My Star Micronics printer prints unreadable characters
Unreadable characters on the receipt? Update the printer's firmware, then reset it if needed.
If your receipt prints with unreadable characters, random symbols or corrupted content, the cause is most often the printer's firmware, especially over a Bluetooth connection.
This often appears after an operating system update (iOS or Android), switching to another register app, or the first setup of the printer. The fix: update the firmware, with Star Micronics' official app.
Step 1: update the printer's firmware
Star Micronics offers an official app, “Star Quick Setup Utility”, to configure and update its printers.
Install the Star Quick Setup Utility app
Download it from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iPhone and iPad). Search for “Star Quick Setup Utility”.
Connect your printer in the app
Turn on the printer and turn on Bluetooth on your phone or tablet. Open Star Quick Setup Utility, then select your printer in the list of detected devices.
Open “Printer Settings”
In the Star app's main menu, tap “Printer Settings”.
Start “Firmware Update”
Scroll down the list, then tap “Firmware Update”. If an update is available, start it.
- Do not turn off the printer and do not close the app during the update.
- Wait for the message saying the update is complete.
Restart the printer and add it to Tunder again
Turn the printer off and on again. In the Tunder app, remove the printer, then add it again, and run a print test.
- Remove the printer: in Tunder, ☰, Settings, Printers tab, tap the printer, then “Delete printer”.
- Add it again: the + button, then “Add printer” (see the article “How to connect a printer and a cash drawer”).
- Print test: the “Print test” button is on the printer's form.
Step 2: if the receipt is still unreadable, do a factory reset
If the receipt is still unreadable after the update, you need to fully reset the printer (factory reset). This removes the old Bluetooth settings, resets the internal settings and fixes conflicts that persist.
Start the reset
Here is the general principle. The exact procedure may vary by model: check your printer's manual.
- Turn off the printer.
- Press and hold the power button.
- Turn the printer back on while holding the button.
- Release the button when the lights start flashing or when a configuration receipt prints.
Connect the printer to Tunder again
After the reset, pair the printer again over Bluetooth, set it up in the Tunder app, then run a new print test.
Warning. The reset erases the printer's settings. You will have to pair it with your device again before you can print.