Set up QZ Tray for thermal printing

QZ Tray is RepairNode's bridge for USB thermal printers connected to a Windows PC. Instead of sending print jobs straight to a network printer, RepairNode talks to the PC running QZ Tray over your local network, and QZ Tray forwards the receipt or invoice to the printer.

1. Download and install QZ Tray

1. 1
   Download QZ Tray

   Go to the QZ Tray download page and install the latest version for the Windows PC connected to your thermal printer.
2. 2
   Launch it and keep it running

   After installation, make sure QZ Tray is running. You should see its printer icon in the Windows system tray.

Download: https://qz.io/download/

2. Generate a trusted certificate

RepairNode uses QZ Tray's trusted signing flow so the Windows PC can verify that the print request came from your configured app and not from an unknown source.

1. 1
   Open Site Manager

   Right-click the QZ Tray icon in the system tray and open Advanced → Site Manager.
2. 2
   Create a new certificate pair

   Click Create New (or the + button). QZ Tray will generate the certificate and private key you need for trusted signing.

3. Locate the generated files

QZ Tray stores the generated files in its certificate folder on the Windows PC. You only need two files from that folder.

The two required files are:

• digital-certificate.txt
• private-key.pem

4. Configure RepairNode

Make sure the mobile device running RepairNode is on the same local network as the Windows PC running QZ Tray.

1. 1
   Open Thermal Printer settings

   In RepairNode, go to Settings → Printing & Documents → Thermal Printer.
2. 2
   Enable Thermal Printing and pick QZ Tray mode

   Switch the thermal printer feature on, then select QZ Tray as the connection mode.
3. 3
   Enter the Windows PC address

   Use the local IP address of the PC running QZ Tray under Host IP Address.
4. 4
   Use port 8182

   RepairNode uses 8182 as the QZ Tray default port for secure websocket connections.
5. 5
   Enter the exact printer name

   Use the printer name exactly as it appears in Windows Printers & scanners.

Trusted signing fields

If you transferred the files by email or saved them to local storage first, you can bring them into the Thermal Printer setup screen with the Load Cert File and Load Key File buttons. If the files are already open on the QZ Tray PC, copy their contents directly into the fields below.

1. Under Trusted Signing Configuration, paste the full contents of digital-certificate.txt into Certificate Data.
2. Paste the full contents of private-key.pem into Private Key Data.

5. Validate and test

1. 1
   Validate trusted signing

   Tap Validate Trusted Signing. RepairNode should confirm that the certificate and private key match.
2. 2
   Run a connection test

   Tap Test Connection. If the setup is correct, QZ Tray receives the payload and your printer should output a test receipt.
3. 3
   Save the settings

   Tap Save before leaving the screen so RepairNode keeps the printer, port, and signing configuration.