Spooler: automatic printing at the right moment, without manual work
Spooler drives the printers in your warehouse, shop and office from Afosto. Pick lists, shipping labels, packing slips and receipts print at the moment you set. If one fails, you print it again with a click.
What is Spooler?
Spooler is the print service of Afosto. The platform creates a print job and Spooler sends it to the right printer in your warehouse, shop or office. You do not open a document, pick a printer or click away a print dialog.
What do you need? A hub: a small computer we deliver preconfigured, which sits in your local network. Or Spooler Desktop, an app for Windows or Mac without extra hardware. The hub and Spooler Desktop find the printers in your network themselves. A test print checks the connection per printer.
Spooler is not a standalone print tool. It is part of Afosto's OMS and included in every paid OMS plan. The scan app, the point of sale and the automatic packing slips and pick lists send their documents to the printer through Spooler.
Every print job in one overview
The jobs overview lists every print job in your account. Click a row for the details. If a job has failed, you print it again with a click.
- Print again: the menu behind a job runs it once more.
- Hubs and printers: the dashboard shows all your hubs and printers with their status.
- Error messages: each hub keeps its messages in the logs, so you can see what went wrong.
What Spooler takes care of
Printing at the right moment
When a document prints and how it looks, we set up together with you. The pick list as orders come in or at a set time, the label at the last scan, the packing slip at dispatch or earlier.
Every printer the right job
Receipt printers with ESC/POS, label printers with ZPL and A4 printers with PCL, in warehouse, shop and office. Per warehouse you choose which printer packing slips and pick lists come out of.
Shipping labels from your carrier
Labels from PostNL, DHL, DHL Parcel DE, MyParcel, Sendcloud and bol come out of the label printer at the last scan. You switch that on in the scan app settings.
Barcode on pick list and packing slip
The pick list and packing slip can carry a barcode. Scan it and the order opens in the scan app, or the shipping label for that order prints.
Receipt from the receipt printer
When the point of sale closes a sale, the receipt goes through Spooler to the receipt printer on the counter. One print system for warehouse and shop.
Print API for your own integration
Send a job with raw printer data, such as ZPL, or a URL to a document to the printer you choose. Per printer you can query the type and status.
How does Spooler work in your order process?
Spooler sits between the Afosto platform and your printers. Afosto creates the print job, the hub or Spooler Desktop sends it to the printer. A job is created in two ways:
- From Afosto: the scan app, the point of sale and the automatic packing slips and pick lists create their own jobs.
- Through the print API: your own integration sends a job with raw printer data or a URL to a document to a printer of your choice. Pass a printer when you create a shipping label and the label prints straight away.
Which documents does Spooler print?
- Pick lists: as orders come in or at a set time, on the A4 printer. Picking paperless? Then you skip them.
- Shipping labels: at the last scan in the scan app, or when you scan the barcode on the pick list or packing slip.
- Return labels: with a returns integration, the return label prints along at dispatch when that setting is on.
- Packing slips: at dispatch or earlier, on an A4 printer with PCL support. You can also have them emailed to an address.
- Receipts: as soon as the point of sale closes a sale.
Which printers work with Spooler?
Spooler speaks three printer languages: ESC/POS for receipt printers, ZPL for label printers and PCL for ordinary A4 printers. Compatible are dozens of receipt printers from the likes of Epson, Star and Bixolon, the Zebra ZD420d and ZD421 and printers with PCL support. You connect printers over the network, by wifi or ethernet; receipt printers can also connect by USB on the hub. The full list is under compatible hardware.
Who is Spooler for?
For webshops, warehouses and shops that run on Afosto and no longer want to click print for every order. You get the most out of it when:
- you work with multiple printers, in one or more warehouses or shops;
- you pick with the scan app or with a paper pick list;
- you want the right document to come out of the right printer on its own.
Spooler in practice
Every document from the right printer, on its own
3 printer languages
ESC/POS for receipts, ZPL for labels and PCL for A4
6 carriers
PostNL, DHL, DHL Parcel DE, MyParcel, Sendcloud and bol for your shipping labels
1 click
to print a failed job again from the overview
0 pop-ups
no download or print dialog: the document goes straight to the printer
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Spooler
Practical answers about setup, connections and use, also for teams that still print manually today.
What does Spooler cost?
Spooler is part of Afosto's OMS and included in every paid OMS plan. On top of that you need a hub or Spooler Desktop. What it costs you depends on your plan. See the prices or book a demo and we work it out together.
What do I need to start with Spooler?
A hub or Spooler Desktop. The hub is a small computer we deliver preconfigured; you place it in your local network. Spooler Desktop is an app for Windows or Mac, without extra hardware. Both find the printers in your network, and a test print checks the connection per printer. Then we set up together with you which documents print at which moment.
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 in the documentation under compatible hardware.
Can I connect Spooler to my own software?
Yes, through the print API. A job contains raw printer data, such as ZPL, or a URL to a document, and goes to the printer you choose. Per printer you can query whether it is a paper or label printer and whether it is online. Create a shipping label through the API and pass a printer, and the label prints straight away. Start with the developer documentation.
What happens when a print job fails?
Every print job is in the jobs overview. If one has failed, you run it again there with a click. Each hub keeps its error messages in the logs, and the dashboard shows all your hubs and printers with their status.
Does Spooler also work if I do not use the full Afosto platform?
Spooler is part of Afosto and gets the most out of the scan app, order management and the point of sale. Through the print API you can also send jobs to your printers from your own software. Book a demo and we look together at how Spooler fits your situation.
Take manual printing out of your process for good
Spooler prints pick lists, shipping labels, packing slips and receipts at the moment you set. Book a demo and we walk through your print route together, or create a free account and explore Afosto yourself first.