Get Help: My Printer Isn't Working

If your printer is offline, not connecting, or not printing receipts or tickets, run through these steps to get back up and running fast. Most printer issues can be resolved on the floor in a few minutes.

In this Article:

• Overview Steps
• Quick Fix
• Identify Your Printer
• Troubleshoot Connectivity Problems
• Troubleshoot Blank or Partial Slips
• Troubleshoot Paper Jams and Cutter Problems
• Troubleshoot a New or Replacement Printer
• Troubleshoot Unexpected Printer Behavior
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Before You Contact Customer Care
• Related Articles

Overview Steps

Applies to: Toast POS, Toast Web, all Toast-compatible receipt, kitchen, and label printers (Toast Receipt Printer TP200, Toast Kitchen Printer, Toast Item Label Printer TLP400, Epson Receipt Printer TM-T20ii, Epson Kitchen Printer TM-U220B, Epson Label Printer TM-L90)

Permissions needed:

• Floor staff: no special permissions for power-cycle steps
• For Toast Web printer configuration: 6.10 Printer and Cash Drawer Setup permission

What you'll accomplish: Restore printing from your Toast POS to the affected printer, or gather the right information to escalate to Customer Care.

Most printer problems are solved by the three quick steps below. If you are stuck on a "Please reboot printer" error message, start here:

1. Unplug both the power cable and the Ethernet cable from the printer. Wait 30 seconds.
2. Plug both cables back in and power the printer on.
3. Retry printing.

If the printer still does not print, run through these quick checks:

• Printing from a terminal? Disable Wi-Fi on the terminal. Terminals print over Ethernet.
• Printing from a handheld device? Confirm the handheld is on the correct Toast secured Wi-Fi network.
• Printer is on but printing blank slips? Confirm you are using the correct paper for your printer model and that it is loaded correctly. See Printer Paper Rolls and Ink Ribbons.

Expected outcome: The printer prints a test receipt or ticket from your Toast device.

If those steps do not resolve the issue, find your symptom in the Quick Fix table below.

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Quick Fix

Find the symptom that matches what is happening and follow the matching section.

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Identify Your Printer

Printers are referred to by where they sit—"expo printer," "bar printer," "drink ticket printer," or "kitchen printer"—but Toast supports several distinct printer models. The model name is on a label on the printer itself.

If you are unsure which model you have, see Toast Compatible Printers.

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Troubleshoot Connectivity Problems

Symptoms that point to a connectivity issue:

• Printer shows as offline or disconnected on the POS
• POS shows "We couldn't connect to the printer" or "Please reboot printer"
• Printer is powered on but not printing anything
• Printer status shows "inactive"

Most likely causes:

• Loose, damaged, or unseated Ethernet cable
• Device sending the print job is on the wrong network (terminal on Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet; handheld on the wrong Wi-Fi)
• Router or network outage
• Printer's IP address conflict after a power outage

Steps to resolve:

1. Reseat the Ethernet cable on the printer end and on the router, switch, or wall port end. Power-cycle the printer (off for 30 seconds, then on).
2. If you have a known-working Ethernet cable, swap it in to rule out a faulty cable.
3. If printing from a terminal, confirm Wi-Fi is disabled on that terminal. If printing from a handheld, confirm the handheld is on the Toast-secured Wi-Fi network. To learn more, see Forget a Network on a Toast Device.
4. Check the Toast System Status page for any active outage. If there is an outage, see Use Toast in Offline Mode.
5. If the printer is still offline, print a test slip from the printer itself to confirm whether the issue is the printer hardware or the network. See Print a Test Slip.

Expected outcome: The printer prints a test page when triggered from the device, and POS Printer Setup shows the printer as online.

If the printer is still offline after these steps, see Before You Contact Customer Care.

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Troubleshoot Blank or Partial Slips

Symptoms that point to a paper or ink issue:

• Slips come out blank
• Slips print only partial text or a single black line
• Receipts print too lightly or unevenly

Most likely causes:

• Wrong paper type for the printer (thermal paper in an impact printer, or vice versa)
• Paper loaded backwards
• Ink ribbon issue (impact printers only—TM-U220B and Toast Kitchen Printer)
• Dirty print head or platen roller

Steps to resolve:

1. Open the printer cover and confirm the paper roll is loaded with the curved side facing down and the paper feeds from the bottom. Refer to your model-specific article in the Identify Your Printer table for an exact loading diagram.
2. Confirm the paper is the correct type for your printer model. Thermal paper has a shiny coating and marks if you scratch it with a fingernail. Impact printers use standard bond paper and require an ink ribbon. See Printer Paper Rolls and Ink Ribbons.
3. For impact printers (Epson Kitchen Printer TM-U220B and Toast Kitchen Printer), confirm the ink ribbon cartridge is firmly seated. Press down evenly on both sides until you hear a click, then turn the dial clockwise one or two full rotations to wind fresh ribbon into the machine.
4. If receipts print too lightly, Clean Your Toast Printer's Print Heads. Let it dry fully before closing the cover and retesting.

Expected outcome: The printer produces a clean, readable receipt or ticket.

If the printer is still printing blank after these steps, see Before You Contact Customer Care.

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Troubleshoot Paper Jams and Cutter Problems

Symptoms that point to a paper-path or cutter issue:

• Paper does not exit the printer
• Printout stops halfway
• Paper is not cut after the receipt finishes printing, or only partially cut
• You hear a clicking or grinding sound

Most likely causes:

• Paper jam inside the printer or in the auto-cutter
• Foreign object (paperclip, push pin, paper debris) in the auto-cutter
• Empty or near-empty paper roll
• Cutter blade misaligned after a jam

Steps to resolve:

1. Open the printer cover and confirm the paper roll is not empty. Replace if needed.
2. Look for jammed paper, paper scraps, or any foreign object in the paper path and inside the auto-cutter. Remove anything you find.
3. Re-adjust the paper roll, close the cover firmly until you hear a snap, and retry printing.
4. If the cutter blade is stuck, for TP200, TM-T20, and TM-U220 printers, follow the model-specific cutter steps in Fix the Cutting Mechanism on Your Printer.

Expected outcome: The printer prints a full receipt and cuts the paper cleanly.

If the printer is still experiencing a mechanical issue after these steps, see Before You Contact Customer Care.

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Troubleshoot a New or Replacement Printer

Symptoms that point to a new or replacement printer setup issue:

• A printer you just plugged in or replaced is not printing
• POS recognizes a different printer than the one connected
• Replacement printer shows up but tickets still go to the old one

Most likely causes:

• Printer not yet added in Setup > Printer Setup on the POS
• Serial number or IP address in Toast Web does not match the physical printer
• Old printer record still set as the default in Device Setup

Steps to resolve:

1. On your Toast POS, navigate to Setup > Printer Setup, then select + Add or replace printer and Find my printer. The scan can take up to 20 seconds. Select the printer from the list and print a test receipt.
2. If the printer is DHCP-enabled (most printers shipped since June 2021), confirm in Toast Web at Finance > Related > Printers and Cash Drawers that the Serial Number field is filled with the correct serial number and the IP Address field is blank. If both fields are populated, delete the IP address, then save and publish.
3. If the printer is DHCP-disabled (static IP), confirm the IP Address field is filled and the Serial Number field is blank. If both are populated, delete the serial number, then save and publish.
4. Confirm the correct printer is selected under the Receipt Printer header in Device Setup on the POS that should send to this printer.

Expected outcome: The new or replacement printer prints a test receipt and tickets route to it from the POS.

Note: If the physical printer's serial number does not match the serial number assigned in Toast Web—for example, after a hardware swap—the correction may require Customer Care to update the backend record. See Before You Contact Customer Care.

For full setup details, see Printer Setup Overview and DHCP Printer Setup.

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Troubleshoot Unexpected Printer Behavior

Symptoms that point to a printer-routing configuration issue:

• Tickets print to the wrong station
• Drink tickets do not print to the bar printer
• The POS does not "see" a printer that is physically connected
• Tickets print twice
• A bar terminal sends nothing to a printer

Most likely causes:

• Printer not assigned to the correct prep station in Toast Web
• Non-printing prep station set in Device Setup on the terminal
• Wrong printer selected as the receipt printer in Device Setup
• More than one auto-fire device at the location
• Item routing rules sending items to the wrong prep station

Steps to resolve:

1. If receipt tickets are routed incorrectly, on the POS that is misrouting, navigate to Setup > Device Setup. Confirm the correct printer is selected under Receipt Printer.
2. If the issue is kitchen or bar tickets not printing, navigate to the Prep Stations setup in Toast Web and confirm the printer is assigned to the correct prep station. See Prep Station Basics.
3. If a terminal won't print to one prep station, but other terminals can (example: a bar terminal won't print tickets to the bar printer), check Setup > Device Setup > Non-Printing Prep Stations. If you want tickets to print, set this to None.
4. If tickets print twice, see Troubleshoot Double Printing.
5. Confirm there is only one device with Order Auto-Firing set to Yes. To learn more, see Set Up Order Autofiring.

Expected outcome: Tickets route to the intended printer for each prep station.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do Toast printers use ink?

Toast printers use ink only on the impact printer models—the Epson Kitchen Printer TM-U220B and the Toast Kitchen Printer use an ink ribbon. Receipt printers (Toast Receipt Printer TP200, Epson Receipt Printer TM-T20ii) and the Toast Item Label Printer TLP400 are thermal printers and do not use ink. They print using heat on thermal paper. If your receipt printer prints faintly or blank, the issue is usually paper, not ink. See Printer Paper Rolls and Ink Ribbons for the right paper and ribbon for each model.

Why does the "expo printer" or "bar printer" have a different name in Toast Web?

"Expo," "bar," "drink ticket," and "kitchen" describe where a printer sits in your restaurant, not the model. Toast supports several printer models that are used in any of those locations. The model name (for example, Toast Receipt Printer TP200 or Epson Kitchen Printer TM-U220B) is on a label on the printer itself, and that is the name you will see in Toast Web. For model-specific troubleshooting, see the Identify Your Printer table.

My printer's green light is on but it is not printing. What does that mean?

A green power light means the printer has electrical power, but it does not confirm the printer is connected to your network or can receive print jobs. Run the steps in Troubleshoot Connectivity Problems to confirm the printer is on the network.

Where do I find my printer's serial number?

The serial number is on a label on the bottom of the printer, near the top edge. It is also visible on Toast Web at Finance > Related > Printers and Cash Drawers and in Device Hub if the printer has been added there.

What if I see an error message on the POS screen instead of just "not working"?

For specific error message text (for example, "Please reboot printer," "We couldn't connect to the printer," "Printer error detected," or numeric reference codes), see Get Help: Troubleshoot Printer Error Messages.

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Before You Contact Customer Care

Some printer problems require Customer Care because the resolution involves backend account changes—for example, when the serial number assigned in Toast Web does not match the physical printer's serial number, the record can only be corrected by an agent with backend access. If the troubleshooting steps above do not resolve the issue, gather the following before starting a chat so the agent can help you faster:

• The exact symptom or error message text shown on your POS screen (a photo or screenshot helps)
• The printer model—for example, TP200, Toast Kitchen Printer, TM-T20ii, TM-U220B, or TLP400. The model is on a label on the printer.
• The printer's serial number—found on the label on the bottom of the printer, or in Finance > Related > Printers and Cash Drawers in Toast Web.
• Whether the printer is wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-Fi)
• Which Toast device you are printing from—terminal, handheld, or Kitchen Display System
• The steps you have already tried
• Whether other printers in the same location are working normally

To start a chat with Customer Care, select the support icon in the Toast Now app, or select the blue support button at the bottom right of any page in Toast Web or Payroll Web. For more options, see How to Contact Customer Support.

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Related Articles

• Get Help: Troubleshoot Printer Error Messages
• Get Help With Printers Going Offline
• Fix the Cutting Mechanism on Your Printer
• Printer Setup Overview
• Printer Paper Rolls and Ink Ribbons

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