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Colonnes Support

Bluetooth Receipt Printer Configuration

Bluetooth Receipt Printer Configuration

Section titled “Bluetooth Receipt Printer Configuration”

Connect wirelessly to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) thermal receipt printers for portable, cable-free printing.

Connecting to a Printer

Section titled “Connecting to a Printer”

1. Scan for Printers

Section titled “1. Scan for Printers”
  1. Open the Settings dialog in Colonnes
  2. Navigate to the Printing tab
  3. Select Bluetooth from the Mode dropdown
  4. Click Scan for printers
  5. Wait for the scan to complete (this may take a few seconds)

2. Connect to Your Printer

Section titled “2. Connect to Your Printer”

Once the scan completes, you’ll see a list of discovered printers with:

  • Printer name
  • Printer language (ESC/POS or STAR)
  • Signal strength (in dBm)

Click Connect next to your printer. Once connected, the status will show a green indicator with the connected printer name.

3. Select Your Printer Model

Section titled “3. Select Your Printer Model”

After connecting, select your exact printer model from the dropdown to ensure proper command compatibility. If your model isn’t listed, choose a similar model from the same brand or use a Generic option.

Section titled “Print Type”

You can choose between two printing methods:

Direct Print Mode

Section titled “Direct Print Mode”

Uses ESC/POS or STAR commands to print text directly to the printer. Faster but less flexible.

When to use Direct Print Mode:

  • When you want the fastest printing speed
  • When your language is supported by the printer’s character encoding
  • When you don’t need precise control over font sizes and layout

Font Sizes (all options: Small, Medium, Large)

  • Breadcrumb: Size for the navigation path
  • Title: Size for the task title
  • Checklist: Size for checklist items

Image Print Mode

Section titled “Image Print Mode”

Generates a PNG image and sends it to the printer. Slower but gives you complete control over the layout.

When to use Image Print Mode:

  • When you want more customization for font sizes
  • When you use a language not supported by the printer’s character encoding (e.g., Japanese, Chinese, Arabic)
  • When you need precise control over spacing and margins
  • When Direct mode produces incorrect or garbled characters

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

No printers found during scan

Section titled “No printers found during scan”
  1. Check Bluetooth is enabled on your Mac/PC
  2. Verify macOS permissions (see the caution note above)
  3. Ensure the printer is in discoverable mode
  4. Move closer to the printer
  5. Restart the printer and try scanning again

Connection fails

Section titled “Connection fails”
  • Make sure no other device is currently connected to the printer
  • Try restarting the printer
  • Restart Colonnes and try again

Printer disconnects unexpectedly

Section titled “Printer disconnects unexpectedly”
  • Bluetooth printers may disconnect after a period of inactivity
  • Simply reconnect using the Connect button or scan again
  • Keep the printer within range during printing

Characters don’t print correctly

Section titled “Characters don’t print correctly”
  • Switch to Image Print Mode which supports all characters
  • Verify you’ve selected the correct printer model