In this article, you will learn how you can connect a printer to your reception iPad to automatically print name badges for all your guests. 

Checklist

This checklist is for all users who already set up printers with essentry before. You can browse this list quickly and read a more detailed description below.

1. make sure the iPad is set up: How do I set up a new iPad?
   and connected to an entrance: How can I connect a device to an entrance?
2. unpack the printer and do the initial set up on the screen
3. put in the paper roll (DK(2)2205) into the printer
4. enable bluetooth on the printer and connect it to the iPad
5. start the essentry Kiosk App - it should tell you that the printer is connected
6. recommended: turn off Templates & lock the menu

Required hardware

To print name badges with the essentry Kiosk App on the iPad, you will need the Brother QL-820 NWB. This thermal printer (no ink required) communicates with the iPad via Bluetooth and offers many useful features for a decent price tag.

In addition, you will need the right paper roll for this printer. For the name badges (62 by 46.5 mm) the DK(2)2205 paper roll is the best fit. The DK-22251 (red & black) offers a bad printer quality and should not be used.

Initial set-up

Before you can connect the printer to the iPad, you have to set it up first. Please follow these steps to set up your printer:

1. unbox your printer and the cables
2. open the paper lid of the printer and pull the battery paper flap 
3. put in the paper roll (DK2205) into the printer and pull the paper to the front until it is visible from the front (see photo)
   
4. close the paper lid
5. plug the power adapter into the printer and the socket
6. press the power button on the device for a few seconds to turn on the printer
7. follow the instructions on the printer to set up language, date and time
8. after the setup is done, press the scissor button. This will pull and cut the paper

Once the last step is done, the printer is fully set up and can be connected to the iPad.

Turn on Bluetooth

The printer uses Bluetooth to communicate with the iPad. By default, Bluetooth is turned off. Please follow these steps to turn Bluetooth on:

1. press the Menu button on the printer. In the menu, you can navigate using the ▲▼ arrow keys, confirm the current selection with OK and go back by pressing the ↩ back arrow key
2. navigate to Bluetooth > Bluetooth (On/Off) and select "On"
3. Bluetooth > Automatic Reconnection and select "On"
4. close the menu by pressing the back button
5. the Bluetooth icon should be visible in the top right corner of the start screen

Connect the printer with the iPad

Once the Bluetooth is enabled on the printer, you can connect it to the iPad. These steps are necessary to achieve this:

1. open the menu on the printer and go to Bluetooth > Bluetooth Status
2. the Device Name shown here is the one that the iPad has to connect to
3. turn on the iPad and go to Settings > Bluetooth
4. make sure Bluetooth is turned on
5. select the device with the name from step 2 from the list of Bluetooth devices
6. if a PIN is shown, confirm it
7. the printer should now be connected to your iPad
8. start the essentry Kiosk App. It should tell you that the printer is connected

You have now successfully connected the printer to your iPad and can verify this by checking in on the device. Only one printer can be connected to each iPad at a time. You can see the current status of the connected printer on the status page of the device. Here is an article that shows how to access the status page: How can I get information about a device?

You can start using the printer with this configuration already. However, if you place the printer without any supervision, we recommend you also do the following recommended settings.

Recommended settings

These settings are optional but highly recommended if the printer is without any supervision or only directed to your guests. With these settings, you can ensure that the printer can't be manipulated or blocked.

Turn off templates

By default, this printer offers a template printing feature without any computer attached. These templates can be printed by clicking the OK button on the printer and will show an error if the paper does not match.

If you see this error message, then someone clicked this button on the printer (tap the power button to close this error message). To prevent this from happening, you should turn off the template feature of the printer following these steps:

1. open the device menu
2. navigate to Template Settings > Template Mode
3. disable this feature by selecting Off
4. go back to the start screen. It should only show the time and date now

Lock the menu and add a pin code

It is also good practice to lock the menu once everything is set up and running. Doing so will prevent others to change any setting of the printer.

1. open the device menu
2. navigate to Administration > Menu Locks (end of the list)
3. check every item on the list and confirm by pressing Finish at the end of the list
4. navigate to Administration > Menu Security
5. enter a pin code and write it down for later

The menu is now locked and can't be accessed without the pin code. If you want to do changes later on, you will have to first unlock the menu items at Administration > Menu Locks.

Updated August 19, 2020 19:25