Cash drawers for SeroPOS
In most shops the cash drawer is plugged into the receipt printer, not the till, and that is how SeroPOS opens it. The app sends an open pulse through your default printer when a receipt prints, when someone taps Open Drawer, or when cash is paid out.
Cash drawers in SeroPOS
Printer-driven drawer
Plug the drawer into the receipt printer's drawer port and SeroPOS opens it through that printer.
Opens with receipts
Most receipts kick the drawer as they print, so the cashier has change ready.
Open Drawer button
Open the drawer from Quick Actions on Home or from the floating dial, without ringing a sale.
Cash pay-out slip
Pay Out records the amount and a note, opens the drawer and prints a slip for the paperwork.
Float and count
Open/Close Register records the opening float and the counted total when the shift ends.
Works on any device
Because the printer opens the drawer, it works from an iPad, Android tablet, PC or Mac.
How the drawer connects
A standard POS cash drawer has a short cable with a phone-style plug that goes into the drawer port on the back of a receipt printer. When the printer receives the drawer command, it sends a small pulse down that cable and the drawer pops open. SeroPOS sends that command using the ESC/POS drawer pulse through whichever printer is starred as default.
That design is why one drawer setup works on every platform. An iPad never needs a cable to the drawer; it talks to a network or Bluetooth printer, and the printer opens the drawer. The same is true on Android, Windows and Mac. Just make sure the printer with the drawer attached is the default printer in Printer Management.
- Plug the drawer into the printer's drawer port
- Add the printer in Add/Edit Printer
- Star it as the default printer
- Tap Open Drawer to test
When the drawer opens
Most receipts open the drawer as they print, so a cash sale ends with the drawer out and the change counted. When you need the drawer without a sale, to swap a roll of coins or give change for the parking meter, tap Open Drawer in Quick Actions on the Home screen or Open on the floating dial on the sale screen. Phones have the same option on their speed dial.
Cash Pay Out sits beside it. Use it when money leaves the drawer for a supplier delivery, a tip-out or a petty cash purchase. Enter the amount and a note; the app warns that a pay-out cannot be reversed, opens the drawer and prints a slip, so the paper trail matches what left the till.
Floats, counts and the day-end report
Open/Close Register in the side drawer keeps track of the cash itself. At the start of a shift, open the register with the cash float. At the end, close it with the counted total and an optional note. Closing does not print a report by itself, so print the Daily Sales Report after you close.
The DSR, which doubles as the Z report, lists payouts, payments by method, tips, discounts, returns and net collection for the period you pick. Compare its cash figure with your count to see whether the drawer is over or short. The back office keeps register records too, and its Register Report shows each register's open and close history.
If the drawer will not open
Start with the printer. If the default printer is off, out of paper, or a different printer from the one the drawer is plugged into, nothing will happen. Open Printer Management and check which printer has the DEFAULT star, then send a test page. If the page prints but the drawer stays shut, check the drawer cable is in the drawer port, not a network or phone jack.
Most drawers also have a key lock; if it is turned to locked, the pulse fires but the drawer cannot open. Some drawers have a manual release lever underneath for emergencies. Network and Bluetooth printers open the drawer the same way, so as long as the till can print, it can open the drawer.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of cash drawer do I need?
A printer-driven cash drawer, the standard type that plugs into the drawer port on a receipt printer. SeroPOS opens it by sending a drawer pulse through your default printer. That works with network, Bluetooth and USB receipt printers, so the same drawer setup suits an iPad, an Android tablet, a Windows PC or a Mac.
Can I open the cash drawer without making a sale?
Yes. Tap Open Drawer in Quick Actions on the Home screen, or Open on the floating dial on the sale screen. On phones it is on the speed dial. For money leaving the drawer, use Cash Pay Out instead, which records the amount and a note and prints a slip.
Can a cash drawer work with an iPad POS?
Yes. Connect the drawer to a network or Bluetooth receipt printer and make that printer the default in SeroPOS. The iPad sends the open command to the printer, and the printer opens the drawer. No cable runs between the iPad and the drawer.
How do I record a float and close the drawer?
Use Open/Close Register in the side drawer. Open a shift with the cash float, then close it with the counted total and a note. Print the Daily Sales Report afterwards to compare the expected cash with your count, since closing the register does not print a report by itself.
Why does my cash drawer not open?
Check that the drawer is plugged into the drawer port of the printer starred as default, that the printer is on and has paper, and that the drawer's key lock is not turned to locked. Send a test page from Printer Management, then try Open Drawer again.