Receipt Printer (Mac Alternative)

Receipt Printer (Mac Alternative)

This is an alternative printing mode for macOS to use when the standard “Receipt Printer” mode doesn’t work with your printer. Try the standard mode first—if it works, you don’t need this alternative.

When to use this mode

Use this mode only if the standard “Receipt Printer” mode doesn’t work on macOS:

• Star Micronics printers on macOS (driver incompatibility since 2018)
• Any printer that produces garbled output or doesn’t print at all with the standard mode
• Printers installed via System Preferences that won’t respond to direct ESC/POS commands

Note: Epson printers work correctly with the standard “Receipt Printer” mode on all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux). You don’t need this alternative mode for Epson.

How It Works

Instead of sending ESC/POS commands directly to the printer, this mode:

1. Generates a PNG image of your task
2. Sends the image to your operating system’s print system (CUPS on macOS/Linux)
3. The print system handles the communication with your printer using its installed driver

This approach bypasses driver compatibility issues by letting the OS handle the printer communication.

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Setup

1. Install Your Printer

First, make sure your printer is properly installed in macOS:

1. Connect your printer via USB
2. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions)
3. Go to Printers & Scanners
4. Click the + button to add your printer
5. Select your printer from the list and follow the installation prompts
6. Your printer should appear in the list with a status of “Idle”

2. Configure Colonnes

1. Open the Settings dialog in Colonnes
2. Navigate to the Printing tab
3. Select Receipt Printer (Mac Alternative) from the Mode dropdown
4. Select your printer from the Printer dropdown

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Settings

Prevent Trim

When enabled, adds a thin black line at the bottom of the printed image. This prevents macOS CUPS from automatically trimming blank margins, ensuring your configured padding is respected.

Tip

Keep this option enabled unless you notice an unwanted line at the bottom of your prints.

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Image Settings

DPI (Dots Per Inch)

• Resolution of the printed image
• Default: 203 (standard for most thermal receipt printers)
• Higher DPI = sharper text but slower printing

Width (mm)

• Paper width in millimeters
• Common values: 58mm (narrow) or 80mm (standard)
• Match this to your actual paper roll width

Padding (Left, Right, Top, Bottom)

• Margins around the content in millimeters
• Account for your printer’s hardware margins (typically 2-4mm)
• Adjust these to center your content on the paper

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Font Sizes

Customize the text sizes for different elements:

• Breadcrumb: Size for the navigation path (e.g., “Home > Project”)
• Title: Size for the task title
• Checklist: Size for checklist items

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Live Preview

The right panel shows a real-time preview of how your task will look when printed. The preview updates automatically as you adjust settings, allowing you to fine-tune the layout before printing.

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Troubleshooting

Printer not appearing in the list

• Ensure the printer is installed in macOS System Preferences
• Check that the printer shows as “Idle” or “Ready” (not offline)
• Try removing and re-adding the printer in System Preferences

Print cuts off or has wrong margins

• Adjust the Width setting to match your paper size exactly
• Increase the padding values to account for hardware margins
• Enable Prevent Trim if bottom padding is being ignored