How Nexara prints Arabic tickets to the right kitchen station

What does the local Windows print agent do?

Nexara Printing is the desktop application installed for each branch. Windows is the primary supported platform. It finds compatible local printers and prints kitchen tickets and receipts over USB or the network. Keep the application running on the branch computer during service, even when nobody is using the browser.

A year went into the printing engine alone. The branch application gives your kitchen a way to receive paper tickets without someone opening each order and pressing print. Each printer's assignments determine which items arrive at that station.

Orders from Talabat, Careem, phone ordering, the restaurant website, its installable app and table QR arrive in one live queue per branch. Nexara Printing sends those orders to the assigned kitchen and receipt printers.

1. Install and connect Nexara Printing on the branch Windows computer.
2. Connect a compatible ESC/POS thermal printer by USB or network.
3. Assign the printer to the correct branch and printer group.
4. Select its menu categories and assign a kitchen or receipt template.

The computer running the application must remain available during service. Closing a browser is different from shutting down the printer computer. See how Nexara brings restaurant orders into one branch queue for the ordering workflow that feeds printing.

Which thermal printers work, and how does Arabic print?

Nexara supports standard ESC/POS thermal printers over USB or network, including models from Epson, Star and Bixolon. Check the exact model and connection type before buying or replacing equipment. Bluetooth printing is not supported.

Arabic item names and modifiers print with joined letters, without requiring Arabic fonts built into the printer. The same ticket can carry English. Choose the language your team reads at each station: a bilingual ticket can help when the cook and the person checking the order use different languages.

Nexara has a visual template builder for kitchen tickets and receipts, with templates assigned per printer. A kitchen ticket and a customer receipt can use different layouts. The grill can have a preparation-focused ticket while the cashier uses a receipt layout.

Category settings decide which items print; the template decides how the ticket looks. Keep those decisions separate when changing a station's setup. The USB and network thermal printer compatibility checks explain what to verify on your hardware.

How does kitchen printer routing work?

Nexara routes tickets by branch, printer group and location, with product-category conditions. Each printer has menu-category toggles: it prints the categories enabled for it. Load balancing can distribute work across same-type printers.

Start with the work each station owns. The table below is an example routing map, not a preset configuration. Names such as grill and pass describe possible kitchen stations; use your branch's station names and actual menu categories.

A drink category disabled at the bar will not print there, even if the printer is connected and has paper. A category enabled at both the preparation station and the pass can serve both teams. Include printer assignments when adding a menu category, so its items have a destination from the start.

What happens when the internet or printer stops?

If the branch internet goes down, orders keep arriving in the cloud queue and the printer catches up after reconnection. Waiting tickets are visible in the interface when you are connected. Nexara is the order and operations layer beside the till.

The guide to kitchen printing during internet outages explains what waits during an interruption and what staff should check when the connection returns.

If the internet is working and a printer stops, the order remains on the board and its ticket waits in a queue. You can re-route that printer's categories from the dashboard, or use automatic failover to a backup printer where one is configured.

A printer with no power or an empty roll still needs attention. Redirecting tickets moves the paper to another station; the original station still owns the preparation work. The guide to moving kitchen tickets to a backup printer covers that handover.

How does Nexara prevent duplicates and handle extra copies?

If the branch loses connection after a ticket prints, Nexara Printing will not automatically print the same ticket again for 48 hours, even if the application restarts. The cook can continue preparing the order without receiving another automatic copy after reconnection.

For a damaged or missing ticket, manual reprint produces a replacement from the existing order. This gives staff another paper copy without creating another order or asking the cashier to enter its items again.

To print at the packing station or pass, enable the categories that station needs and assign a template to its printer. That paper arrives as part of the normal order flow. A replacement ticket at the same station requires a deliberate manual reprint.

Agree on who can request replacements during a shift, particularly when the original ticket may still be beside the cook.

What should you check before the first busy service?

Nexara monitors printer status and connections, and configured failover can notify managers when work moves to a backup printer. Run the full checklist outside service, with the shift lead and the people who will collect the tickets.

• Confirm Nexara Printing is connected on the correct branch computer and the intended printers have power and paper.
• Test with your actual Arabic item names and modifiers, including a long preparation instruction. Read the paper at the station and check joined letters, wrapping and legibility. Inspect the English text too if your template uses it.
• Send a mixed-category order and inspect every assigned destination. Check that each station receives its intended items and modifiers, and that the pass has the categories it needs.
• Disconnect the branch internet and place a test order through a separately connected phone. Have the shift lead connect the printer computer to the hotspot, then match the waiting order to its printed ticket. Restore the normal connection and check for automatic duplicates.
• Make the assigned printer unavailable during a controlled test. Confirm the configured backup receives its tickets, and have the affected station collect and read them before preparing the order.
• Request a manual reprint from the existing order. Tell the receiving cook that it replaces the original paper, and confirm the extra copy is understood as a replacement rather than another order.

Keep the accepted routing map beside the setup notes. When a printer is replaced or a category moves, rerun the affected checks. A connected status helps you spot availability; the paper confirms that the station has the instructions it needs.