Packing slips and shipping labels print themselves
Spooler connects the printers in your warehouse, shop and office to Afosto. Pick lists print as orders come in or at a set time, the shipping label comes out of the printer at the last scan and the packing slip prints at dispatch or earlier. No print dialog, no PDF downloads, no manual work.
What is a print spooler?
A print spooler is software that takes in print jobs, queues them and sends them to the right printer. Afosto Spooler is the print spooler software between the Afosto platform and the printers in your business: the system sends a document, Spooler makes sure it comes out of the right printer. Three parts do the work:
Spooler is an app on the Afosto platform and comes with every paid order management (OMS) plan. The full installation and printer documentation lives in the Spooler manual.
Looking for the Print Spooler service in Windows? That spooler manages the print jobs on your own computer, and Microsoft explains how to fix it when it stops running. Afosto Spooler is a separate app for businesses that print from Afosto.
Print jobs from your process
your order management sends pick lists and packing slips, the point of sale sends receipts and the shipping process sends labels
A hub or desktop app
a small, pre-configured computer on your network, or the Spooler Desktop app on a Windows or Mac computer
Your own printers
receipt printers (ESC/POS), label printers (ZPL) and ordinary A4 printers (PCL), connected over the network; receipt printers can also connect by USB on the hub
How it works
From new order to parcel, without a print button
This is the print route of an order in Afosto: one document per step from the right printer, without a download or print dialog. Which documents print at which moment and how they look, we set up together with you.
- Step 1
The pick list is ready
When orders come in, Spooler prints the pick list on the A4 printer in your warehouse. Rather at a set time, say every morning at eight? That works too. The barcode on the pick list opens the order straight away in the scan app. Picking paperless? Then you skip this step.
- Step 2
Last scan, label out
If you pick with the scan app, the shipping label comes out of the label printer as soon as you scan the last product. You switch that on in the settings. If you work on paper, scan the barcode on the pick list or packing slip and the label for that order comes out of the printer. The label comes from your carrier, such as PostNL, DHL, MyParcel, Sendcloud or bol.
- Step 3
The packing slip at the right moment
The packing slip prints at dispatch, or earlier if you want it in the box while picking. Per warehouse you choose the printer, or have packing slips emailed to an address. As a packing slip printer, any A4 printer with PCL support works.
- Step 4
The same spooler prints your receipt
Your shop runs on Spooler too: when the point of sale closes a sale, the receipt goes to the receipt printer on the counter. One print system for warehouse, office and shop.
Printer offline or out of paper? In the Spooler job overview you see every print job and run it again with one click. The dashboard shows the status per hub and printer.
Features
Your printers, set up once
Spooler finds the printers on your network, every document goes to the printer you chose, and you see what printed.
Works with the printers you already have
Receipt printer (ESC/POS)
For receipts on the counter. Dozens of models from the likes of Epson, Star and Bixolon are compatible, connected over the network or by USB on the hub.
Shipping label printer (ZPL)
For shipping labels, straight off the roll. The manual lists models such as the Zebra ZD420d and ZD421, with a step-by-step guide for the ZD421.
Packing slip printer (A4, PCL)
For packing slips and pick lists: any A4 printer with PCL support works, including the one you already have.
Send print jobs yourself through the API
Spooler is not only for the standard flows. Any integration or custom app can queue print jobs:
Building your own print flow? Start with the developer documentation, or first check the compatible hardware.
RAW or PDF
a print job contains raw printer data (such as ZPL for a label printer) or points to a PDF through a URL
Printer as destination
you pick the target printer per job; the type (paper or label) and the status (online or offline) can be queried per printer
Printing at the right moment
when you create a shipping label you pass a printer straight away, so the label is printed immediately
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about automatic printing
Straight answers to the questions webshops and shops ask most often about Spooler.
What is a print spooler?
A print spooler is software that takes in print jobs, queues them and sends them to the right printer. In Windows, the Print Spooler service does this for the print jobs on your computer. Afosto Spooler does it for the whole platform: the order process sends packing slips, the point of sale sends receipts and the shipping process sends labels. The spooler decides which printer each document comes out on.
How do I print packing slips automatically on new orders?
With Spooler plus the app for automatically emailing and printing packing slips, which Afosto activates for you. Per warehouse you set which printer prints packing slips and pick lists, or which email address they are sent to. We set up the moment together with you: the pick list as an order comes in or at a set time, the packing slip at dispatch or earlier. As a packing slip printer you use an A4 printer with PCL support.
Can the shipping label be printed automatically after picking?
Yes. If you pick with the scan app and that setting is on, the shipping label comes out of the label printer as soon as you scan the last product. If you work with a paper pick list or packing slip, it can carry a barcode: scan it and the shipping label for that order prints. So between picking and shipping you never send a print job yourself.
Which printers work with Spooler?
Three kinds: receipt printers with ESC/POS (dozens of models from the likes of Epson, Star and Bixolon), label printers with ZPL (such as the Zebra ZD420d and ZD421) and A4 printers with PCL support. You connect printers over the network (wifi or ethernet); receipt printers can also connect by USB on the hub. The full list is under compatible hardware, and a step-by-step guide shows how to add a Zebra ZD421.
Do I need extra hardware for Spooler?
Not necessarily. There are two options: a physical Spooler hub (a small computer that ships pre-configured and sits on your network) or Spooler Desktop, an app you download for Windows or Mac and install on a computer on the same network as your printers. The Spooler Desktop guide has the download links, and you request the sign-in details from Afosto support. Both options scan the network for available printers.
Is Spooler included in my Afosto plan?
Spooler is part of order management and comes with every paid OMS plan, from the first one up. A free account does not include Spooler, for the hub and for Spooler Desktop alike. You find the plans on the pricing page.
What happens if a print job fails?
Every print job is recorded in the Spooler job overview. If a job fails, for example because a printer is offline, you see it there and run the job again with one click. Spooler keeps logs with error messages per hub, and per printer you test the connection with a test print. The job overview and dashboard are on the Spooler features page.
Let the printer do the work
Book a demo and we walk through your print route together, from pick list to shipping label. Or create an account and explore the Afosto platform first: Spooler comes with every paid OMS plan.