ShopKeep printer

I think it is best to go with their recommendations & avoid any hassles.

Is this the printer?

http://www.starmicronics.com/Printer/PrinterDesc.aspx?PageId=1&PrinterId=40

I get conflicting information on wether this is an Airprinter. It needs to be an Airprinter for direct printing support by the iPad.

They said I might need to buy their router or Netgear - ugh

I suspect you connect the printer to their router & their router provides the Airprint interface.

List of supported AirPrinters.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4356

Buy another box

"xPrintServer enables wireless printing for iOS devices such as iPads® and iPhones® using their native print menu. It eliminates the need to print through apps, install software, or email yourself documents for printing. And more importantly, you don't need to buy a new printer because xPrintServer works with more than 4,000 top brand USB and network printers. "

http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/xprintserver/xprintserver.html

You have to check whether this box supports your printer

http://www.lantronix.com/it-management/xprintserver/xprintserver-supported-print ers.php

I do not think you will get much support from Apple. See this page:

Shared Printing with a USB Printer

• USB printer
• Mac with OS X v10.2.7 or later
• PC with Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1), or Windows 8

http://www.apple.com/airport-express/specs/

I'm surprised they do not list more restrictions on what printer you can use.

Don't feel bad, vendors point figures at each other all the time.

Robert

Apple will indeed not be able to help you and ShopKeep gave you bad information. An AirPort WiFi router is not an AirPrint device, so you cannot print to a printer connected to it from an iPad. You can connect the TSP100 to your computer which can share a printer via AirPrint with third-party software. If you have a Mac, Printopia would be worth a look. Fingerprint is another option that is available for both Mac OS X and Windows system. Otherwise you'll need to use the Lantronix device mentioned above or get a printer that supports AirPrint. I'm not aware of any WiFi router with AirPrint support.

Regards.

I'd think you would want to make some money at your shop instead of playing IT consultant. IT configuration consults charge real dollars to integrate hardware into a working system. For small shops, it best to go with a turnkey system.

Here is the interesting way they use a router to connecting via ethernet to their printer. They connect the printer to the router via ethernet cable. Basically, it seems their using the router as an access point/bridge.

http://www.starmicronics.com/Printer/PrinterDesc.aspx?PageId=7&PrinterId=143

Theoretically, you might be able to make the airport work if the ShopKeep app had the ability interface directly with their printer protocol.

Figure out what ip address the printer was assigned. Perhaps the printer assigns itself a static ip address. Configure the airport express to had out the appropriate ip address. [] The airport should default to handing out dynamic ip addresses. All devices should get valid ip addresses. There shouldn't be a problem with ip addresses.

They seem to have a wifi dongle for their printer. I saw a picture of it, but not the specs. I see a lot of nice picture and marketing words, but fewer hard tech specs.

The ip numbers need to be in the same subnet.

I've hear that the airport hands out 10.x.x.x numbers.

10.0.0.1 is sometimes called a default gateway address as it typically represents the local side of a router's connection to the Internet. 10.0.0.1 is more commonly found in business networks than in homes, which tend to use routers having default addresses in the 192.168.x.x series. Both the 10.x.x.x and 192.168.x.x series are private IP address ranges.

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/routers/g/10_0_0_1_def.htm

Anyway the IP numbers need to match. I'm not certain of all the rules. You need to find out what your mask is.

I've always delt with 192.168.x.x numbers with a mask of 255.255.255.0. That means you need to have all your devices with the first three number the same.

What is the number for your printer? The 10.x.x.x & 192.168.x.x are not useable on the internet. They are intranet numbers, so you can share them here.

Here is what i would try. Let say your printer number is

10.0.1.20

I'd try seting a static number of 10.0.1.30 for you ipad. Only change the right most number avoid 0, 1 & 255. All number must be unique. Try this. If that doesn't work you may need to change your router ip address too.

Where do you see that the printer has a static IP address?

How to change the printer ip address. Find this PDF file. a google search should find it.

1203a_StarMicronics_futurePRNT_LANInstallation.pdf

Robert

On the Star printer Network Configuration print-out under Current IP Address : 192.168.1.41 (Static)

That's a problem. I've read with the airprint hands out 10.x.x.x addresses. look at what address your iPad or mac got to verify the airprint hands out 10.x.x.x address.

There are two possiblities. Change the printer ip address or change the airprint addresses.

If I read this right, you need the furturePRNT app. Should be a mac version on your cd. Or look here.

http://www.starmicronics.com/support/

You can go into your Airport and change to the 192.168.1.x addresses.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/airport-utility/id427276530?mt=8

router 192.168.1.1 -- routers use x.x.x.1

mask 255.255.255.0

need to change what address are handed out. Need to avoid the printer address.

192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.254

How does the iPad app find the printer? Do you enter the ip address?

I'd change the printer address before messing with you network. Call star. Find out if dynamic will work. They imply that it will.

RObert