Diagnostic Tool
Answer a few questions to diagnose your issue:LED Indicators
Star printers have LED indicators that show printer status:The Bluetooth LED is not used with storekit - printers connect via WiFi or ethernet only.
Quick Power Cycle
If your printer has steady blue and green lights but isn’t printing, try a power cycle:- Turn the printer off
- Unplug the power cord from the wall
- Wait 30 seconds
- Plug back in and turn on
Connection Issues
Power LED is off
- Check the power cable is connected to both the printer and wall outlet
- Disconnect and reconnect the power cable
- Try a different power outlet
- Press the power button - it should show a steady blue light
Network LED is off or flashing
- Power off the printer
- Check the ethernet cable connection to your router (or WiFi signal strength)
- Disconnect and reconnect the network cable
- Power on the printer
- If still flashing, check your internet connection is working
BT Routers
BT (British Telecom) has rolled out a network policy that can block the connection between BT routers and the storekit cloud printing service. This affects many BT Hub and BT Smart Hub models. Symptoms:- Printer shows online in the dashboard but orders intermittently stop printing
- Power-cycling the printer temporarily fixes it, but the issue recurs — often within hours
- Test prints may work fine, then real orders fail to print shortly after
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Option 1: Use a separate mobile router (recommended)
Connect the printer to a 5G mobile router instead of the BT router. This bypasses BT’s network filtering entirely and is the most reliable fix. You’ll need a 5G router and a SIM card with a data plan — the printer uses very little data, so a small plan is sufficient.
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Option 2: Use ethernet instead of WiFi
Connect the printer to the BT router via an ethernet cable rather than WiFi. Wired connections are more stable and less affected by BT’s network management features.
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Option 3: Whitelist the printer's MAC address
Log in to the BT Hub admin page (usually at
192.168.1.254) and whitelist the printer’s MAC address. This prevents the router from deprioritising or blocking the printer’s connection. You can find the printer’s MAC address on the network status printout (hold the FEED button while powering on).- Disable Smart Setup / Complete Wi-Fi — this feature can interfere with printer connections by automatically moving devices between bands or access points. Turn it off in your BT router admin panel under Advanced Settings → Wireless
- Power-cycle the printer (off, unplug for 30 seconds, plug back in) to temporarily restore printing while you apply one of the fixes above
- If none of the above resolves the issue, consider replacing the BT router with a non-BT router for the network the printer connects to
Orders Not Printing
Printer shows online but orders don’t print
- If using auto-print, orders only print after being accepted
- Check the buffer setting isn’t delaying pre-orders
- Verify the printer is assigned to the relevant categories (for split printing)
- Try sending a test print from the dashboard
Some items not printing
- For split printing: check the category is assigned to an online printer
- Ensure the printer has paper
- Place a test order to confirm routing
Delayed Printing
If orders are printing but arriving later than expected, work through this checklist:- Check if Order Batching is enabled — go to Store Settings → Operations and check the batching timeout value. Set to
0to disable batching. See the Order Batching guide for more details. - Check the Pre-Order Buffer in your printer settings — a non-zero buffer delays printing for pre-orders.
- Check Auto Accept — if disabled, orders wait for manual acceptance before printing.
- Check your internet provider — slow or unreliable connections can delay order delivery to the printer (see BT Routers above).
Intermittent Printing (Works Sometimes, Then Stops)
If your printer works for a while then randomly stops printing — and resumes after a power cycle — this is usually a network stability issue, not a printer hardware problem. Your router may be dropping the printer’s connection periodically.Diagnose the issue
- Check your router’s DHCP lease time — short lease times can cause the printer to lose its IP address. Set the lease time to 24 hours or longer in your router’s admin panel
- Assign a static IP to the printer — this prevents the router from reassigning the printer’s address:
- Find the printer’s current IP address on the network status printout (hold the FEED button while powering on)
- Open your router’s admin panel and reserve that IP for the printer’s MAC address
- Whitelist the printer’s MAC address in your router settings to prevent the router from deprioritising or disconnecting it
- Check for WiFi interference — move the printer closer to the router or switch to an ethernet connection
If you’re using a BT router, see the BT Routers section — BT has a network policy that commonly causes intermittent printing failures.
Multiple Networks / Router Switching
If your printer works on one router but stops working when you switch to a different router or network, the issue is almost always a network configuration mismatch between the two routers. Even if both networks have internet access, differences in how they handle local traffic can break printer communication.Why this happens
Step-by-step fix
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Confirm printer and device are on the same subnet
Check the printer’s IP address by holding the FEED button while powering on to print a network status sheet. Then check your device’s IP address in its WiFi/network settings. Both should share the same first three octets (e.g. both on
192.168.1.x). If they differ, connect both to the same router or VLAN.2
Disable AP isolation / client isolation
Log in to your router’s admin panel and look for AP Isolation, Client Isolation, or Wireless Isolation (usually under Wireless → Advanced Settings). Turn it off so devices on the same network can communicate with each other. Save and restart the router.
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Check router firewall isn't blocking the printer
In your router’s admin panel, check the firewall or access control settings for any rules blocking the printer’s IP address or ports 9100 and 515. Add an exception for the printer’s IP if needed. Some routers label this under Port Filtering or Access Control.
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Assign a static IP to the printer on the new network
After switching routers, the printer may receive a new IP address via DHCP. Reserve the printer’s IP in the new router’s DHCP settings to prevent it from changing. See Intermittent Printing for detailed steps.
Star Micronics cloud printers
Star Micronics cloud printers (used with storekit’s cloud printing service) require an outbound internet connection to receive orders — they don’t rely on local network printing alone. When moving to a new network, the printer must be able to reach Star’s cloud servers. Confirm the printer can reach*.starmicronics.com on port 443 (HTTPS) from the new network:
- Check the router isn’t using a restrictive outbound firewall or content filter that blocks unknown domains
- If your router has a whitelist/allowlist mode, add
*.starmicronics.comon port 443 - Ensure DNS resolution is working — the printer needs to resolve Star’s hostnames. Try using a public DNS server (e.g.
8.8.8.8) in the router’s WAN settings if the default DNS is unreliable
BT router users
If the new router is a BT Hub or BT Smart Hub, you may also be affected by BT’s network policy that blocks cloud printing connections. See the BT Routers section above for specific workarounds including using a separate mobile router, switching to ethernet, and whitelisting the printer’s MAC address.Split Printing Issues
Items printing on all printers
The category hasn’t been assigned to specific printers. Go to Menu → select the category → Printing tab and tick only the printer(s) you want.Items printing on wrong printer
- Review the category’s Printing settings
- Untick printers you don’t want receiving that category
Print Quality Issues
Faded or light printing
- Check paper is loaded correctly (thermal side facing out)
- Clean the print head with isopropyl alcohol
- Replace paper roll if old or stored in humid conditions
Text too small
Try the Large text size setting in your printer settings.Factory Reset
If nothing else works: Step 1: Delete the printer from storekit- Go to your storekit dashboard
- Navigate to Settings → Direct Printing
- Click the trashcan icon next to the printer to delete it
- Turn the printer off
- Insert a pen into the RESET hole on the back of the printer
- While holding the RESET button, press and release the POWER button
- Continue holding RESET until the green Network LED flashes
- Release the RESET button
- Press the FEED button to select the LAN interface
- Hold down FEED to confirm
- The printer resets to factory defaults
Email Notifications
storekit automatically sends email notifications when your printers go offline or come back online, helping you stay informed about printer status.Printer Offline Notifications
When a printer fails to check in for 5 minutes, you’ll receive an email that includes:- Printer details - Printer name, model, and MAC address
- Offline timestamp - When the printer went offline
- Quick actions - Direct link to view printer status in your dashboard
Printer Online Notifications
When a printer reconnects after being offline for at least 5 minutes, you’ll receive a confirmation email with:- Printer details - Printer name and model
- Online timestamp - When the printer reconnected
- Status confirmation - Verification that the printer is ready to receive orders
Ensuring You Receive Notifications
Make sure your venue email address is configured correctly:- Go to Store Settings in your dashboard
- Navigate to Store Details
- Verify your email address is correct
- Add multiple email addresses if needed (the first address will receive notifications)
Pre-Order Printing
Pre-order tickets differ from live order tickets — they print at a scheduled time based on your buffer setting, not immediately when the order is placed. For example, a pre-order placed at 10am for 2pm collection with a 30-minute buffer will print at 1:30pm. See Pre-Order Buffer for how to configure this timing.Pre-orders aren’t printing
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Check the buffer setting
Go to Dashboard → Store Settings → Printers → select your printer → check the Buffer value. A non-zero buffer delays printing until closer to the fulfillment time. Set to
0 if you want pre-orders to print immediately.2
Confirm the printer is online at the scheduled print time
Pre-orders print when the buffer window is reached — if the printer is offline at that moment, the ticket won’t print. Check your printer status notifications for any offline alerts around the expected print time.
Pre-order ticket shows wrong date/time
- Check timezone settings — go to Dashboard → Store Settings → Store Details and verify the timezone matches your venue’s physical location. An incorrect timezone will offset all printed times.
Test Print Issues
Test print works but real orders don’t print
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Check category assignment
For split printing, go to Menu → select the category → Printing tab and verify the category is assigned to the correct printer. A test print bypasses category assignment, so it can succeed even when categories aren’t linked to the printer.
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Check auto-print vs manual print
If the printer is set to Manual, orders won’t print until you click the print button in the dashboard. Switch to Auto if you want orders to print automatically on acceptance.
Test print fails
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Power cycle the printer
Turn the printer off, unplug the power cord, wait 30 seconds, then plug back in and turn on. See Quick Power Cycle.
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Check the connection
Verify the USB or ethernet cable is firmly connected. For network printers, confirm the Network LED shows a steady green light. See Connection Issues.
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Verify the printer is assigned in the dashboard
Go to Dashboard → Store Settings → Printers and confirm the printer appears and shows as Online. If it’s missing, add it again.
Still Having Issues?
- Send a test print from the dashboard to confirm connectivity
- Note any error lights or messages
- Check for printer status email notifications
- Contact storekit support with your store name and description of the issue