In-stock Labels

You can "disable" In-Stock labels, and only use Basic Labels instead of In-Stock Labels on non-serialized Products by going to

Admin > Inventory Settings > Advanced> Check "Use Basic Labels instead of Instance Labels on non-serialized Products"

When this setting is enabled, the "Received Item Labels" button on a Purchase Order becomes solely "Labels" indicating that the Basic Label is overriding the previous In-Stock label. This setting only works on Maintain Stock Products that are not serialized.

This essentially disables In-Stock Labels, meaning that any Product instance can be added to an Invoice as well, instead of the specific instance Product that's tied to In-Stock labels. It prevents employees from accidentally printing the In-Stock (instanced) labels by mistake on non-serialized Products.

Print Labels Automatically

If you have AutoPrintr set up, you can choose to have labels print automatically when triggering events occur.

Print Labels Locally

Where you find these labels in Repairshopr. Here you can select the PDF button or the print button to send print these labels

Customer Label

Asset Label

Ticket Label



Product Labels

Barcode Scanners

You can find a full list of all supported hardware here.

The system works with any barcode scanner that sends the results as a regular text input device.

To set it up, just plug your USB scanner into your computer. A driver should be automatically installed. Scan your labels into the "Search all the Things" search box or another search field. If you have any trouble scanning, it's typically an issue with the label material.

To Troubleshoot

1. Copy a label onto plain printer paper

2. Try scanning that barcode into a text editor

3. If the scanner is able to scan it, the problem was likely a matter of the reflectivity of the label material.

Feedback and Knowledge Base

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