How to: Set Up Printing to KDS

If the KOTs are printed to many OPOS printers, it can cause delays on the POS if it has to wait a long time for the printers to finish printing. One way of reducing the waiting time is to change the printers to Windows printers. Another way is to use the KDS (Kitchen Service) to handle the printing. Doing so, the POS is released very quickly and the KDS is left to wait for the printers.

Setting up and configuring the KDS is described elsewhere.

To change the display station setting

  1. Go to LS Hospitality – Kitchen Display System – Section Display Station Mappings – Display Stations.
  2. Double-click the relevant station in the list to edit, or select a station and click the Edit action.
  3. On the Display Station Card, locate the Display Station Type field, and select the KDS Printer option from the drop-down list.
    If the printers and device roles are already defined correctly, this should be enough. Note: The printers must be defined as OPOS or WinPrinter printers and use the Hardware Station for printing.
    Starting with version LS Nav 11.05 the contents of the KDS Device Roles and Hardw. Profile KDS Printers tables are updated automatically when a station is set as a printer.
    If a new entry is put automatically in the Hardw. Profile KDS Printers, the card for it will pop up and the user can enter the correct Device ID.

To specify a fallback printer

In case a printer becomes unavailable, for example when the paper is out or the printer is open, it is possible to direct the KOTs to a different printer. To enable this, a backup printer can be defined. The field for that is KDS Fallback Station ID on the Display Station card.

  1. Go to LS Hospitality – Kitchen Display System – Section Display Station Mappings – Display Stations.
  2. In the General tab locate the KDS Fallback Station ID, and select the printer that should handle backup printing. Note: This only applies when printing is done in the KDS.

To define a new printer for the KDS

  1. Go to LS Hospitality – Kitchen Display System – Section Display Station Mappings – Display Stations.

  2. Click the POS Printer List action on the Home menu. Create a new record or edit an existing one. You must set these fields:

    ID A unique ID for the printer.
    Printer The type of the printer. This must be set to OPOS.
    Printer Device Name The device name of the printer. If the printer driver and Hardware Station are installed on the same server as the Dynamics Business Central client, the correct device name is shown in the drop-down list. If the driver and Printer Station are installed on a remote server, the name must be entered manually. An example of a device name could be 'TM-H6000II'
    Description A descriptive name of the printer (location and purpose).
    Printer Server Host The server name of the host where the Printing Station is running.
    Print Server Port This is always set to 16650.

To map the Display Station to a Device Role

  1. Go to LS Hospitality – Kitchen Display System – Section Display Station Mappings – Display Stations.

  2. Click the KDS Device Roles action on the Home menu. Create a new record or edit an existing one. The fields that must be set are:

    Type Set this field to PRINTER.
    Role Set this field is set to KDS.
    Sub Role Click the down arrow to see a a list of all available display stations. Select the display station you want to match with the printer definition.
    Description A descriptive name of the role.

To map the Device Role to the printer

  1. Go to LS Hospitality – Kitchen Display System – Section Display Station Mappings – Display Stations.

  2. Click the Hardw. Profile KDS Printers action on the Home menu. Create a new record or edit an existing one. The fields you must set are:

    Profile ID This can be left blank.
    Device Type This is set to PRINTER.
    Device Role This is set to KDS.
    Device Sub Role In the drop-down list, select the appropriate role (display station) from the KDS Device Roles list.
    Device ID Select the correct printer from the POS Printer List. This maps the printer to the display station.
  3. Close this page, and click the Refresh KDS info action in the Display Stations List. This will update the KDS printer information.

To show KDS Printer Status on the POS

See KDS Printer Status.