1. Check-Ins
  2. Using Check-Ins
  3. Printer Information

Brother Printer

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A Brother Printer can only be used with an Android/iOS device and must be used over WiFi or Bluetooth.

Caution

Brother printers cannot connect to a desktop/laptop directly. If you want to print from a Windows or Mac App station, you can print to another station.

Check out this training on how to print from a mobile device.

 

Printers and Labels

Use the instructions and hardware included with the printer to connect the Brother printer to your WiFi network. If you plan on using more than one printer for your church at the same time, make sure you name them differently to help make the setup process easier.

brother_printer.jpeg

Printers: 

  • Brother QL810W and QL810Wc with Wireless Networking

  • Brother QL820NWB and QL820NWBc with Wireless Networking or Bluetooth

  • Brother QL1110NWB and QL1110NWBc with Wireless Networking or Bluetooth

  • Older Discontinued Printer Models:

    These currently work with Check-Ins but are no longer supported by Brother:

    • Brother QL710W

    • Brother QL720NW

These printers can even run from a battery!

Labels:

  • Recommended for all models: 62 mm Continuous: DK-2205

  • 62 mm Black/Red Continuous: DK-2251

    Important

    Check-Ins does not print in red. Using this label type will cause slower printing than with the DK-2205.

  • 60 mm x 86 mm: DK-1234

  • 62 mm x 100 mm: DK-1202

  • 103mm x 164mm DK-1247

  • 102mm x 152mm DK-1241

  • 102mm x 51mm DK-1240

Setup

Once you have your printer, the next step is to set it up to connect to your station device!

1. Set Up the Printer

The steps to set up your printer depend on which model you have and how you want to connect your printer.

Set Up Brother 820 for WiFi

  1. Connect the Brother printer to your WiFi. This needs to be the same WiFi that your iOS or Android stations will be connected to.

    Warning

    Brother printers can only connect to a primary WiFi on a 2.4Ghz channel.

    There are two ways to connect with the QL820-NWB:

    • Tap the Menu button, go to the WLAN submenu, and select Infra Manual Setting. You should see the WiFi SSID listed. Select and enter your password to connect.

    • Tap the Menu button, go to the WLAN submenu, and select WPS Button Push or WPS Pin Code, if your router has this option.

  2. When selecting the communication mode, select Infrastructure only. There are two ways to do this:

    • Tap the Menu button, go to the WLAN submenu, and select Network Mode > Infrastructure Mode.

    • Tap the Menu button, go to the WLAN submenu, and select WLAN Status > Infrastructure Mode. Status should be Active. Direct mode should not be active. Note the IP address, in case you need it later.

  3. Turn off Bluetooth, if enabled, by tapping the Menu button, going to the Bluetooth submenu, and selecting Bluetooth (On/Off) > Off.

  4. Disable Sleep mode by tapping the Menu button, going to Settings, and selecting Auto Power Off > Adapter (or Li-ion Battery if using a Battery) > Off.

  5. Disable Templates by tapping the Menu button, going to Template Settings, and selecting Template Mode > Off.

  6. After the Brother printer is on the WiFi, the LED lights go steady. Give it a few minutes to fully be discoverable on your network before moving to the next step.

  7. Launch the Check-Ins App from the iPad. Try checking in someone who should get labels. If that doesn't work, tap the gear icon at the bottom of the Check-Ins station, then tap Printer Settings in the bottom right corner.

    1. In the Printer Settings, if you do not see the printer listed to select, select Set Manually.

    2. Select the model number (820NWB).

    3. Enter the IP address noted in step 2 above.

    4. Tap Paper Type to select your label size (62mm Continuous is the default).

    5. Tap Print Test Label or Connect in the upper right-hand corner.

Set Up Brother 820 for Bluetooth

  1. Enable Bluetooth by tapping the Menu button, going to the Bluetooth submenu, and selecting Bluetooth (On/Off) >On and Automatic Reconnection > On.

  2. Disable WLAN by tapping the Menu button, going to the WLAN submenu, and selecting WLAN (On/Off) > Off.

  3. Disable Sleep mode by tapping the Menu button, going to the Settings, and selecting Auto Power Off > Adapter (or Li-ion Battery if using a Battery) > Off.

  4. Disable Templates by tapping the Menu button, going to Template Settings, and selecting Template Mode > Off.

  5. Now, pair with your iOS or Android device by going into the device's Settings > Bluetooth and pairing to the printer.

    • Do not rename the printer.

    • Try turning the printer off and on again if you cannot get the device to say "connected."

Tip

Only one device can be paired with the printer at a time. If you are paired with another device (even if that device is powered off), you'll need to go into the originally paired device's Bluetooth settings and choose Forget this device for the printer.

Set Up Brother 810 WiFi or 1110

  1. Watch these videos showing how to set up the Brother printer on your campus WiFi using a Mac or Windows computer.

    Warning

    The computer must be on the same network the printer will be used on and know the password for this network. The network should be the 2.4Ghz channel and preferably not a public WiFi SSID.

    Tip

    You will only use a Mac/Windows computer and the USB cord the printer comes with for setting up the WiFi settings, but save the cord in case you need to reset the printer for another WiFi, your WiFi SSID name changes, you add additional WiFi SSIDs and want to switch, or you go to another location/off campus and want to use your printer there.

  2. In your browser, go to install.brother to download the software. This Brother Support article explains how to download the software.

  3. Verify your country (flag displayed on left) before you download any files.

  4. Choose the Mac or Windows install file, depending on your computer. You may need to scroll for Mac files.

  5. An install wizard will walk you through the steps. Here are a few screenshots of important choices you need to make (screenshots are specific to the newer Brother printer wizard; if you have an older OS, your screens will look different!)

Connection Type: select Wireless Network Connection (this is how you will connect your Check-Ins app station later).

brother_connection_type.png

Connection method: select Brother Peer-to-Peer Network Printer.

brother_select_connection.png

Firewall/AntiVirus detected: toggle out of the Install wizard to temporarily disable any firewall or antivirus software, and then toggle back before you select Next.

brother_firewall.png

You should see the Brother printer listed here. If not, select Wireless Setup and look for the WiFi SSID that your computer is connected to. This is the WiFi SSID you will be adding to the Printer's Network settings.

Caution

The WiFi SSID needs to be the same for your mobile Check-Ins App stations and the printers.

brother_machine_install.png

After the Brother printer is on the WiFi, the LED lights will go steady. On a mobile device (Android or iOS), set the WiFi settings to connect to the same campus WiFi SSID selected in the Brother setup.

  1. Install the iOS or Android Check-Ins app from their respective app stores.

  2. Go through the Create a Station process. Select Print To: Self to print directly from the mobile device to the Brother printer.

2. Rename Printers (optional)

If you're using multiple Brother printers, or you just want to name your printers something other than their standard name, you can set a name for the printer. To rename your printer, you will need the IP address, and the easiest way to see the IP address is from your station's Printer Settings. The IP address is listed under the printer name.

If you're using a computer on the same WiFi SSID as your Brother printer, follow these steps:

  1. Enter the IP Address into a browser on the same network as the printer.

  2. Click Network Configuration.

  3. Select Contact and Location.

  4. Change the Location option on the bottom to the name you want to see.

It will update the Location field to a printer name like Brother QL-810W - Matt’s Desk, or something to notate your printer’s location.

If Check-Ins doesn't show the IP address, it cannot see the printer, so you have to find the IP address another way.

Expand your printer model to see how to find the IP address.

710W, 720NW, or 810W

  1. Turn on the label printer (solid green light).

  2. Hold down the CUT button until the green light is flashing.

  3. Release the CUT button.

It should print a few labels, one with the IP Address of the machine.

820NWB

Tap the Menu button on the printer, go to the WLAN submenu, and select WLAN Status > Infrastructure Mode. Status should be Active. You can see the IP Address here.

3. Connect with the Check-Ins app

In most cases, you can check a person in, and it'll automatically connect to a printer. If needed, access the Printer Settings from the gear on the bottom right.

Tip

Turn the printer on first. It will need a few minutes to become fully discoverable on your network. After a few minutes, turn on the station device and launch the Check-Ins app.

iOS

printer_settings.png

  1. If your station device is on the same WiFi the Brother printer was set up on, and you turn on your printer a few minutes before opening the Check-Ins app, it should show up in the Printer Selection area automatically.

    Tip

    Once you are connected, a blue check mark will appear to the right of the printer, and Print Test label will be selectable.

  2. If the device doesn't show up, a network setting might be hiding it. Manually set the printer by selecting the printer from the list and typing the IP address.

  3. Remove the default printer if you want to connect to another Brother printer or are switching to an event with no labels.

  4. Choose when to cut the labels.

Caution

Manually entering the IP address is not a required step. If you are needing to manually enter the IP address, there is likely something on your network that is blocking the Check-Ins App from seeing the Brother printer easily. Check your network or router settings.

Android

printer_settings_android.png

  1. Remove the default printer.

  2. To select a Brother printer on the WiFi, tap Printer Setup, which will show all printers on your WiFi. If you don't see the printer you need, search from that box or Set Manually.

  3. Manage settings specific to Brother from this section.

Test Print

To make sure your printer is working correctly, send a test print to the printer.

  1. From the Check-Ins Android or iOS App, tap the gear icon and then tap the Printer Settings button. You do not need to enter a Station Key.

  2. Tap the Print Test Label button.

  3. The label will print.

Adjust Printer Settings

Log in as the admin. The password to log in to the site may be on the bottom of your printer marked Pwd or you can try leaving it blank. If that doesn't work, access or initpass might be the right password.

From the Printer Settingstab, make the following changes:

  • In Power Settings, set Auto Power Off (AC/DC) to None.

  • In Communication Settings:

    • Set the Network Settings on Power On to Keep Current State.

    • Set Selected Interface to Infrastructure or Adhoc (do not select Direct).

Troubleshooting

  1. If your printer is not working, make sure you're checking in someone who should get labels. Often, WiFi printers can only be found when the print job is sent.

  2. Reset the default printer from the Printer Settings, and select Clear Default Printer. Force close the app and then try again.

    printer_settings_arrow.jpeg

If your issue isn't listed here, chat with other people in our communities on Slack and Facebook or contact support using the ? in the app.

Red Bar

connected_bar.png

Once connected, you should see a printer icon at the bottom of your printer. If the connection is ever lost, you will see a caution icon at the bottom. If that happens, ensure the device and the printer are still connected to WiFi, and go back to reconnect in Step 2.

Labels

Check-Ins looks to see if you have one of the correct label sizes before it will connect to the printer. The printer will not connect or print if it is receiving a command asking for a different paper size than what is loaded. Even if you are using one of the correct label sizes but the label cartridge is damaged or not assembled correctly, it might detect the wrong label size and give you an error message. Try the following:

  1. Remove the label cartridge.

    • If a re-usable cartridge, take it apart (there should be 3 plastic pieces)

    • Reassemble, making sure the pieces are connected correctly

  2. Re-insert the label cartridge, making sure it's in straight and push down firmly.

Wrong Label Type

If you receive an error that looks like the one below, you need to change the label size in the Paper Selection area of the Printer Settings.

wrong_label_type.png

  1. Go to Printer Settings on the station.

  2. Tap the selected printer.

  3. Change the Paper Type.

printer_selection.gif

We default to the 62mm Continuous (DK 2205) labels, so any other label type needs to be selected the first time you start the app. If you change to another label type after your current label roll runs out, be sure to change the Paper Selection to match.

If you are using the size that is selected:

  • The black lines on the label roll should go on the right side when installing.

  • Try pushing the cartridge down firmly; you should feel it click into place.

  • If the cartridge is a reusable cartridge, the label refill needs to match the original labels that came with the cartridge. If the cartridge needs to be reassembled after a roll-change, try taking it apart and reassembling it. Be sure the pieces are aligned correctly and reassembled tightly.

  • Verify there is nothing in the printer label well by pulling out the label cartridge, holding the machine open upside down, and tapping it. Loose paper or any small thing could prevent the cartridge from being read correctly. The cartridge pushes down pins that allow the printer to know what type of cartridge/label size is being used. If the pins are being blocked or incorrectly pushed in any way, the printer will read the cartridge incorrectly.

  • If you have another Brother printer with a set of labels that are printing, try switching the label roll (entire cartridge) and see if that works. If printing works after the switch, it's likely one of the reasons listed above.

  • If you see an error message with a number in it (like Error 15 or 22) you most likely do not have the labels inserted correctly

iOS 14+ Not Printing

If you have iOS 14 or above, go to the Settings app and location Check-Ins. Enable Local Network to give Check-Ins App access to print.

check_ins_iOS_settings.jpeg
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