Quick Troubleshooting for Order Printing

Quick Troubleshooting for

Order Printing

Issue: All food or drink orders are not printing to all printers
Issue: Orders are not printing to one order printer
Issue: Specific items are not printing
Setup: How to configure manual or automatic order printing (Bistro Mode)
More details and points to note

About

This guide provides troubleshooting steps to help you quickly resume operations when you encounter common issues with order printing, including kitchen, drinks, or similar orders.

If the steps in this guide do not resolve your issue, or if the issue occurs regularly, please contact the H&L Support team for further assistance. You can log a support ticket via:

Phone: 1800 778 340
Email: support@hlpos.com
Chat: Live Chat
Client Portal: Click the Submit a Ticket button above.

Issue: All food or drink orders are not printing to all printers

When sales are processed through the Exceed POS terminal, order print jobs are sent from your H&L Sysnet Server. If all order printing is failing, the issue is often located at the server level.

Problem	Solution or workaround
Server not running	Turn the H&L Server on. Wait a couple of minutes for it to finish starting all background processes and services. Check if any orders resume printing
TransServer or PosController not running	If using the TransServer application - close it, OK the prompt, then reopen it. If using the Point of Sale Controller (POSController) service – open Windows Services, select the ‘H&L Sysnet – Point of Sale Controller’ service, stop the service, wait 20 seconds, then start the service. Note: One of TransServer or PosController should be in use on your H&L server, not both. See also: How To Check and Restart the Transaction Server or POS Controller Service.
“Locked: True” message on TransServer or LogViewer	Follow the restart instructions above to restart TransServer or POSController. This should restore printing issues. This message can indicate that an issue occurred with processing end of reporting periods. Check if your most recent reporting periods processed correctly. See also: Quick Troubleshooting for End Of Reporting Periods.
Confirm network connectivity on the H&L Server	Check that the network cable is firmly connected to the server, and where it terminates at the other end into a wall port or network device. If the network cable shows signs of damage, replace it. Confirm network devices have power (check for presence of solid or flashing LED lights on devices) Important: If your IT or a third-party manage your venue’s network, please consult with them before making changes to your network setup.
Still unresolved	Restart your H&L Server via the Start menu and power option. Note: This can disrupt other services and functionality while the reboot occurs.

Issue: Orders are not printing to one order printer

For problems with a single (or only) order printer, the problem can often be identified at the physical printer. If that appears fine, check printing from Windows, and finally, check the setup in H&L.

Problem	Solution or workaround
Physical printer – unable to feed / print	Use the feed button to confirm the printer is physically turned on, receiving power, and has paper. If the printer has a flashing or solid Error LED, reseat the paper roll and open and open and close the printer covers Attempt a self-test from the printer by: Turn off the printer Press and hold the Feed button Turn on the printer Wait 1-2 seconds before releasing feed button See also: Attempt a self-test from the printer.
Physical printer – network connectivity	Check that the network cable is firmly connected into the printer, and where it terminates into a wall port or network device. If the network cable shows signs of damage, replace it. Important: If your IT or a third-party manage your venue’s network, please consult with them before making changes to your network setup.
Windows installation issue	From the H&L Server, confirm if a Windows test page prints Windows 10/11 - Start Menu > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers and scanners > select the problem printer if listed > Print test page Windows 7/8 - Start Menu > Control Panel > Devices and Printers > right-click the problem printer if listed > Printer Properties > print Test Page If a test page fails to print, restart the Print Spooler service in Windows Services, or reboot the server itself, and retry a test page. See also: Managing Windows services.
H&L setup issue	Confirm the printer has been added into Utilities > Printers tab with type set as Physical. Check that the printer has been added to the appropriate print groups in Utilities > Printers > Groups subtab. If changes are made in Utilities, restart the TransServer or PosController service, before retesting order printing.

Issue: Specific items are not printing

The PLU setup in the Stock application is commonly responsible if most items are printing correctly, but a specific item is not.

Problem	Solution or workaround
PLU print group setup	For menu items (mains, entrees, drinks, etc) - confirm there is a print group assigned that matches the print group your printer is assigned to. For modifier items (instructions or optional addons) - the print group should be left as <None>. Confirm the PLU setup for every location the PLU is sold from. See also: Specific items are not printing examples.
PLU modifier setup	For modifier items (instructions or optional addons) - the modifier value should be “Normal modifier”. For menu items (mains, entrees, drinks, etc) - the modifier value should be “No modifier”. Confirm the PLU setup for every location the PLU is sold from. See also: Specific items are not printing examples.

Setup: How to configure manual or automatic order printing (Bistro Mode)

Per Exceed station, it is possible to configure table charges to hold (until manually sent) or automatically send to an order printer or ODM device.

Behaviour	Setup
Bistro Mode – manually print	In Utilities: Navigate to the Stations tab Highlight the desired station In the station options (lower-third of screen), enable the Bistro Mode checkbox Repeat for other stations you want operating in Bistro Mode If changes were made, select the blue tick button (top-right corner of Utilities) to save. Perform a Reset Exceed database for each altered Exceed POS terminal to apply the changes locally.
Restuarant Mode – automatically print (default behaviour)	In Utilities: Navigate to the Stations tab Highlight the desired station In the station options (lower-third of screen), uncheck the Bistro Mode checkbox Repeat for other stations you want operating in Restaurant Mode If changes were made, select the blue tick button (top-right corner of Utilities) to save. Perform a Reset Exceed database for each altered Exceed POS terminal to apply the changes locally.
More information	We recommend speaking to an H&L Trainer before switching modes, as additional configuration or keyboard changes may be required. For details on related options and keyboard changes, see Bistro Mode setup.

More details and points to note

Attempt a self-test from the printer

Performing a self-test confirms that the printer is capable of printing and can help clear temporary errors. The steps are generally consistent across printer models, with some exceptions.

Turn off the printer. If the printer doesn’t have a power switch, unplug the power lead to turn it off.
Press and hold the Feed button.
While holding the Feed button, turn the printer back on (or reconnect the power lead).
Continue holding the Feed button for 1–2 seconds, or until the printer begins printing, then release it.
On some printer models, after the first page prints, press the Feed button again to print a second page.
If the first self-test doesn’t print, try it once more.

If the self-test is successful but order printing issues persist, the problem is likely related to the network, server, or H&L system configuration.

Specific items are not printing examples

Example setup for a menu item (mains, entrees, drinks, etc.):
Example setup for a modifier item (instructions or optional add-ons):
To confirm which physical printers are assigned to a specific print group, go to: Utilities > Printers > Groups subtab.

Bistro Mode setup

Each Exceed Point of Sale terminal can operate in either Restaurant or Bistro mode. The primary difference between these modes is how order printing is controlled:

Restaurant Mode – The order docket prints automatically when the sale is finalised to the table.
Bistro Mode – Sales are charged to a table account, and the user manually chooses when to send dockets to the order printers or ODM devices.

Venues that take orders at the table typically use Restaurant Mode. Venues that take orders directly at the POS terminal often use Bistro Mode to allow separate transactions for each table. In Bistro Mode, the order docket can be printed once each customer has ordered and paid.

Bistro mode is enabled per station in Utilities > Stations Tab.

A Reset Exceed database will be required to apply the change at the POS.

Several Exceed System Options are commonly enabled alongside the Station Bistro Mode setting. Although these options can be enabled from the POS, the change will reset on the next database reset. To make the change permanent, change via Utilities > Devices > Config > Edit the required System Option profile. A Reset Exceed database will then be required to update your POS terminals after changes are made in Utilities.

Common System Options for Bistro Mode:

Table > Bistro Mode – Forces all sales to go to a table (unless finalised with a Fast Tender – No Table key). This ensures manual kitchen printing is available, as the Station Bistro Mode option only applies to table sales.
Table > Prompt Kitchen Print in Bistro Mode – Prompts the POS user after charging to a table, asking whether to Print to Kitchen or Print Later.
Table > Restrict Kitchen Printing Prompting to Station Location – Limits the kitchen print prompt to only display for tables created in the same location as the POS terminal.
Table > Don’t Prompt Table Confirmation – Removes the prompt asking the POS user to confirm table charges.

Useful Exceed keytypes for Bistro Mode include:

Fast Tender - No Table (#170) – Bypasses the System Option Bistro Mode (which forces sales to tables) for quick transactions such as drinks over the counter. This key can be configured for a specific tender (cash, EFTPOS, etc.) or left unconfigured to show all tender options.
Account Sale – No Table (#133) – Allows a sale to be finalised to a debtor account without assigning it to a table when Bistro Mode is in use.

Note: We recommend speaking to an H&L Trainer before switching modes, as additional configuration or keyboard changes may be required.