Hardware
POS hardware compatibility: printers, cash drawer, scale and scanners
PointLit works with 58 mm and 80 mm thermal receipt printers, a cash drawer that opens through the printer, a weighing scale, keyboard-style barcode scanners and label printers. The printer and drawer run through the PointLit Windows app, and a scale connects to it too, while the cashier enters the weight as the quantity. From version 0.8.0, the Windows app prints receipts in Arabic on a printer installed in Windows, as one picture at the paper width set on each till.
What a complete till needs
- A computer with Windows 10 or later, running the PointLit Windows app
- A thermal receipt printer for 58 mm or 80 mm paper
- A cash drawer that plugs into the receipt printer
- A keyboard-style barcode scanner, usually USB
- A weighing scale, if you sell by weight
- A label printer, if you print your own price and barcode labels
Receipt printers: 58 mm and 80 mm
Both common paper widths are supported, and a custom width for printers in between. You set a Default paper width for the business (58 mm prints 32 columns, 80 mm prints 48), and each till can set its own in the Windows app's Settings, where Print a width check confirms the printer prints the whole width. The receipt preview on screen uses the same width as the paper, so what the cashier sees is what the customer is handed. Your logo can print at the top of the receipt, and you choose the font size and weight. Through the Windows app the receipt goes straight to the printer; in a web browser it prints through the computer's own print dialog to any installed printer.
Arabic receipts
From version 0.8.0, the PointLit Windows app prints the whole receipt as one picture on a receipt printer installed in Windows, so Arabic letters, your logo and the barcode print the way they look on screen. Each till sets its own paper width, 58 mm, 80 mm or a custom width, and can print a width check to confirm it. A printer connected to a serial port still receives text commands (ESC/POS), which print Arabic letters as question marks, because a picture is too slow to send over a serial cable. On-screen and emailed receipts are fully Arabic, and a web browser prints Arabic receipts through the print dialog. If printed Arabic receipts matter to your shop, which in Egypt they usually do, choose a printer that has a Windows driver.
Cash drawer and scale through the Windows app
The cash drawer plugs into the receipt printer, and PointLit opens it by sending the printer the drawer signal. A weighing scale can be connected to the Windows app and tested from its settings; at the till the cashier enters the weight as the quantity (quantities can be decimals, for example 0.750 kg). Ask support@pointlit.com about a specific scale model. The drawer and the scale need the PointLit Windows app, because a web browser is not allowed to talk to a printer port or a scale directly. On a tablet, the till works in the browser, but the drawer and scale do not.
Barcode scanners
Nearly every barcode scanner sold for shops behaves like a keyboard: a scan types the code and presses Enter. PointLit reads those scans with no driver and no setup, at the till, in the label basket and anywhere a barcode is asked for. Scanners that need a serial connection or a maker's software kit are not supported.
Testing on real devices is still going on
We say this plainly: PointLit's printer and drawer support has been built and checked against the exact bytes each device expects, but testing on physical devices is not finished. Before you buy hardware, or before you rely on what you already own, write to support@pointlit.com with the make and model, and we will tell you what we know about it.
Questions and answers
- Can I use my existing receipt printer and cash drawer?
- Most likely, yes, if the printer takes 58 mm or 80 mm paper and the drawer plugs into the printer. Both run through the PointLit Windows app. Send the printer's make and model to support@pointlit.com first, because testing on physical devices is still going on and we would rather check than have you find out at the counter.
- Why do Arabic letters print as question marks?
- Because the printer is being sent text commands (ESC/POS), and those cannot draw Arabic. From version 0.8.0, the PointLit Windows app sends a printer installed in Windows the whole receipt as one picture instead, so Arabic prints correctly. If you still see question marks, check three things in the app: Settings, then About shows 0.8.0 or later; Settings, then Printer has the printer connected as Printer installed in Windows, not a serial port; and a Paper roll is chosen. Labels already print as pictures, so Arabic prints correctly on label printers either way.
- Should I buy a 58 mm or an 80 mm printer?
- PointLit supports both. An 80 mm roll fits 48 columns, which leaves room for long Arabic product names, sizes and colours on one line, which suits a clothing or grocery shop. A 58 mm printer is smaller and cheaper and suits a short receipt. Whichever you choose, make sure it has a Windows driver if you need printed Arabic receipts: the Windows app prints Arabic on a printer installed in Windows.
- Does PointLit connect to my card machine?
- No. PointLit records card payments rather than processing them, so your card terminal stays a separate device. The cashier takes the card on the terminal as usual, then chooses Card on the till and can type the authorisation code or last four digits into Card reference, which ties the bill to your card statement.
- Can I run the till on a tablet?
- Yes, in the tablet's web browser, and receipts print through the browser's print dialog. A cash drawer and a scale connect only through the PointLit Windows app on a computer, because a browser cannot talk to either. There are no PointLit apps in the App Store or Google Play yet.
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