Understanding Print Controller

A Print Controller is a service that sends print jobs to a printer. Each Operations (Ops) process has a built-in Print Controller. A workstation typically acts as a Print Controller. When a workstation operator performs an action that causes a guest check, order receipt, or other printing type to print, the Ops process does not communicate directly with the printer receiving the print job. Instead, the Ops process sends a message to the Print Controller (usually a workstation) that controls the printer. This Print Controller then receives notification that the print job succeeded or failed, and routes the success or failure information back to the workstation that sent the print job.

Ensure that employees in a revenue center know which workstations act as Print Controllers for remote printers. This knowledge helps in troubleshooting printing problems.

Oracle Hospitality recommends that you have both a primary printer and a backup printer, and that primary and backup printers reside on two different Print Controllers. This configuration prevents a single point of failure from causing multiple remote printers to stop printing.

A single Print Controller can control multiple printers. For example, one workstation can control the following printers:

• Local printer that is physically attached to the workstation (used for guest checks and customer receipts)

• Hot food printer that is a remote Ethernet kitchen printer (used for order receipts)

In this configuration, if the workstation loses power or network connectivity, other workstations cannot print to either of these printers. This is generally not a problem because the print jobs print to the backup printer as appropriate.

In another example, one workstation can control the following printers:

• Local printer that is physically attached to the workstation

• Hot food printer that is a remote Ethernet kitchen printer

• Cold food printer that is a remote Ethernet kitchen printer and backs up the hot food printer

Oracle Hospitality does not recommend this configuration. In this example, if the workstation loses power or network connectivity, other workstations cannot print to any of these printers. In this scenario, no order receipts print to the hot or cold printers in the kitchen. Kitchen operations would likely be severely impacted.