Connect a printer to Square
Who is this article for?
This article is for sellers who need to connect a printer to their Square POS for the first time. If you are experiencing problems with a new or existing printer, go to Troubleshooting printer issues.
Once you have successfully connected your printer to your Square POS, you will need to configure what it prints. Learn how to set up printer profiles.
To connect a printer, you must enable team permissions to allow team members to configure hardware settings.
About printing with Square
Use printers for receipts, in-person order tickets, online order tickets, ticket stubs and void tickets. Learn more about printer and POS capabilities.
Before you begin
Identify your printer model
Square Point of Sale is compatible with a variety of printers. There are a couple of ways to identify your printer.
Model name and number: the distinct reference for a particular version of a printer. The location of the model name and number may vary depending on the type of printer.
Printer IP address: a long sequence of numbers (example: 192.168.1.123). This can be found on a printer status sheet, and will be unique per network printer within a given location. This only applies to network printers.
Identify your connection type
USB devices plug directly into the compatible POS device. If you are using Square Stand, Square Register or Square Terminal, you can plug your USB accessory directly into the USB hub on the power cord. For Android devices, you’ll need to connect through a USB OTG (On-The-Go) adaptor. Check that your Android device supports USB OTG or USB Host mode. USB printers are hardwired to one POS device and only that POS can print to the USB printer.
Note: connecting a printer into an iOS device directly via a Lightning or USB-C is not supported.
Ethernet devices plug into your router or switch using an Ethernet cable. Once connected to your router via the Ethernet cable, your hardware accessories will connect to your POS device through the Wi-Fi connection. You won’t be able to use an Ethernet connection in Offline Mode.
Wi-Fi devices connect wirelessly to your router. Make sure your device and hardware accessories are connected to the same network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. If they are on different networks, the connection will not be successful.
Bluetooth devices connect to your device wirelessly using the Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth works best in close proximity, and is not recommended for kitchen tickets. You’ll want to ensure that your device and hardware accessories are all within 10 ft of each other. Bluetooth printers can only be wirelessly connected to one POS device at a time and only that POS can print to the Bluetooth printer.
For iOS devices, Square needs access to your local network in order to connect to network printers. Toggle ON for Local Network in your device Settings > Square > Local Network to enable access, then relaunch the Square app.
Make sure the printer and your device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
Option 1: connect to an Ethernet printer
Make sure your printer is connected to mains power using the cable supplied by the manufacturer.
If necessary, turn the printer on using the power switch located on the back or underside of the device.
Locate the Ethernet port you want to connect your printer to. You can use an open Ethernet port on your router or switch, or you may want to plug directly into an Ethernet port installed in your store.
Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into the rear panel of the printer, and plug the other end of the cable into the selected Ethernet port.
From the Square app, tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Printers.
Tap Printers tab if it has not already been selected. If your Ethernet printer is properly connected to the same network as your POS device you should see it listed.
Set up a printer profile.
Tap Save and then tap Assign printer.
Select the printer from the list of connected printers and follow the prompts to connect.
Tap Save.
Option 2: connect to a Wi-Fi printer
Make sure your printer is connected to mains power using the cable supplied by the manufacturer.
If necessary, turn the printer on using the power switch located on the back or underside of the device.
Follow the instructions provided by the printer manufacturer to connect your printer to the same Wi-Fi network that your POS devices operate on.
From the Square app, tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Printers.
Tap Printers tab if it has not already been selected. If your printer is properly connected to the same network as your POS device, you should see it listed.
Set up a printer profile.
Tap Save and then tap Assign printer.
Select the printer from the list of connected printers and follow the prompts to connect.
Tap Save.
Option 3: connect a USB printer to Square Stand, Register or Terminal
Make sure your printer is connected to mains power using the cable supplied by the manufacturer.
If necessary, turn the printer on using the power switch located on the back or underside of the device.
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Plug the USB cable from your printer into the provided Square USB hardware hub.
Note: the USB hardware hub for Square Terminal is an optional accessory. It can be purchased from Square.
From the Square app, tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Printers. If your USB printer is properly connected to the Square USB hardware hub you should see it listed here.
Set up a printer profile.
Tap Save and then tap Assign printer.
Select the printer from the list of connected printers and follow the prompts to connect.
Tap Save.
Option 4: connect to a bluetooth printer on iOS and Square Register
Make sure your printer is connected to mains power using the cable supplied by the manufacturer. Some Bluetooth printers operate on battery power, in which case ensure your printer is charged.
If necessary, turn the printer on using the power switch located on the back or underside of the device.
For iOS devices, Square needs Bluetooth access in order to connect to Bluetooth printers. Toggle ON for Bluetooth in your device Settings > Square > Bluetooth to enable access, then relaunch the Square app.
Put your printer into Bluetooth pairing mode by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Select Connect printer > Select printer > Connect to Bluetooth printer.
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Follow the steps on how to connect a Bluetooth printer.
Turn the printer on.
Go to your device’s Settings > Bluetooth > toggle Bluetooth on.
Select the printer.
If prompted for a PIN, enter 1234.
Return to the previous page.
Once your printer is paired, return to the Square app and a ‘Printer Connected’ message will appear.
Add a Printer name.
Set up a printer profile.
Tap Save and then tap Assign printer.
Select the printer from the list of connected printers and follow the prompts to connect.
Tap Save.
Option 5: connect to Airprint printer
AirPrint support helps the integration with any printer that supports AirPrint protocol. You can now connect to popular AirPrint enabled printers from POS like: Brother QL-1110 and StarTSP847II.
Learn more about AirPrint on Apple's Support site.
Make sure your printer is connected to mains power using the cable supplied by the manufacturer.
If necessary, turn the printer on using the power switch located on the back or underside of the device.
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If your printer supports an Ethernet connection: locate the Ethernet port you want to connect your printer to. You can use an open Ethernet port on your router or switch, or you may want to plug directly into an Ethernet port installed in your store.
Connect one end of the Ethernet cable into the rear panel of the printer, and plug the other end of the cable into the selected Ethernet port.
If your printer supports a Wi-Fi connection, and an Ethernet cable is not in use: follow the instructions provided by the printer manufacturer to connect your printer to the same Wi-Fi network that your POS devices operate on.
From your Square Point of Sale App, tap ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Printers.
Select Connect printer > Select printer >Connect to AirPrint printer.
Choose your printer and tap Save.
Set up a printer profile.
Tap Save and then tap Assign printer.
Select the printer from the list of connected printers and follow the prompts to connect.
Tap Save.
Option 6: static IP (iOS only)
Learn more about creating and connecting your printer to a static IP address.