How to set up a thermal printer for restaurant billing.
USB printers on a Windows PC, Bluetooth printers on an Android phone or tablet, the right paper width, a KOT printer for the kitchen, and the fixes for the problems everyone hits on day one.
Updated 26 October 2026: added whole-POS setup checks. Equipment-source review dates remain listed below.
Browser-based billing software prints through the browser to any printer your device can use. On a Windows PC: install the printer’s driver, make it the default printer, set the roll paper size, and open Chrome with --kiosk-printing so bills print with no dialog. On Android: pair the Bluetooth printer, install the free RawBT print service, and tap Print each time. Then set 58 mm or 80 mm in the software to match your paper.
Considering Venditas? Send the founders your printer model and counter device. Ask for a test bill and KOT before buying hardware or switching software. See the POS screens.
58 mm or 80 mm?
| 58 mm (2 inch) | 80 mm (3 inch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Printed width | About 48 mm | About 72 mm |
| Good for | Parcels, tea and snack counters, billing from a phone | Dine-in bills, busy counters, KOTs |
| Usual connection | Bluetooth, battery | USB or network; some Bluetooth |
| Example listed price (Oct 2026) | ₹1,300 to ₹2,900 | ₹4,000 to ₹9,000 |
| Paper roll | 57 mm: about ₹7 to ₹31 | 79–80 mm: about ₹22 to ₹40 |
Prices are IndiaMART listings checked on 10 October 2026 (see billing machine guide for more). Before you start, load the roll the right way: scratch the paper with a fingernail, and the side that turns dark must face the print head.
Windows PC with a USB printer
- Install the driver. Connect the printer and install the driver from the maker’s website or the CD in the box. Windows sometimes installs a basic driver by itself; the maker’s driver gives you the roll paper sizes.
- Print a test page. Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → your printer → Print test page. If this fails, fix it before going further.
- Make it the default printer. On the same screen, turn off “Let Windows manage my default printer”, open your printer and click Set as default.
- Set the paper size. Open the printer’s Printing preferences and choose the roll size. Names vary by maker, for example “80 x 297 mm” or “Roll paper 80 mm”. Turn on the paper cutter here if your printer has one.
- Print one bill with the dialog. In Chrome, open your billing software, make a test order and print the bill. In the print screen choose your thermal printer, the roll paper size, Margins: Default, Scale: Default, and untick Headers and footers. Print. Chrome remembers the printer you used.
- Switch off the dialog. Close every Chrome window. In Chrome’s settings, under System, turn off “Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed”. Right-click the Chrome shortcut on the desktop → Properties → Shortcut tab. At the end of Target, after the closing quote, type a space and
--kiosk-printing. You can add your billing address after it, for examplehttps://www.venditas.in/pos. Click OK. - Open Chrome only from that shortcut and print a bill. It should print at once, with no dialog.
Two things to know. The flag only works if Chrome was fully closed before you used the shortcut. And kiosk printing sends every print to one printer (the one you last used or the default), so one PC drives one printer.
On a Mac: install the printer’s macOS driver, then the same idea works by opening Chrome from Terminal with open -a "Google Chrome" --args --kiosk-printing after quitting Chrome.
Android phone or tablet with a Bluetooth printer
Android can’t print from the browser to most Bluetooth receipt printers by itself. A print service app fills the gap. We use RawBT, which is free on the Play Store. According to the app’s description, the free version adds a small notice to each printout, and a paid licence removes it; print a test bill to see how it looks on yours.
- Pair the printer. Switch it on. On the phone: Settings → Bluetooth → Pair new device → your printer’s name. If it asks for a PIN, it is in the printer’s manual (often 0000 or 1234).
- Install RawBT from the Play Store and open it. Choose Bluetooth as the connection, select your printer, set its paper width, and print RawBT’s test page.
- Turn on the print service. In Android settings, search for “Printing” and switch RawBT on. On a Google Pixel it is Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → Printing; other brands put it somewhere else, so searching is quickest.
- Print from the billing software. Android’s print screen opens. At the top, pick RawBT as the printer (it may be under “All printers”), check the paper size, and tap the print button.
On Android this print screen appears for every bill and KOT, and someone has to tap Print. That is how Android printing works; there is no silent option like kiosk printing on Windows.
iPhone and iPad print only to AirPrint printers. Most low-cost thermal printers are not AirPrint, so use an Android or Windows device for printing, or buy a printer that says it supports AirPrint.
Set the paper width in your billing software
The software has to know your paper width, or the bill comes out cut off or tiny. In Venditas this is Setup → This device → Receipt printer paper: 80 mm (3 inch) or 58 mm (2 inch). It is saved on that device only, so set it on each device that prints. On the same screen, Print the bill automatically after payment saves a tap at the counter.
KOTs on a kitchen printer
- No printer at all: show KOTs on a kitchen screen (a tablet or old phone). See KOTs and the kitchen screen.
- A KOT printer: put a device with its own printer near the kitchen. In Venditas, on that device, tick Setup → This device → Print KOTs automatically on this device. Keep the POS open and logged in there. It prints each new KOT and a cancel slip when a sent dish is cancelled, and catches up on any from the last 15 minutes it missed, for example after a reload.
- Separate bar printer: a second device with “Only print KOTs for” set to bar prints only bar KOTs. Leave it empty to print every station.
- Hands-free KOTs need a Windows PC or laptop with kiosk printing. On Android, someone taps Print for each KOT.
Printed KOTs follow the language of the person logged in on that device (English, Hindi or Marathi). Guest bills stay in English. Print one test KOT in Hindi or Marathi before your first service.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Blank paper comes out | Roll in the wrong way round, or plain paper | Flip the roll; do the fingernail test |
| Text tiny or squeezed to one side | Paper size set to A4 or Letter, or scale set to fit | Choose the roll size in the driver and the print screen; Scale: Default |
| Right side of the bill cut off | Software set to 80 mm on a 58 mm printer | Set 58 mm in This device |
| Narrow strip on wide paper | Software set to 58 mm on an 80 mm printer | Set 80 mm |
| Print dialog every time on a PC | Chrome opened normally, or it was already running | Close all Chrome windows and background apps; open from the kiosk shortcut |
| Prints on the wrong printer | Kiosk printing uses the last used or default printer | Set the default; print once with the dialog choosing the right one |
| Long blank paper after each bill | Paper size has a fixed length | Pick a receipt or roll size in the driver; turn on the cutter |
| Bluetooth printer not found or drops | Not paired, connected to another phone, too far, battery saver | Pair again; unpair it from other phones; keep it within a few metres; exclude RawBT from battery saving |
| Nothing prints on Android, no error | Print service switched off | Turn RawBT on under Printing in settings |
| KOTs stop printing in the kitchen | Auto-print off, wrong station, POS logged out or the device asleep | Check This device settings; keep the device logged in and charging |
| Faint print | Low-grade rolls or low print density | Better rolls; raise density in the driver |
If you are setting up the whole outlet, use the restaurant POS setup checklist alongside this printer guide. It covers menu stations, captain devices, permissions and the first-shift checks.
Printing with Venditas
Venditas prints bills, KOTs and cancel slips through the browser to whatever printer the device has, in 58 mm or 80 mm, so you can keep the printer you already own. The setup above is exactly how it works. If you take the free setup offered to the first 100 restaurants, we set up the printer with you on a video call. After 30 days free it is ₹3 per paid bill; see restaurant billing software.
Sources
All checked on 10 October 2026.
- Microsoft: set a default printer in Windows
- Kongsberg Targets support: Chrome --kiosk-printing, on closing other Chrome windows first, the last-used printer and starting Chrome this way on a Mac
- Erply wiki: enabling kiosk printing in Chrome, for the shortcut Target steps
- RawBT inkless print service, app description, for connections and the free version’s note on printouts
- Google Pixel Help: print from your phone, for the Printing settings path and turning a print service on
- Apple: use AirPrint to print from your iPhone or iPad
- IndiaMART: thermal receipt printers in Mumbai and Bluetooth printers in Pune, for example prices
Quick answers
Which thermal printer works with browser-based billing software?
Any printer the device itself can print to: a USB thermal printer with a Windows driver, a Bluetooth printer on Android through a print service app like RawBT, or a network printer installed on the PC. If you can print a test page from the device, the billing software can usually print to it.
How do I print bills without the print dialog?
On a Windows PC, make the thermal printer the default printer, close Chrome completely, and open Chrome from a shortcut that has --kiosk-printing added to its Target. Chrome then prints straight away. On Android there is no such option: the print screen appears and someone taps Print.
Should I buy a 58 mm or 80 mm printer?
80 mm (3 inch) is the usual size for restaurant bills and is easier to read. 58 mm (2 inch) printers are cheaper and smaller, good for parcels, tea stalls and Bluetooth printing from a phone. Set the same width in your billing software.
Why does my thermal printer print blank paper?
Almost always the roll is in the wrong way round. Thermal paper prints on one side only. Scratch the paper with a fingernail: the side that turns dark must face the print head. Plain paper rolls also come out blank.
Can one computer print bills and KOTs on two different printers?
Not with kiosk printing, which sends every print to the same printer. Use a second device near the kitchen with its own printer, or show KOTs on a kitchen screen instead.
Does printing work without internet?
The printer connects to your device by cable or Bluetooth, but Venditas itself needs internet to take orders and make bills. Keep a phone hotspot ready as a backup connection.
See it with your restaurant in mind.
Ask the founders to show an order, a KOT and a bill on a call. Tell us your bill count and printer model; we’ll work out the cost and setup with you. 30 days free, then ₹3 per paid bill. First 100 restaurants: we set it up for you, free.