Troubleshoot a Toast printer that is showing as offline, not printing, or not connecting. Covers single-printer, all-printer, and post-outage scenarios.
Applies to: Toast Receipt Printer (TP200), Toast Kitchen Printer (TKP300), Toast Printing Hub (TP300), Toast Label Printer (TLP400), Epson receipt and kitchen printers.
Permissions needed:
Manager-level POS access for Device Setup and Printer Setup
Toast Web access to Finance > Related > Settings > Printers & cash drawers for printer configuration changes
What you'll accomplish: Bring an offline printer back online, or gather the information Customer Care needs to help you.
Note: The printer must be on the same network as the Toast device that is sending the print job. A printer that is plugged in and powered on but on a different network or subnet will still show as offline.
Match the symptom you are seeing to the row below and follow the matching section.
Symptom | Most Common Cause | Quick Fix |
One printer shows as offline; other printers are fine | Cable issue or printer-side configuration | Reseat the Ethernet cable on the printer and try a known-working cable. See If Only One Printer Is Offline. |
All printers show as offline | Router, switch, or ISP connection issue | Call Toast Customer Care |
Printers went offline after a power outage | Duplicate IP addresses on the network | Confirm the Toast network is back online first, then power cycle each printer one at a time. See If the Printer Just Came Back From a Power Outage. |
A new or replacement printer will not come online | Printer setup or assignment in Toast Web | Confirm the printer is configured in Toast Web and assigned in Device Setup. See If a New or Replacement Printer Will Not Come Online. |
Printer is online in Toast Web but tickets still are not printing at the kitchen | Prep station assignment or routing | See Get Help With Your Toast Kitchen Printer for routing fixes. |
A 30-second power cycle resolves most printer offline issues.
Unplug both the power cable and the Ethernet cable from the printer.
Wait 30 seconds.
Plug both cables back in and power the printer on.
Retry printing.
Expected outcome: The printer comes back online and prints queued tickets. If the printer is still offline, find your specific scenario in the sections below.
When one printer is offline and the rest are working, the issue is almost always in that printer's cable path or its configuration in Toast—not the network or router.
Print a Test Slip to Read the Printer's Network Info
A test slip confirms the printer is powered on, prints physically, and shows the printer's DHCP status and IP address. You will need this information for the next step. This does not apply to all Epson printer models.
Turn the printer off using the power switch.
Press and hold the Feed button while flipping the power switch to turn the printer back on.
A test slip should print with the printer's IP address and DHCP status.
Expected outcome: A test slip prints, showing an IP address and DHCP status.
If nothing prints, the printer has power but cannot print. See Before You Contact Customer Care.
Troubleshoot the Printer
Reseat the Ethernet cable at both ends—at the printer and at the network switch, router, or wall port.
If reseating does not fix it, swap in a known-working Ethernet cable. If you have two printers in the kitchen and one is working, plug the offline printer into the cable used by the working printer to confirm whether the cable is faulty.
If you have a spare cable, replace the cable that connects the printer to the wall port or network switch.
Expected outcome: The Ethernet port light returns and the printer comes back online.
When every printer in the restaurant is offline at the same time, the issue is almost always upstream of the printers—at the router, switch, or ISP. You should contact Toast Customer Care for assistance.
For more on router and network troubleshooting, see Outages and Disruptions: Troubleshoot Internet or Network Connection Issues.
After a power outage, printers commonly come back online with the same IP address or with addresses ending in .168 or .169, which can cause an IP conflict on the network.
Turn off every printer in the restaurant. Leave them off for about a minute.
Turn the printers on one at a time, waiting for each one to fully boot before turning on the next.
On the terminal, navigate to Device Setup > Printer Setup and confirm each printer shows up online with a unique IP address.
If a printer still shows an IP address ending in .168 or .169, repeat the off-on cycle once more for that printer.
Expected outcome: Every printer is online in Printer Setup, each with a unique IP address.
If printers are still not online after these steps, contact Toast Customer Care
Why does my printer keep going offline?
A printer that keeps going offline is most often caused by a loose Ethernet cable, a faulty cable or hardware somewhere in the cable path, or a printer that is configured incorrectly in Toast Web. Start with the steps in Try the 30-Second Power Cycle First. If the printer goes offline only at certain times of day, a bandwidth issue on your network is possible—see Troubleshoot Internet Connection Issues on Toast Devices.
How do I know if it is the printer or the network?
To know if the issue is the printer or the network, check how many printers are offline. If only one printer is offline, the issue is almost always in that printer's cable path or its configuration. If every printer is offline at the same time, the issue is upstream at the router, switch, or ISP. Call Toast Customer Care.
My printer shows online in Toast Web but tickets are not printing. Why?
A printer that shows online in Toast Web but is not printing tickets is usually a routing or prep station assignment issue, not an offline issue. Confirm the printer is assigned to the right prep station in Toast Web, and that the prep station is not set to non-printing in Device Setup. See Get Help With Your Toast Kitchen Printer for the full routing flow.
Also asked as:
My printer is online but won't print tickets?
Why are my tickets not going to the kitchen printer?
Can I tell if my printer is set up for DHCP or static IP?
You can tell if your printer is set up for DHCP or static IP from the test slip. Print a test slip by holding the Feed button while powering the printer on. Look at the slip for the DHCP status. Most printers shipped from Toast since June 2021 are DHCP by default.
My printer is fine but my handheld is not printing. What should I check?
If your printer is fine but your handheld is not printing, the handheld is likely not on the correct Wi-Fi network. Swipe down from the top of the handheld screen and confirm Wi-Fi is enabled and connected to your secured Toast network (usually named "[Your restaurant]_SECURE" or "[Your restaurant]_TOAST"). It will be different if you have a Self-managed network. See Troubleshoot Internet Connection Issues on Toast Devices.
If the steps above do not bring the printer back online, Customer Care can help. Some scenarios require Customer Care to verify the device or arrange a replacement.
Before you contact Customer Care, gather:
The printer model (TP200, TKP300, TP300, TLP400, TM-T20ii, TM-U220B, or M30)
The printer serial number, listed on the bottom of the printer or on the Printer Setup page on the POS
Which Toast device is affected—terminal, Toast Go® handheld, or KDS device
Whether the issue affects one printer or all printers
The steps you have already tried
To contact Customer Care, see How to Contact Customer Support.