Printing on a thermal printer

Print the receipt on the pocket roll printer, skipping the print dialog: which browser you need, how to pair it and how to set it up.

Prestafolio can send the receipt straight to a thermal printer — those portable roll printers a collector carries in a bag — without going through the browser's print dialog.

You can print:

Document	Where the button is
Payment receipt	Right after collecting, and in the loan's payment history
Consolidated receipt	After a bulk collection: a single slip with every installment collected
Contract	In the loan's documents

The button reads Thermal print and sits next to "Print" and "Download". It does not replace them: the usual PDF is still there, exactly as before.

The problem it solves

The browser's print dialog only sees printers installed on the system. A pocket thermal printer connected over Bluetooth does not show up in that list, and that is not a bug: it works that way by design.

So this feature skips the dialog. It talks to the printer directly and the paper comes out as soon as you tap, with no windows in between and no "save as PDF".

You need Chrome or Edge

Where	How it connects
Computer (Chrome or Edge)	Over a USB cable, or a Bluetooth printer already paired with the system
Android (Chrome or Edge)	Over Bluetooth, straight from the browser
Firefox, Safari, iPhone and iPad	Not available

On Firefox and Safari the button appears dimmed and explains why when you hover it. There you print the PDF, which works in every browser with no setup at all.

Before printing: pair the printer

If the printer is Bluetooth and you are on a computer, you have to pair it in Windows first, like any other Bluetooth device (Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device).

Windows will say "driver unavailable", and that is NORMAL. These printers do not present themselves to the system as printers but as a communication device, so Windows finds no driver to install. None is needed. Prestafolio does not use the Windows driver: it talks to the printer on its own. This is the warning that confuses people most, and it does not mean anything went wrong.

On Android there is nothing to pair in advance: the browser itself looks for the printer when you tap.

The first time: picking the printer

The first time you print, the browser opens a small window of its own listing the devices, so you can pick which one to use.

That is a browser security measure, not a Prestafolio step: if any web page could start talking to the hardware attached to your machine without your say-so, that would be a serious problem. So you grant the permission yourself, once.

It is remembered afterwards: from then on the paper comes out straight away, with nothing to confirm.

If you switch printers (or machines), Settings → Thermal printing has a Change printer button: it reopens that list and prints a test on whichever one you choose.

The two settings worth checking

They live in Settings → Thermal printing. They are stored on that machine, not on your account: the printer belongs to the device in front of you, so a collector can carry a 58 mm one on the motorbike while the office keeps an 80 mm one, without either overriding the other.

1. Paper width: 58 mm or 80 mm

Pick the one your roll uses. It cannot be detected automatically: the browser hands over a connection, not the printer model. Pick the wrong one and the ticket comes out with the columns misaligned.

2. Print without accents

This switch is on by default, deliberately.

Many cheap printers cannot render accented letters or the ñ, and instead of the letter they spit out an odd symbol in the middle of the client's name (Rodr#guez Fern#ndez). With the switch on it prints Maria instead of María: less pretty, but always readable, which is what matters on a slip the client takes home.

Between "no accent" and "unreadable" there is no contest. That is why it ships on: at worst you lose an accent; the other way round, you lose the surname.

How to find out whether your printer can

That same screen has a Print test button. It prints a short ticket with á é í ó ú ñ and a numbered width ruler.

If the accented vowels and the ñ come out right, you can turn the switch off and receipts will print with accents.
If you get boxes, ideograms or odd symbols, leave it on.
The numbered ruler confirms the width: if it wraps or leaves paper to spare, change the 58/80 mm setting.

It is the only reliable way to know: you have to look at the paper.

If nothing comes out

Check	Detail
That it is switched on	This is the number one cause. If it is off, the connection may still be accepted and nothing prints: turn it on and try again.
That it has paper	An empty roll, or a lid not properly closed, gives the same result: nothing.
That it is still paired	On a computer, check it still shows up in the Windows Bluetooth devices.
That you are on Chrome or Edge	On Firefox or Safari the button is dimmed on purpose.
The right printer	If you picked a different one in the browser list, use Change printer.

And above all: the PDF is always available. If thermal printing fails mid-route, print or send the PDF and carry on collecting.