Label printers for barcode labels

Where labels are printed

Label printing in SeroPOS is a back-office job. Sign in to the web back office, open Products and then Print Labels. Add the products you want labels for and the number of labels for each, choose a sticker preset, and preview. When the preview looks right, print it to the printer your computer is set up to use for labels.

The SeroPOS app on the till does not print labels; it prints receipts, kitchen tickets and reports. In practice that split works well: labels are usually printed in batches in the back room when stock arrives, while the till stays free for sales. Barcodes you print are then read at the till by a scanner or the camera.

• Open Products, then Print Labels in the back office
• Add products and how many labels each
• Pick the barcode sticker setting
• Choose what to show, preview, then print

Matching your label stock

Label stock comes in two broad kinds: sheets of stickers for an office printer, and continuous rolls for a dedicated label printer. Barcode Settings in the back office stores a preset for each kind you use. Name the preset, mark it as a continuous roll or a sheet, and enter the sticker width and height, the paper width and height, margins, and the gaps between rows and columns.

For sheets, also set how many stickers fit per row and per sheet. Mark the preset you use most as the default so it is picked automatically in Print Labels. If labels drift on the page, adjust the top and left margins a little at a time and preview again before using another sheet.

What goes on each label

Every label carries the product's barcode, using the barcode type set on the product: Code 128, Code 39, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A or UPC-E. Around it you choose what else to show: product name, variation, price including or excluding tax, business name, lot number, expiry date and packing date. Leave off anything the customer does not need, since smaller labels have little room.

Lot, expiry and packing dates are entered in Print Labels for the batch you are labelling, which suits bakeries, delis and specialty food shops that date their own products. A clothing shop might show only name, size and price. A grocery shelf label might show name and price including tax so it matches what the customer pays.

Picking a label printer

Because labels print from the browser on your computer, the printer does not have to talk to SeroPOS directly. A regular office printer works with sticker sheets. A dedicated thermal label printer with continuous rolls is faster for large batches and keeps per-label costs down. Either way, install it on your computer, set the paper size in the print dialog to match your preset, and run one test sheet.

Repair shops on the Repair add-on module can also print a device label for each job sheet, so a phone or laptop on the bench is matched to its ticket. Device labels are printed from the Repair Invoices list in the back office, using Print label on the job. The barcode on that label ties the device back to its record.