Supported Printers
ReceiptKit speaks three printer command protocols — StarPRNT, legacy Star Raster Mode, and Epson ESC/POS — and picks the right one automatically from the detected printer model. It runs on three platforms (Raspberry Pi, Windows, and macOS), each supporting both Ethernet and USB.
Connection Types
Ethernet (Recommended)
Connect your printer to the same local network as your Receipt Bridge. Star and Epson network printers are discovered automatically and communicate over TCP port 9100. Most reliable connection method, on every platform.
USB
Connect the printer directly to the device running Receipt Bridge (Windows PC, Mac, or Raspberry Pi) via USB cable. Star, Epson, and ESC/POS-compatible printers are detected automatically. (USB on macOS is experimental in the beta — it should work but hasn't been fully hardware-tested; use a network connection as a fallback if you hit issues.)
Do I Need to Install a Driver?
Almost never. Receipt Bridge writes directly to the printer — it doesn't go through your operating system's print driver or spooler — so most setups need no driver install at all.
| Platform & connection | Driver needed? |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi — USB or Ethernet | Never. Built into the OS. |
| Windows / macOS — Ethernet | No. Raw network printing. |
| Windows — USB (Star & ESC/POS printers) | No. Works with the built-in Windows USB printer support. |
| Windows — USB (Epson TM) † | Yes — Epson TM printers ship in a special USB mode that needs Epson's APD driver. With the APD installed, printing and full live status (cover, paper) work — the bridge integrates with Epson's own status interface. Switching the printer to standard USB printer mode (with Epson's TM utility) is expected to remove the driver requirement entirely. |
| macOS — USB | No — including Epson TM printers (read directly, no APD needed). |
Compatibility Matrix
Look up your printer and platform below. ✓ Tested means validated on real hardware; ◐ Validation in progress; and ✓ Expected to work (amber) uses the same protocol as a tested printer in the family. macOS USB is experimental in the beta.
| Printer | Raspberry Pi | Windows | macOS | Driver | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB | LAN | USB | LAN | USB | LAN | ||
mC-Print3 Series (Recommended) StarPRNT · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
Rongta RP326 (reference ESC/POS clone) ESC/POS · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
Munbyn (ESC/POS clone) ESC/POS · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
Other ESC/POS Printers ESC/POS · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
TSP100 / TSP143 Series (futurePRNT) Star Raster · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
TSP100IV / TSP143IV StarPRNT · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
mC-Print2 / mPOP Series StarPRNT · 58mm · 384 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
TSP650II / TSP700II / TSP800II StarPRNT · 80mm · 576 dots (112mm on TSP800II) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | None |
TM-T88 Series ESC/POS · 80mm · 512 dots (180 dpi) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | APD† |
TM-T20 Series ESC/POS · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | APD† |
TM-m30 Series ESC/POS · 80mm · 576 dots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | APD† |
TM-T70 Series ESC/POS · 80mm · 512 dots (180 dpi) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | APD† |
† Epson TM over USB on Windows needs Epson's APD driver in the printer's factory mode; see the driver table above. No driver is needed on Raspberry Pi or macOS.
mC-Print3 Series: Our recommended series — we run it in retail production. Full status (cover, paper, errors) over USB and Ethernet.
Rongta RP326: Tested reference for the ESC/POS clone ecosystem — cover/paper status over USB and Ethernet. Clones with a random network MAC must be added manually.
Munbyn: Tested over USB and Ethernet on both bridges. Reports an Epson “TM-m30-II” USB descriptor (clones often impersonate Epson) — cosmetic; rename it if you like.
Other ESC/POS Printers: Most ESC/POS thermal printers should work — ReceiptKit uses the most widely implemented commands. Set the model to “Generic ESC/POS Printer” if auto-detection can't identify one.
TSP100 / TSP143 Series: Verified on a TSP143ECO (USB) and a TSP143IIILAN (Ethernet). Star Raster Mode is auto-selected; live cover/paper status works over USB and the network.
TSP100IV / TSP143IV: A StarPRNT-generation printer despite the TSP100/143 name — not Star Raster.
TM-T88 Series: Tested on a TM-T88VI over USB and Ethernet. Windows USB needs Epson's APD driver (see the driver table); no driver on Raspberry Pi or macOS. Cover-open and paper-out are reported reliably on every connection.
Not Supported
ReceiptKit renders receipts as high-quality graphics, so impact (dot-matrix) printers that cannot print raster images are not supported. This includes the Star SP700 series (SP712/SP742) and the Epson TM-U220 — both common as kitchen printers. Thermal printers that only support text-mode printing fall in the same category.
Paper Widths & Resolution
Receipt Bridge automatically selects the correct print width for detected models and renders templates at the printer's native resolution. You can override the width per printer if needed.
| Paper Size | Print Width (dots) | Typical Printers |
|---|---|---|
| 80mm (3") | 576 dots (203 dpi) | Star thermals, Epson TM-T20/TM-m30, most ESC/POS clones |
| 80mm (3") | 512 dots (180 dpi) | Epson TM-T88 and TM-T70 series |
| 58mm (2") | 384 dots (203 dpi) | Star mC-Print2 / mPOP, compact mobile POS printers |
Network Setup Tips
- 1.Same subnet required — The printer and the device running Receipt Bridge must be on the same local network subnet for automatic discovery to work.
- 2.Static IP recommended — Assign a static IP address to your printer via its configuration utility or your router's DHCP reservation. This prevents the printer's IP from changing after a power cycle.
- 3.Firewall — Ensure TCP port 9100 is not blocked by your firewall between the bridge and the printer.
- 4.Multiple printers — Receipt Bridge supports multiple printers simultaneously, mixing protocols freely. Each printer is identified independently and can be targeted per print request.
Don't see your printer model?
Looking for a specific model? Each supported printer has its own setup guide with connection, driver, status, and cash-drawer details in the per-model printer guides.
If your printer speaks StarPRNT, Star Raster Mode, or ESC/POS, there's a good chance it already works — set its model in the bridge UI to select the protocol manually. Contact us if you need help with a specific model; hardware reports from the field are how models move from "expected" to "tested".