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Printer Configuration

Smart Check-In Kiosk supports the option to have a printer set as the default Windows printer and be used by the guest to print the check-in welcome message which includes their room info as well as print the invoice on check-out.

The printer type is not a pre-selected hardware item of the Kiosk. Due to the wide variety of printers that may be chosen to be used at a hotel, printer settings are made available in the kioskconf.json file that can be used to fine tune the printer output.

Find the section in the kioskconf.json called "print_html_options". If it cannot be found in the file, the print_html_options section can be added. Smart Check-In versions earlier that Kiosk 2.4 will not have this section, and it will need to be manually added after upgrade in order to be able to customize the print settings.

Below is the default kioskconf.json file seen after a new install of Smart Check-In.

To make adjustments to the printer output, it is recommended to review the printer manual and find the "dpi" supported by the printer. Incorrect DPI settings could result in very small or very large printer output. Margins can be used to fine tune the position of the output on the paper.

{
    "kiosk_server": {
        "kiosk_position_file_path": ""
    },
    "log": {
        "level": "debug",
        "maxsize": "10485760",
        "maxfile": "5",
        "filename": "kioskclient.log",
        "handleExceptions": "false",
        "json": "true"
    },
    "communication_log": {
        "level": "debug",
        "maxsize": "10485760",
        "maxfile": "5",
        "filename": "kioskcommunication.log",
        "handleExceptions": "false",
        "json": "true"
    },
    "scanner": {
        "scanner_service_address": "localhost:60080",
        "scanner_service_use_tls": false,
        "scanner_service_cacert_path": ""
    },
    "theme_options": {
        "theme": "Default"
    },
    "print_pdf_options": {
        "adobe_install_path": "C:/Program Files (x86)/Adobe",
        "adobe_reader_exe": "AcroRd32.exe",
        "adobe_reader_timeout": 4500
    },
    "print_html_options": {
        "horizontal_dpi": 600,
        "vertical_dpi": 600,
        "margins": {
            "marginType": "default",
            "top": "",
            "bottom": "",
            "left": "",
            "right": ""
        },
        "page_size": {
            "height": 297000,
            "width": 210000
        }
    }
}

Printing PDF Invoices

It is possible to print the check-out invoices in the PDF format exactly like they were generated by the PMS (if the PMS has this capability).

For this purpose, you need to install Adobe Reader on the computer where the Smart Guest Check-In application will be running. You may install Adobe Reader XI or Adobe Reader DC.

  • Our recommendation is to install Adobe Reader XI. which is shipped as part of the Smart Kiosk distribution.
  • Adobe Reader DC may also be used as alternative. This can be downloaded on-line from https://get.adobe.com/reader/ (Careful to get the Reader, not the Acrobat Pro).

Warning

You may be prompted to reboot the system after installation. Please restart if prompted.

Configuration to be done after Adobe Reader installation

  1. Once installed, you should launch the Adobe Reader for accepting its EULA. Otherwise, the Kiosk Client will not be able to launch the reader to perform unattended PDF printing.

  2. Unattended printing using Adobe Reader may interfere with the "protected mode" of the application. It is recommended to turn off this setting. To do so:

    1. Open the Adobe Reader's Preferences dialog via Edit > Preferences menu (as below)

      //

    2. From the left side, in the "Categories" list, select "Security (Enhanced)"

    3. After selection, in the right panel, locate the "Enable Protected Mode as startup" setting and make sure is unchecked

      //

Troubleshooting

If you notice that there is nothing sent to the printer, despite of the fact that the Adobe Reader window is seen, you may need to increase the reader process timeout (most likely the printer driver needs some longer initialization time, and the Adobe Reader closed before the driver initialized). Try specifying a higher value for the adobe_reader_timeout setting in kioskconf.json.

The value of 4500 msec will work on most systems (it was measured with several printer types). We recommend increasing this value in 500 msec steps until the PDF invoice is eventually sent to the printer.