Before you begin setting up your cash drawer, it's recommended to set up your receipt printer first so you can test your cash drawer after setup. The cash drawer will open when a cash or cheque sale is processed in Retail POS and the receipt is printed.

If you plan to open your cash drawer manually, you don't need to connect it to your receipt printer. Place the cash drawer on your checkout counter and keep the key in a secure place nearby.

What you'll need

Connecting your cash drawer to your printer

The cash drawer cable that comes in your hardware shipment may be labeled Cash drawer on one end and Printer on the other. If the ends are not labeled, the larger end of the cable connects to your cash drawer and the smaller end connects to your receipt printer.

1. Plug the cash drawer connector cable from the cash drawer into the receipt printer.

   

2. Turn the key to the unlock position.

   

While the cash drawer is unlocked, it will automatically open depending on your configured settings.

Configuring your cash drawer to open automatically

• Configuring your cash drawer for desktop

  1. In Retail POS, navigate to Settings > General Options.

     

  2. From the Cash Drawer (iPad and Lightspeed Hub only) dropdown, select one of the following options:

     • All Payment Types (Default): All receipts printed will open the cash drawer.
     • Cash Only: The cash drawer will only open if a cash sale receipt is printed.
     • Never: The cash drawer will not open for any receipts printed.

     

  3. Click Save Changes.

     

• Configuring your cash drawer for iPad

  1. On your iPad, open the Retail POS app.

  2. Tap Manager > Settings.

     

  3. Tap General Options.

     

  4. From the Cash Drawer (iPad and Lightspeed Hub only) dropdown, select one of the following options:

     • All Payment Types (Default): All receipts printed will open the cash drawer.
     • Cash Only: The cash drawer will only open if a cash sale receipt is printed.
     • Never: The cash drawer will not open for any receipts printed.

     

  5. Tap Save Changes.

     

Testing your cash drawer

You should perform two tests to confirm your cash drawer is functioning correctly:

Manually opening the cash drawer

You can manually open the cash drawer while opening or closing a register or processing a register withdrawal.

You must have certain permissions enabled to make register adjustments (Sales - Open Register, Sales - Close Register, and Sales - Register Withdraw) to access the Open Drawer button.

1. Navigate to Sales.
2. Choose a register to open, or click Close Register or Add Amount.

3. Click Open Drawer.

   

Your cash drawer should now open.

Opening the drawer when printing sales receipts

Depending on your cash drawer settings, your drawer may open any time a receipt is printed or only when a cash sale receipt is printed. You can test if the drawer opens according to your chosen settings:

1. Navigate to Reports > Payments Received.

   

2. In the All Types dropdown, select a payment type.

   

3. Click Search.

4. In the SALE column, click a sale number.

   

5. Click Print Receipt.

   

Your cash drawer should now open.

Make sure to test this process for cash receipts as well as a non-cash payment receipt to ensure that the cash drawer opens or remains closed according to your configured settings.

Troubleshooting your cash drawer

Cash drawer not opening after a cash sale

The cash drawer should open when a cash or cheque sale is processed in Retail POS and the receipt is printed. If the print job is cancelled (Cancel Print is selected), the cash drawer will not open.

If a receipt was printed by your cash drawer didn't open, your cash drawer settings may be configured to never open. You can select to have the cash drawer open for all payment types or cash only. To update your cash drawer settings:

1. Navigate to Settings > General Options.
2. Click the Cash Drawer (iPad and Lightspeed Hub only) dropdown and select an option:
   • All Payment Types (default): All printed receipts will open the cash drawer.
   • Cash Only: the cash drawer will only open with a cash sale receipt is printed.
   • Never: the cash drawer will not open for any printed receipts.
3. Click Save Changes.

Cash drawer won't open and receipts won't cut

If your cash drawer won't open and receipts won't cut, make sure all cords and power cables are secure. If the receipt printer doesn't have power, the cash drawer won't open. Once the cables are secured, check that the printer has paper and is turned on.

If you're using a Star printer with Windows, verify the device settings:

1. Open your Windows Control Panel.
2. In the top right corner of the Control Panel, click the View by dropdown and select Category.
3. Under the Hardware and Sound category, click View devices and printers. 
4. Right click on the Star printer icon > Printer properties.
5. If you see a shield icon on the Change Properties button, click it.
6. Click on Device Settings and update the information to the following:
   • Paper Type: Receipt
   • Page Cut Type: Partial Cut
   • Document Cut Type: Partial Cut
   • Peripheral Unit Type: Cash Drawer
   • Peripheral Unit 1: Document Top
7. Click OK.
8. Perform a test print from Retail POS.

To review your paper size settings:

1. Navigate to Reports > Totals and click any Sale ID to open a completed transaction.
2. Click Print Receipt to check the print settings.
3. Check that the paper size is set to 72mm * 2000mm (2.83 * 78.72 in) and all the page headers and footers are set to -blank-.
4. In the dropdown, select Printer Features > Cut Options.
5. Update Page Cut Type and Document Cut Type to Partial Cut.
6. In the dropdown, select Cash Drawer Control > Cash Drawer.
7. Select Open Drawer 1.
8. Under Presets, select Save Current Settings as Preset and enter a name like "Receipts".
9. Click OK.
10. Click Print in your printer dialog box.

What's next?