Which printer should I buy?
Straight answers on the two printers we recommend, which connection to pick, and exactly which sticky paper fits – including the part numbers, because the paper naming is a maze.
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Compatible means compatible with Square
Ordare does not talk to your printer. Orders flow into Square, and Square prints them on the printers you have set up there – so the only compatibility question that matters is Square's.
You buy a Square-compatible printer
Anything on Square's compatibility list will work. The models below are the ones we would buy.
Square drives the printing
You add the printer in Square once and set a printer profile there – which categories print where.
Ordare makes routing land
Ordare checks your catalog is routing-ready and generates the exact profile steps for your menu.
Square keeps the authoritative list, updated as they add models.
Square printer compatibilityDrinks
Sticky label printers
A linerless label printer prints one sticky label per drink, ready to slap on the cup. Two models, same printer body – the only real decision is whether you need Wi-Fi.
Watch the model name: it must say SK
Searching "TSP143IV SK" on Amazon frequently returns the plain TSP143IV receipt printer as the top result. That is a different machine – it prints receipts, not sticky labels, and no paper will change that. Before you check out, confirm SK appears in the model name and that the listing says liner-free, linerless, or sticky label.
Star TSP143IV SK — UE
Our pickNo Wi-Fi. Wire it to the router.
- Connections
- USB-C + Ethernet (LAN)
- Star part no.
- 39473310
- Paper widths
- 80 mm standard; 58 mm and 40 mm with paper guides
- The one Square lists as Recommended for Square Register over Ethernet.
- Most reliable option in a busy shop – a cable never drops off the network.
- Pick this unless you genuinely cannot run a cable to the counter.
Star TSP143IV SK — X4 (UEWB)
Same printer, adds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Connections
- USB-C + Ethernet (LAN) + Wi-Fi (WLAN) + Bluetooth
- Star part no.
- 39473910
- Paper widths
- 80 mm standard; 58 mm and 40 mm with paper guides
- Superset of the UE – it still has the Ethernet port, so you can start on Wi-Fi and hard-wire it later.
- Worth the extra cost if the printer sits where no cable reaches.
- Dual-band wireless, so it can sit on the 5 GHz network away from the microwave.
Both print at 180 mm/sec and are the smallest 3-inch desktop sticky printers Star makes – they fit on a crowded bar top.
Food
Kitchen ticket printers
Food goes to the line as a regular paper ticket, so the kitchen printer is a plain thermal receipt printer – same Star body, no sticky paper, cheaper.
Star TSP143IV UE
USB + Ethernet (LAN)
The plain receipt version of the same body. Square lists it as compatible over both USB and Ethernet.
View on AmazonStar TSP143IV UW
Wi-Fi (WLAN) + USB-C + Ethernet (LAN)
Same receipt printer with wireless, for a kitchen station you cannot run a cable to.
View on AmazonRunning a hot kitchen with grease and steam? An impact (dot-matrix) kitchen printer holds up better than thermal, because thermal paper darkens with heat. Check Square's list for current impact models.
Connections
Ethernet if you possibly can
The connection type decides how many devices can print to it and how often you will be restarting things mid-rush.
Ethernet (LAN)
Best choice
A cable from the printer to your router. It never drops, it survives a POS restart, and every device on the network can print to it. This is what we recommend.
Wi-Fi (WLAN)
Fine, with care
No cable to run, but it shares the fate of your shop Wi-Fi. Put the printer on the same network as the POS, give it a reserved IP in your router, and keep it off the guest network.
USB
One device only
Simplest to set up, but the printer only works for the single POS device it is plugged into. Fine for a one-register counter; a dead end the moment you add a second station.
Bluetooth
Not for routing
Pairs to one device at a time and is the least predictable in a room full of phones. Avoid it for station printing.
Supplies
Sticky paper, decoded
Linerless label paper is sold under three or four brand names for the same thing, which makes it genuinely hard to search for. Here is the whole map.
Width: 58 mm for cups
58 mm and 2 1/4" are the same size – retailers use both, so search for each. It is the standard cup-label width.
The TSP143IV SK is an 80 mm printer that steps down to 58 mm using a paper guide, so set the guide when you first load a roll or the labels will print off-centre.
Adhesive: full vs diamond
Full covers the whole back – the strongest hold, best on cold cups and bags that get handled.
Diamond lays the adhesive in a diamond pattern – repositionable, peels off cleanly, less residue on the printer. It is the friendlier option day to day.
Same paper, different brand names
All of these are 58 mm (2 1/4") linerless thermal labels that fit the Star SK printers.
| What you want | Star Blue Eco | Iconex |
|---|---|---|
| 58 mm, full adhesive | Part 37951980 170 ft, 24 rolls/case |
Sticky Media Full-Tack Part 9023-2243, 170 ft, 12 rolls |
| 58 mm, diamond adhesive | Part 37990080 170 ft, 24 rolls/case |
MAXStick 2GO PlusD Not "Sticky Media" – see below |
Can't find diamond coverage? You're searching the wrong brand
Iconex sells its full-tack rolls as Sticky Media but its diamond-pattern rolls as MAXStick. Searching "Iconex diamond" returns nothing useful because that product does not exist under that name.
Search these instead:
- MAXStick 2GO PlusD 2 1/4 — the Iconex diamond roll, 170 ft
- Star Blue Eco diamond 58mm — Star's own media, 24-roll case
Where to buy it
Square also stocks 58 mm liner-free paper in small packs, handy for a first roll.
Buy from Square ShopAccessories
The bits you forget to order
Ethernet cable
Not in the box on most bundles. Measure the run from the printer to your router before you order the length.
Cash drawer
The TSP143IV has a drawer-kick (DK) port, so the printer pops the drawer. Star drawers ship with the RJ12 cable they need.
A spare roll on the shelf
Linerless rolls run out faster than they look – the roll is the labels. Keep at least one spare per printer within arm's reach.
Reserved IP address
Free, and the single best thing you can do for reliability. Set it in your router so the printer keeps the same address after a power cut.
Cleaning
Linerless adhesive builds up on the platen roller over time. Star publishes the cleaning routine – put it on the weekly close list.
Power outlet at the station
These have internal power supplies, so it is a normal plug – but that is one more outlet at a counter that never has a spare.
Next
It arrived. Now what?
Three steps, and drinks start landing at the bar while food lands in the kitchen.
Plug it in and add it in Square
Connect the printer to power and to your network, then add it in the Square POS app so Square can see it.
Open Settings → Printer Routing
Ordare checks the parts that break routing silently – categories that only exist locally, items not linked to Square, items with no category at all.
Set the printer profile in Square
Square keeps this step in its own app, so Ordare generates the exact steps for your menu – including which of your categories to tick.
Questions
Good to know
Ready when you are
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