On this article we show how a label printer should be set up on a Apple Macintosh OS X so that it works with Artisan POS 4.0 or later. This is a detailed article and we go through each step.
Printers that would work with these settings are:
- Zebra Printers (GC420t and LP2844)
- TSC-TTP-247
We have not tested this configuration with any other printers, hence we recommend using one of the above. We do not support other label printers for Artisan 4.0 other than the ones listed above.
Step 1: Enable CUPS (Common Unix Printing System) on the Mac
Apple computers do not work the same way as Windows computers do, thus most printer manufacturer’s drivers won’t work on the Mac. In order to make a label printer work and be visible on the Mac so Artisan can use it, we need to enable CUPS printing system. You can read more about CUPS at this link https://www.cups.org
In past versions of Apple operating systems, the web administration page was turned on by default, but now it has changed. Starting at Mac OS X Mountain Lion – 10.8, the web interface is disabled by default settings. In order to enable it, follow the instructions below:
1. Open the Terminal (Go to Applications => Utilities => Terminal)
2. Type the following: sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yes then press “Enter”
3. The previous step would run only under administrative privileges. Make sure the user logged on has been given administrative privileges.
4. The web interface for CUPS should now be enabled. Go to the web interface where printers can be added, to do so go tohttp://localhost:631 . If enable, a similar page to the one below should come up
Step 2: Add the printer to CUPS and Mac
Now we need to add the printer so we can send raw text (no formatting) to it from Artisan POS 4.X or later
1. On the CUPS web interface click on the “Administration” tab.
2. Under Printers section click on “Add Printer”
3. Now from the list of local printers, select your printer being installed. Zebra or TSC. NOTE: you will see two instances of the same printer show up on the list, either one will work but choose the instance that starts with the brand name, e.g. Zebra Technologies…, TSC…, etc,.
4. Once the printer is selected, click “Continue” and fill out the information about the printer, name and description should be enough. Location is usually the register number (Reg1, Reg2 or BackOffice).
5. Once you click on continue you may or may not be prompted to select the brand name of the printer. We don’t want to select any brand, we want to use “Raw” for raw text. So from the list look for “Raw”. If you are not able to see it. CUPS may have selected another brand automatically so follow the next step below to change it if that is the case and select “Raw”.
6. If CUPS detected a brand prefix on the name, it will match it up to its driver, but we don’t want to use its driver, we want to use a“RAW” setting. If you get the following screen or similar do not select any of the default models instead click on “Select Another Make/Manufacturer” and from the list pick “raw”. See below.
7. Now a new model will show up on the Model field, Raw Queue (en). This is what we want. Make sure it is selected and then click “Add Printer” on the bottom.
8. On the banners screen. Choose none for each field and click on “Set Default Options”.
Banners should be set to: none
9. Now the printer should be added through the CUPS printing system and a confirmation message should be displayed. See below. If a similar message has not been displayed or you have an error, make sure you followed all the steps correctly.
Step 3: Adding a printer class
Now that the printer has been added to CUPS, we need to create a Printer Class so that it can be seen through the operating system as we want it.
1. Go back to the Administration tab in CUPS web interface. This time click on “Add Class” under the Classes section.
2. Enter a name for the class. This will show up in Artisan so make sure you include the word “raw” in the name to differentiate printers. We suggest naming it Raw_Brandname_Model, e.g.Raw_Zebra_GC420c or Raw_TSC_TTP247.
3. Once the class is added, the printer should be available to the operating system. A confirmation page should let you know that the class has been added. If not, make sure all steps were followed correctly.
4. Before we go into the next step, make sure the printer and class has been created correctly. To do so on the CUPS web interface:
- Go to the Printers tab then see if the printer shows there.
- Go to the Classes tab and see if the the class for the raw printer exists.
Step 4: Verify printer on Mac
By this step we have the printer ready to go. Let’s just make sure the computer sees it as well. On the Mac go to System Preferences => Printers & Scanners => The raw printer class should show up on the list.
If this is what shows up. Everything is set.
Step 5: Add printer in Artisan
Now lets open Artisan and select this printer.
1. From Artisan main menu go to => Tools => Program Option => Device Configuration => Printers => Pick a printer slot => Now select the raw printer and configured. See image below.
- Zebra Settings:
- TSC Settings:
3. Save the settings and start printing labels.