Open the cash drawer from the till
The cash drawer opens when it should: on a cash sale, when a receipt prints, or when staff tap Open Drawer for change. SeroPOS sends the signal through your receipt printer.
Cash drawer in SeroPOS
Kicks with the receipt
Most receipts open the drawer as they print, so cash sales flow without an extra tap.
Open Drawer button
Quick Actions on the home screen has Open Drawer for making change or a cash check.
On the floating dial
Open sits on the floating dial on tablets and the speed dial on phones, from any screen.
Through the printer
SeroPOS sends a standard ESC/POS pulse through the default receipt printer.
Any printer connection
Works with drawers wired to network, USB, Bluetooth or Windows receipt printers.
Pay outs from the drawer
Cash Pay Out sits beside Open Drawer for petty cash taken from the till.
How the drawer is connected
Most cash drawers do not connect to the computer or tablet directly. They plug into the back of the receipt printer with a short cable, and the printer opens the drawer when it receives a kick signal. SeroPOS sends that signal, a standard ESC/POS drawer pulse, through your default receipt printer whenever the drawer should open.
This means the drawer works with any receipt printer SeroPOS can print to: a network printer on port 9100, a USB printer, a Bluetooth printer or a Windows printer. Set the printer as the default in Add/Edit Printer from the side drawer, plug the drawer into it, and the till can open it.
- Plug the drawer into the receipt printer's drawer port
- Add the printer in Add/Edit Printer
- Mark it as the DEFAULT printer
- Test with Open Drawer from Quick Actions
When the drawer opens
Most receipts kick the drawer as they print, so a cash sale prints the receipt and pops the drawer in one go. The cashier counts the change, closes the drawer and moves on. If you print receipts automatically with the Print Invoice setting, the drawer opens at the end of each sale without anyone touching another button.
When staff need the drawer without a sale, for change or a quick count, they can open it on demand. On tablets, the home screen Quick Actions include Open Drawer, and the floating action dial over the sale screen has Open. On phones, the draggable speed dial has Open drawer on the Home, Category, Product, Cart and Payment screens.
Keeping cash under control
An open drawer is an invitation, so keep the habits that protect it. Open the register with a counted float at the start of each shift and close it with the counted total at the end, using Open/Close Register in the side drawer. Every session appears in the back office register report with cash, card and cheque totals for that shift.
When cash leaves the drawer for something other than change, record it with Cash Pay Out rather than just taking it. The pay out prints a slip and appears on the daily sales report, so the count at closing still adds up. Role permissions let you decide which checkout buttons and actions each staff member can use.
Choosing a cash drawer
Look for a drawer with a printer-driven interface, often an RJ11 or RJ12 plug, which covers most standard POS drawers. Check that the plug matches your printer's drawer port and that the drawer's voltage matches the printer, usually 12 or 24 volts. Most mainstream thermal receipt printers have the port.
Size the drawer to the counter and your notes and coins. If you run several tills, give each its own printer and drawer so each cashier is responsible for one drawer. For tablets on a stand, a network or Bluetooth printer keeps cables tidy while still kicking the drawer. Test the full setup before your first day of trading.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open the cash drawer in SeroPOS?
Tap Open Drawer in the home screen Quick Actions, or Open on the floating action dial over the sale screen. On phones, use Open drawer on the speed dial. The drawer also opens automatically when most receipts print, so cash sales need no extra tap.
Why won't my cash drawer open?
Check that the drawer is plugged into the receipt printer, not the computer, and that the printer is set as the DEFAULT in Add/Edit Printer. Print a test page to confirm the printer works. If it prints but the drawer stays shut, check the cable type and voltage.
Which cash drawers work with SeroPOS?
Any drawer that is opened by a receipt printer, usually through an RJ11 or RJ12 cable. SeroPOS sends a standard ESC/POS pulse to the default printer, which opens the drawer. Network, USB, Bluetooth and Windows receipt printers can all drive a drawer.
Can the drawer open on its own after a cash sale?
Yes. Most receipts kick the drawer as they print. Turn on Print Invoice in Settings to print a receipt automatically at the end of every sale, and the drawer opens with it, ready for the cashier to give change and close it again.
Can I open the drawer from the back office?
No. The drawer is opened by the SeroPOS app on the till, through the printer connected to that till. Use Open Drawer on the till's Quick Actions or floating dial, or print a receipt, to open it. Each till opens the drawer wired to its own printer.