Hardware: printers, barcode scanners, scales and customer display

BenimPOS is software only; it uses devices such as receipt printers, label printers, barcode scanners and scales the way they are set up in Windows. Below you'll find which devices are supported, how to connect them and how to solve common problems.

General

Do you sell hardware? Which device should I buy?

No, we don't sell hardware and we have no partner brand. There is no brand / model restriction either; the device only needs a USB connection and its driver correctly installed in Windows. For information only, these are the devices the app has been tested with (not a recommendation or guarantee):

We recommend trying the device at the seller or on your own computer before you buy it. For fiscal cash registers, only models with an integration can be used: Fiscal cash register (ÖKC) integration.

Do you install the printer / scale driver?

No. The driver is installed by the place you bought the device from or by a computer technician; every brand has its own driver and settings. Once the driver is installed correctly, our support team can help with the settings on the BenimPOS side (receipt width, label size, scale port).

Does the cash drawer open automatically during a sale?

No. BenimPOS currently has no cash drawer integration; the drawer doesn't open when you press cash or card.

Can I use it with a handheld terminal?

There is no direct integration with handheld terminals. You can install the mobile app (BenimPOS Pro) on an Android handheld terminal or a phone and sell and count stock by scanning barcodes with the camera.

Can I connect a small display that shows the price to the customer (pole display)?

There is no integration with separate price displays. You can use a second monitor as a customer display (see below).

Does it work with a touch screen?

Yes. The new sales screen is designed for touch use; if you have no physical keyboard, turn on the virtual keyboard.

Receipt printer

How do I set up my new receipt printer in the program?

You don't need to add the printer separately in BenimPOS. Install the printer driver for your roll width (58 or 80 mm) and print a test page from Windows. If the test page prints correctly, make a test sale in BenimPOS and print the receipt. The settings for each app are in the sections below.

How do I print a test page, and why is it needed?

In Windows Settings, open Printers & scanners, select your printer and press Print a test page in the printer properties. If the test page also comes out blank, cut off or very small, the problem is in the printer or the driver, not in BenimPOS; have the driver reinstalled with the correct paper size. When you contact support, send a photo of the test page too.

The receipt comes out blank.

• The paper size in the driver may still be A4 or the wrong size; choose your roll size (58 / 80 mm).
• Make sure the thermal paper isn't loaded the wrong way round (thermal paper prints on one side only).
• Clear the documents waiting in the printer queue and turn the printer off and on.

The receipt comes out cut off, shifted or very small.

The receipt width in BenimPOS must match your roll (58 or 80), and the paper size in the driver must be the same size too. If the driver is set to 76 mm, enter the receipt width to match. On the web, set the margins to None and the scale to Actual size in the print window. Details: Receipt printer doesn't print.

The receipt is very long or splits into two parts.

Long blank spaces usually come from the paper length setting in the driver; use the continuous roll option (or the shortest paper length) in the driver. Receipts with many products may come out in two parts, depending on the printer.

The receipt is faint or pale.

Print darkness is a setting of the printer itself; BenimPOS can't change it. Increase the darkness (density) setting in the printer driver and use good-quality thermal rolls. If the same printer prints properly on another device, compare the driver settings on that device.

The receipt comes out of a different printer.

The desktop app sends the receipt to the default printer in Windows; make your receipt printer the default. On the web, choose your receipt printer as the Destination in the print window.

Can I print on two printers at the same time, one at the till and one in the kitchen?

No, a receipt is sent to one printer. On the web you can print the receipt on two printers one after the other by choosing the printer in the print window.

I want the receipt to print / not print automatically after every sale.

On desktop, turn it on or off with Devices and options › SALES OPTIONS › Auto Print Receipt on the sales screen; on the web, with Options › Auto-print thermal. This preference is stored on the computer; in the free version, automatic receipt printing on desktop requires a license. Details: Printing receipts and receipt templates.

I can't print with a Zebra printer.

Some Zebra models may have compatibility problems (especially when printing from a phone). Try it on your own device before buying; for your current printer, ask your seller for help with the driver and settings.

Label printer

How do I set the label size?

The size must be the same in two places:

• In the printer driver: your label's width and height (e.g. 58×40, 60×40) must be defined as a paper size. If you use a second label of a different size, have that size added to the driver too.
• In BenimPOS: on desktop, Products › Single Label › Label size (WIDTH / HEIGHT, mm); on the web, design in your own size with Products › Design & Print Labels.

Steps: How do I print shelf labels?.

The labels drift, printing a little lower on each label.

Check the label size and the gap between labels in the driver, then run the printer's own calibration (on most models with the paper feed / FEED button; see the printer's manual).

Can I print labels on a receipt printer?

You can, but thermal receipt printers may not print to exact sizes the way a label printer does. Instead of the ready-made templates, try designing with your own size on the web.

Can I design labels on desktop? Can I add "TL" and "VAT included" text?

The label templates on desktop are fixed; for extra text such as "TL" and "VAT included" and for your own design, use the Products › Design & Print Labels page in the web panel. The design is saved there.

Are labels printed automatically for the stock quantity?

No, the number of labels isn't set automatically from the stock quantity. On desktop, to print several labels for the same product, type quantity*barcode (e.g. 3*8690…) in the barcode box.

Barcode scanner

Do I need to set up the barcode scanner?

No. USB barcode scanners work like a keyboard; plug them in and use them. If it doesn't scan, the product doesn't come up or it types the wrong characters: Barcode scanner doesn't scan.

How can I tell if the scanner works?

Open Notepad and scan a barcode. If the digits are typed and the cursor moves to the next line, the scanner is fine. If nothing is typed, try another USB port.

I have to press Enter after scanning.

The scanner isn't adding Enter at the end of the barcode. Scan the "Enter / CR suffix" setting barcode in the scanner's manual.

Does a Bluetooth (wireless) barcode scanner work?

Bluetooth scanners that connect to the computer as a keyboard work. For uninterrupted use we recommend a USB cable scanner. On phones and tablets, the most reliable way is the mobile app's camera scanning.

Scale

Which scales can I use?

Two kinds of scale are supported:

• Barcode (label printing) scale: prints a barcode label containing the weight for the weighed product; you scan the label. Any brand works, and it doesn't need to be connected to the computer.
• Weight-sending (computer-connected) scale: sends the weight to the sales screen by cable. It works with the desktop app over USB (COM port); wireless or Ethernet connections aren't supported directly.

Setup steps: Selling with a scale.

My scale has an RS232 (serial port) output. Can it be connected?

Scales with RS232 output can be connected with an RS232–USB converter; the converter's driver must be installed. With some Prolific-chip converters, the newer driver that Windows installs may not recognise the older chip; in that case, get the right driver for the converter from its seller or a computer technician. Our team doesn't install drivers. Some scale / converter combinations may not send any data at all; we recommend testing before you buy.

The weight from the scale doesn't reach the sales screen.

Check the following:

• In Windows Device Manager › Ports (COM & LPT), find the COM number of the scale; if there is a warning sign, the driver is missing.
• On desktop, on the Scale card under Settings › Profile settings, choose this COM number as SCALE PORT and save; if no data comes in, try changing SCALE DATA TYPE (Type 1 / Type 2).
• On the scale card on the sales screen, Scale Port must be selected. If the port has changed or the driver was just installed, close and reopen the sales screen; you can use the Install Scale Driver button for the driver.
• Plug the scale into another USB port, unplug other USB serial devices connected to the computer and try again; if another program using the port is open, close it.
• The product's unit must be KG or Gram; weight isn't applied to products whose unit is pieces.

If it still doesn't work, contact our support team; we'll connect remotely and test whether the scale sends data to the computer. If no data reaches the computer at all, the problem is in the scale, cable or converter; contact the scale's seller.

I don't have a scale. Can I sell by the kilo?

Yes. Set the product's unit to KG and enter the price for 1 kg on the card; in the sale, type the quantity as a decimal (0,75 for 750 grams).

When I scan the label from the barcode scale, the product isn't found.

The number of digits in the scale barcode setting (usually 7 and 5, or 8 and 4) must match your scale's format, and the product must be saved with the first 7 (or 8) digits of the barcode and the KG unit. Details: Selling with a scale.

Customer display (second monitor)

What do I need for a customer display?

A second monitor connected to the computer via HDMI (or VGA) is enough; on dual-screen POS computers the second screen is used. The customer display shows the scanned products, subtotal, discount and total. The customer display is available with the yearly license and the lifetime desktop license.

How do I set up the second screen?

In Windows Settings › System › Display › Multiple displays, press Detect and set the display to Extend these displays (Windows+P › Extend). If "Duplicate" is selected, the customer display opens on top of the cashier screen.

The customer display opens on the front screen instead of the rear screen, or doesn't open at all.

• Check that the displays are in extend mode in Windows and that the second screen is detected.
• Close the customer display, restart the app, then open it again.
• On desktop, if no second screen is found, the customer display opens as a preview window; check the cable and the monitor's input source.

Can I make the text on the customer display bigger?

There is currently no way to customise the text size, title or look of the customer display.