DocsHardware & Devices
Hardware & Devices

The Print Bridge: Silent Local Printing

How to use a local Mac or PC as a P2P host for thermal printers.

Last updated 2026-01-02
5 min read

The Print Bridge

The Print Bridge is a specialized technical tool that allows your thermal printers to receive jobs from devices that can't talk to them directly (like handheld terminals or mobile phones on a different subnet).

1. How it Works

The bridge acts as a P2P Relay. One device in your building (usually a Mac at the bar or a dedicated PC) stays open on the Print Bridge page (Admin > Print Bridge).

**Host Mode**: This device becomes the "Host".
**Packet Routing**: When a handheld POS sends a print job, it sends it to the Host via the cloud. The Host then pushes that job to the local printer over the Wi-Fi.

2. Local Proxy Requirement

For the bridge to communicate with your printers, you must run a small proxy script on the host machine.

1Open your terminal on the Host machine.

2. Run the command: `node android-print-server.js`.

3. Ensure the terminal says "Printer Proxy listening on port 4000".

3. Setup Steps

1Navigate to **Admin > Print Bridge**.

2. Select your Organization and Location.

3. Click "Start Print Bridge".

4. Keep this tab open and active. If the tab is closed, other devices will not be able to print silently.

4. Troubleshooting

**Status: Offline**: Ensure your Host machine has an active internet connection.
**No Printers Found**: Check that your printers are configured correctly in **Admin > Settings > Printers** with their local IP addresses.
**Proxy Error**: Verify that the Node.js script is running in the background on the Host machine.

TableCore Assistant

Online
Hi there! 👋 I'm your TableCore assistant. How can I help you today?

Powered by TableCore AI • Visit Knowledge Base