Set up a LAN / Wi-Fi printer and the AirQR Printer Helper

LAN / Wi-Fi printers are the most reliable choice for kitchens: they keep printing even if a tablet sleeps or a browser tab closes. AirQR sends them prints through the AirQR Printer Helper (the "print bridge"), a small free program that runs on any always-on computer at the outlet (a Windows PC, a Mac, a Linux box or a Raspberry Pi). The same helper also prints to printers installed on that computer, which is the best way to use a USB printer on Windows. Only owners and managers can set up printers.

Can it print on an ordinary A4 or Letter printer?

Yes, from version 1.2.0. If the Helper on that computer is older, the bill fails with "Update the AirQR Printer Helper on (computer) to 1.2.0 or newer to print on regular paper", and the wizard and printer form show the same warning next to Regular paper. Download the newest file from Settings → Printing and restart it. A QR code can't print as text, so a UPI QR becomes a "Pay by UPI: (your UPI id)" line. Choose Installed on this computer, pick the printer, and set Paper type to Regular paper (A4/Letter). The bill or KOT is sent as plain text and printed silently with the printer's own driver (lp on Mac and Linux, PowerShell Out-Printer on Windows). Receipt-roll printers keep Receipt roll (thermal), which sends raw ESC/POS.

Which printers need the AirQR Printer Helper?

Two connection types in AirQR are printed by the AirQR Printer Helper:

USB, Bluetooth and serial printers don't need the Helper; they print from a Chrome or Edge tab instead. See Set up a USB or Bluetooth printer.

A good setup for most restaurants: the kitchen and bar printers on LAN / Wi-Fi, one bridge on the counter PC or a Raspberry Pi, and the billing printer either on LAN too or as a Computer printer on the same PC.

How do I find a LAN printer's IP address?

1. Plug the printer into your router with a network cable (or join a Wi-Fi model to your Wi-Fi using the maker's utility or its web page).
2. Switch the printer off.
3. Hold down the FEED button and switch it on. Release after 2–3 seconds.
4. The printer prints a self-test page. Look for the IP address, for example 192.168.1.87.

Check it's on the same network as your router. The first three groups of numbers should match your other devices (for example 192.168.1.x). Many printers ship with 192.168.123.100, which won't work on a 192.168.1.x network. Change it with the printer maker's tool or web page.

Reserve the IP in your router. In your router's settings, add a DHCP reservation (sometimes called "static lease" or "address binding") for the printer, so its IP never changes. If the IP changes later, printing stops until you update it in AirQR.

How do I add the printer in AirQR?

Use the Add printer wizard. You don't need to type the IP address: the AirQR Printer Helper finds the printer for you.

1. Go to Settings → Printing & screens and press Add printer.
2. Step 1: choose Wi-Fi or network cable (the printer has its own IP address), or Printer already installed on a computer (see below).
3. Step 2, if no AirQR Printer Helper is online: the wizard shows Set up the AirQR Printer Helper, see the next section. Once the Helper connects, the wizard moves on by itself.
4. Step 2, with a bridge online: under Find printers on your network you see the printers the Helper found, for example 192.168.1.87, with when each was seen. Pick yours. Not listed? Switch the printer on, make sure it is on the same Wi-Fi or router as the Helper computer, and press Scan again (it takes up to half a minute). Still not there? Open Enter an IP address and type it from the self-test page (above). Port 9100 is used unless you add another, e.g. 192.168.1.87:9100.
5. Step 3: name it, choose Kitchen tickets (KOT) and/or Bills and receipts, the kitchen stations for KOTs, the paper width and the cash drawer option.
6. Press Save and print test page. The wizard waits for the Helper to print it and tells you plainly if it worked or why not.

The printer is automatically set to be printed by the Helper you picked. Each outlet can have up to 20 printers. To change a printer later, press Edit on its card; the connection and station are under Advanced.

How does the Helper find my printers?

Every few seconds the Helper reports to AirQR, and it looks for printers when it starts, every 10 minutes, and whenever you press Scan again. It checks two things:

• Network printers: it tries port 9100 on every address of the private network(s) the computer is on (up to four, for example 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254). It only looks at your own private networks, never the internet.
• Installed printers: it lists the printers installed on that computer (Windows, Mac or Linux), so you can pick one by name.

Limits: a printer on a different network or VLAN than the Helper computer is not found (type its IP instead), printers that don't use port 9100 aren't listed, and a printer that is off is not seen. Nothing is lost: you can always enter the IP or name by hand. Settings → Devices shows each bridge's computer name, system, version and how many printers it found.

How do I add and start the AirQR Printer Helper?

The wizard does this for you in Set up the AirQR Printer Helper:

1. Choose your kind of computer: Windows, Mac, Linux or Raspberry Pi.
2. On that computer, install Node.js 18 or newer (the LTS version) from nodejs.org if it isn't there yet. (A Raspberry Pi can use sudo apt install -y nodejs.)
3. Copy the command shown and paste it into PowerShell (Windows) or a terminal (Mac, Linux, Pi). It downloads the Helper, with your server address and a brand-new token already filled in, and starts it. Use the copy button; don't retype it.
4. The wizard shows Waiting for the Helper… and turns green when the Helper connects.

Each time you open the setup a new token is made and the old one stops working, so a lost or shared token is never a problem. The Helper saves its settings, so next time you only run node airqr-print-bridge.mjs. Advanced users can also add a bridge under Settings → Printing & screens → Advanced: print stations and bridges.

How do I make the Helper start with the computer?

If the Helper isn't running, LAN printers don't print. After a power cut or restart it must start by itself. In the wizard's setup, open Keep it running after a restart for your system. In short:

• Windows: in Task Scheduler, Create task → "Run whether user is logged on or not", trigger "At startup", and the action shown in the guide (Node.js running the Helper file). Or use pm2 with the commands in the guide.
• Mac: use pm2 as shown in the guide.
• Raspberry Pi / Linux: use the ready-made systemd service described in the Helper's README (linked from the guide). It restarts the Helper automatically after power cuts.

A Raspberry Pi (about ₹4,000) on the outlet's network, running the Helper as a service, is the most robust kitchen setup: no screen, and it survives power cuts. If you're not comfortable with this step, call or WhatsApp AirQR support on +91 96573 22724.

How do I use a Windows (or Mac) computer printer through the Helper?

On Windows, the maker's USB driver (TVS, Epson, Posiflex…) holds the printer, so Chrome can't use it directly. Use Computer printer through the Helper instead:

1. On the Windows PC, open Printers & scanners → your printer → Printer properties → Sharing.
2. Tick Share this printer and give a short share name without spaces, for example POS80. Keep the maker's driver installed.
3. In AirQR, Add printer → How is it connected? → Computer printer, and enter POS80 under Printer name on the computer.
4. Run the AirQR Printer Helper on that same PC (see above).

On macOS or Linux, enter the printer's queue name (the maker's name as the computer lists it, for example EPSON_TM_T82). On Linux a USB printer can also be entered as /dev/usb/lp0.

How do I test the printer, and what do the dots mean?

Press Test next to the printer in Settings → Printing & screens. The test page shows the printer name, outlet, connection and IP, paper width, a ruler that should fit exactly on one line, text styles and a QR code. If the page prints and the ruler fits, you're done.

• If the Helper is online you'll see "The AirQR Printer Helper … will print it in a moment."
• If it isn't, you'll see "Start the AirQR Printer Helper on the outlet computer to print it."

Each printer shows a dot: green means its AirQR Printer Helper is online (heard from in the last minute or so); grey means offline or no bridge yet. Under Print stations, each bridge shows Online, Last seen … or Never connected.

The Helper's menu (…) has Rename, New token (the Helper stops until you restart it with the new command) and Remove (its token stops working immediately). Use New token if the token may have leaked or you moved the Helper to another computer.

If the test doesn't print, see Printer troubleshooting.