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https://github.com/beamanator/pos-print-files

Receipt Printer Software
https://github.com/beamanator/pos-print-files

Last synced: 11 days ago
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Receipt Printer Software

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README 

        
# POSprint



## How to use POSprint



**Follow these steps** in order to get POSprint set up properly:



1. Download the entire project directory from the [POS-Print-Files](https://github.com/Beamanator/POS-Print-Files) repo.

1. Install printer driver software from `SPRT DriverV2.0` directory

    - First, Un-zip the folder

    - Navigate to `/English` -> `/Printer Driver`

    - Install the executable **(right-click, then select run as admin)** that should be used for your computer, depending on your Windows operating system.

    - On Devices and Printers, you will probably see 2 devices (1 printer, 1 unknown device when printer plugged in)

    - In order to see the new printer under the "Printer" category, you may have to wait a while, or restart your computer.

    - Printer model = 80 Series (POS88V)

1. Make sure printer is shared - **remember the shared name**

    - Go to Devices and Printers again

    - Add a Printer

    - New -> Use existing Port (USB001)

    - Generic -> Generic / Text Only

    - Use driver already installed (from step #1)

    - Name & share the printer something like `SPRT POS Printer`

1. Install **[Python 2.7.12](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-2712/)** on your computer and can be accessed from the folder (add to PATH)

    - Note: Make sure you're installing the correct version of Python! This has only been tested with [v2.7.12](https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-2712/)

1. PHP doesn't need to be 'installed', just some files need to be configured

    - Edit the php.ini file - make sure extension_dir points to the correct directory of extensions

    - Edit the php.ini file - uncomment the line 'extension=php_mbstring.dll' so that the php script can use that extension

    - Edit the POSprint.php file - make sure line 16 has same name of printer created in step 2 (probably 'SPRT POS Printer')

1. You may have to install [microsoft redistributable packages](https://www.microsoft.com/en-eg/download/details.aspx?id=48145) if you don't have microsoft visual studio already installed on your machine.

    - I've had some trouble and some success using the redistributable packages, so I often just installed the [full program](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/e2h7fzkw.aspx).

1. **Important Step**: Copy all of the files starting with `POSprint` into the folder called `CODE_GOES_HERE`.

    - You should only need to download the printer driver and all of the python / php installers one time. However, if some code updates come out for the POSprint files, the updated files always need to be place inside the `POSprint` directory.

    - After you move all of the POSprint... files into `/CODE_GOES_HERE`, you may want to make sure they don't also exist anywhere else, just to avoid confusion later.



**Now you're ready to go? This is how you should run the program:**

1. Navigate into your `/CODE_GOES_HERE` directory and double-click the `POSprint.py` file (the python executable).

    - You should see a GUI pop up, with a black box logging window behind it.



That's it! Before you try printing for the first time, I would recommend you make sure:



1. The txt document & php document contain the data you want to print

    - Note: the php file may contain formatting for printed text

    

## Possible Issues / Errors



**Here are some common errors I've run into and how to solve (most of) them:**



1. `PHP Warning: (.../autoload.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in ...`

    - Make sure line 10 of POSprint.php is looking at the correct directory for escpos-php-development/autoload.php

1. Error with function `readFile()`

    - readFile exists in some other libraries used in this repo, so can't make a new function named readFile

1. Everything looks good, but printer is not printing (related to #2).

    - If you don't see any comments from the batch file (like a line including `php POSprint.php` and `"Batch file done"`), the batch file is probably not being called, meaning something in the python code probably went wrong.

1. `PHP Warning:  copy(\\DESKTOP-GFORQEO\): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in ...`

    - Hopefully you're naming and sharing your printer as `"SPRT POS Printer"` where I put `""` above.

    - This error is caused by the POS printer not being shared *or* if the shared printer name is spelled differently than that name of the printer that the `POSprint.php` file is trying to connect to (see the `WindowsPrintConnector()` function call).

1. `PHP Warning:  PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library '\php_mbstring.dll - The specified module could not be found.`

    - Full error continues with:

        - `PHP Fatal error:  Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function Mike42\Escpos\PrintBuffers\mb_detect_encoding() in \escpos-php-development\src\Mike42\Escpos\PrintBuffers\EscposPrintBuffer.php:95`

        - `Stack trace: #0 \escpos-php-development\src\Mike42\Escpos\Printer.php(979): Mike42\Escpos\PrintBuffers\EscposPrintBuffer->writeText('StARS\n') #1 \POSprint.php(35): Mike42\Escpos\Printer->text('StARS\n') #2 {main} thrown in \escpos-php-development\src\Mike42\Escpos\PrintBuffers\EscposPrintBuffer.php on line 95`

    - This error occured when `extension_dir="..."` in the `php.ini` file had an incorrect directory set. Remember to set this to the location where the `/ext` folder can be found - INCLUDE the `/ext` at the end here!



## About



**What is POSprint?**



POSprint is a project that was built under very specific specifications. It may not be useful for others to see, but I hope it will bring a bit more light to the POS printing world.



The main flow of POSprint is:

- POSprint.py creates a GUI using Tkinter, and writes a number to the file POSprint_ClientIndexHolder.txt

- Once the "Print" button is clicked, python runs POSprint.bat

- POSprint.bat calls POSprint.php, as if it were from the Windows cmd

- POSprint.php calls some libraries built by Mike42 (Blog post link [here](https://mike42.me/blog/2015-04-getting-a-usb-receipt-printer-working-on-windows)) to send POS commands to the POS printer so some nice text is printed.



POSprint uses the following languages:

- Python 2.7

- Windows batch file commands

- PHP



## Explanation of Files:

1. Code files

    1. `POSprint.bat`

        - Called by .py, triggers the .php file

    1. `POSprint.php`

        - Called by .bat file, connects to printer and reads data from .txt file(s)

    1. `POSprint.py`

        - Triggered by user, writes data to files and triggers .bat file

1. Text files that will be produced in your directory:

    1. `POSprint_BigNumHolder.txt`

        - Created by `POSprint.py`

        - Holds the number to be printed in *large* text

    1. `POSprint_ClientIndexHolder.txt`

        - Created by `POSprint.py`

        - Holds the index of the current client for in-order printing

    1. `POSprint_LogHolder.txt`

        - Created by `POSprint.php`

        - Holds logged text (isn't printed, just logged)

    1. `POSprint_ProgramHolder.txt`

        - Created by `POSprint.py`

        - Holds program text to be printed

    1. `POSprint_SmallNumHolder.txt`

        - Created by `POSprint.py`

        - Holds the number to be printed in *small* text