Last updated: Jun 11, 2026, 2:25 PM
Fix kitchen, bar, expo, and prep station printers that stop printing tickets with network, prep station, and hardware checks.
Use this guide when kitchen, bar, expo, or other prep station printers stop printing tickets. Most issues fall into one of three causes: a network or cable problem, a prep station configuration issue, or a hardware fault.
When a printer stops printing tickets, the cause is almost always one of three things:
Work through the steps below in order. Most issues resolve at Step 1 or Step 2. Skip ahead only if you have already ruled out the earlier steps.
Note: If a test print works from the printer itself but real orders do not print, the issue is almost never the printer hardware — skip ahead to Step 3: Verify Prep Station Routing.
Find your symptom in the table below for the fastest path to the right step. If your symptom is not listed, start at Step 1.
| Symptom | Most Common Cause | Quick Fix | Self-Service? |
| No tickets are printing anywhere | Network outage or autofire device offline | Power cycle the printer; confirm the network is online (Step 1, Step 2) | Yes |
| One specific printer is not printing (kitchen, bar, expo, drink, pantry) | Cable, network, or prep station assignment for that printer | Power cycle that printer; verify its prep station assignment (Step 1, Step 3) | Yes |
| Test print works but real orders do not print | Prep station routing or Non-Printing Prep Stations setting | Verify prep station assignment and Always Print Tickets; check Non-Printing Prep Stations (Step 3) | Yes |
| Tickets are printing to every printer or the wrong printer | Menu items have no prep station selected | Set a prep station on each menu item (Step 4) | Yes |
| Online order tickets are not printing | Auto-fire device offline or wrong device set as auto-fire | Verify online order settings (Step 5) | Yes |
| Printer is offline, beeping, has error lights, or paper jam | Hardware fault | See the printer-specific guide in Related Articles | Yes (see hardware guide) |
| Network port is repeatedly disconnecting | Faulty cable or router-level issue | Replace the Ethernet cable; if the issue persists, contact Customer Care (Before You Contact Customer Care) | Partial — agent diagnosis needed |
A power cycle resolves most printing issues caused by a power disruption or a momentarily lost network connection.
Expected outcome: The ticket prints from the correct prep station printer.
If the cables look damaged or you suspect a broken cable, swap in a known-working Ethernet cable to confirm. Contact Customer Care if you need a replacement power cable.
The printer and the device sending the order must both be on the same Toast-secured network. Network mismatches are the second most common cause of tickets not printing.
If you are printing from a terminal:
If you are printing from a handheld:
For the printer itself:
Expected outcome: Both the printer and the device sending the order are on the same Toast-secured network.
If the printer powers on, prints test slips, and is on the network, but orders still do not print, the cause is almost always prep station routing. This is the most common cause when a single printer (kitchen, bar, expo, drink, pantry) is not printing while other printers work.
See Configure and Assign Prep Stations.
Expected outcome: The prep station the kitchen, bar, or expo uses appears in the prep station list for this printer.
Expected outcome: The prep station is set to Always Print Tickets.
A prep station listed under Non-Printing Prep Stations on a device will not print from that device, even if it is otherwise configured correctly. This is intentional for setups like a bar tablet that should not trigger bar prep ticket printing. The bartender does not need a ticket to make their own customers drinks for example — but it is also a common cause of unexpected non-printing.
Expected outcome: The prep station for the printer that is not printing is not listed under Non-Printing Prep Stations.
If tickets are printing to every printer, to the wrong printer, or only some menu items print, the cause is almost always menu item prep station routing.
Expected outcome: Each menu item routes to the correct prep station printer, and tickets stop printing to unintended locations.
For more on this scenario, see Tickets Printing to Every Printer.
If only online order tickets are not printing, the cause is usually the auto-fire device setting or the online order approval mode — not the printer.
Expected outcome: A single, online auto-fire device is set, and online order tickets begin firing to the kitchen.
For full troubleshooting of online orders that are not firing to the kitchen, see Troubleshoot Online Orders Not Firing.
When a test print works but real orders do not print, the printer hardware and network are working — the issue is almost always prep station routing or a Non-Printing Prep Stations setting. Test prints come directly from the printer, but real orders come from a device through the prep station configuration. Work through Step 3: Verify Prep Station Routing.
Also asked as:
When a single named printer (bar, expo, drink, pantry) is not printing while other printers work, the cause is usually specific to that printer or its prep station. The printer itself, its cable, its prep station assignment, or its menu item routing are the most likely causes. Run Step 1 and Step 3 for that specific printer.
Also asked as:
If your printer is beeping, has a flashing error light, or shows a paper jam, the issue is hardware-related and varies by printer model. Each Toast printer model has its own LED meanings and clearance procedure. See the printer-specific troubleshooting guide for your hardware in Related Articles.
Also asked as:
Kitchen tickets that are not printing are usually caused by one of these issues: the printer is not powered on, the paper roll is empty, the printer has lost its network connection, the printer is not assigned to a prep station, Always Print Tickets is not enabled, the device sending the order is on the wrong network, or menu items are not routed to the correct prep station. Work through Steps 1 through 4 in this article in order.
Also asked as:
Most ticket-printing issues resolve through the steps above. Contact Customer Care if any of the following apply, since these require account-level access or hardware replacement that you cannot complete on your own.
When you contact Customer Care, have the following ready to speed up diagnosis: