To print WooCommerce orders automatically in a kitchen, connect the store to a cloud printing service such as PrintNode through a plugin, run PrintNode's client on a computer attached to a receipt printer, and trigger a print whenever a paid order arrives. That is how Whitfield Service Station works: orders print on an Epson receipt printer, and the WooCommerce mobile app sends an alert as a backup. The printer was the feature that decided whether the online shop got used.
Why does a takeaway need automatic order printing?
Because nobody in a kitchen watches a screen. During service, staff are cooking, packing and serving at the counter. An order that only appears in the WordPress admin or an inbox will be missed, or seen late, and a late hot-food order is a refund and a bad review.
A printed ticket fits how kitchens already work. It lands where the cooks are, it can be pinned to the pass, and it goes in the bag with the food. On Whitfield, three food brands on one forecourt sell through one WooCommerce checkout: a Budgens store, a Fireaway pizza outlet and a doner and gyros kitchen. Without printing, someone would have had to sit at a laptop. With it, the kitchen just reacts to tickets.
How does WooCommerce order printing with PrintNode work?
PrintNode is a cloud printing service. A WooCommerce plugin connects to your PrintNode account with an API key and sends a print job when an order reaches the status you choose. PrintNode passes the job to its client app, which runs on a computer connected to the printer, and the client prints it. The printer itself needs no special features, which means a standard receipt printer works.
The mobile app alert is the second channel. If the printer is out of paper, someone's phone still buzzes.
How do you compare the ways to get orders to a kitchen?
| Method | How staff see orders | Weak point |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress admin on a laptop | Someone refreshes the orders screen | Nobody watches it during service |
| Order emails | An inbox on a phone or tablet | Easy to miss, and slow to arrive at busy times |
| WooCommerce mobile app alerts | A notification on a phone | Good backup, but not a ticket the kitchen can work from |
| Cloud printing through PrintNode | A printed ticket in the kitchen | Needs a computer left on next to the printer |
For a takeaway I use printing as the main channel and mobile alerts as the backup, as on Whitfield.
How do you set up kitchen printing for WooCommerce?
- 1
Choose the printer and computer
A receipt printer in the kitchen and a computer it connects to. Set the computer never to sleep during opening hours.
- 2
Install PrintNode
Create a PrintNode account, install its client on that computer and check the printer appears in your PrintNode dashboard.
- 3
Connect WooCommerce
Install a PrintNode printing plugin for WooCommerce and paste in the API key.
- 4
Pick the trigger
Print when an order is paid, not when it is merely created, so abandoned or failed payments never reach the kitchen.
- 5
Design the ticket
Order number, time, collection or delivery, address, items, add-ons such as toppings, and notes in large type. Leave out anything the kitchen does not need.
- 6
Add the backup alert
Install the WooCommerce mobile app on the manager's phone with new-order notifications on.
- 7
Test on a real shift
Place test orders with every payment method and every add-on, then run a live trial with staff before launch.
What should a kitchen ticket show?
Everything the kitchen needs to cook and pack, in the order they need it. On Whitfield, products use WooCommerce Product Add-Ons for toppings and variations, so the ticket has to show each add-on under its item, not buried at the bottom. Delivery tickets need the address. Collection tickets need the name and time.
Print a test of every product type
Long product names, many add-ons and customer notes are what break a receipt layout. Test the messiest order you can imagine before the first real one arrives.
What do staff need to know on day one?
The printer will jam, run out of paper or lose its connection at some point. What matters is that staff know what to do when it does. Whitfield's documentation covers:
- Reprinting a receipt.
- Cancelling an order.
- Changing prices.
- Reading the order reports.
- Setting opening hours and closing the store from the admin.
The menu itself is managed through a CSV import template with tutorial videos, so staff can update products without a developer.
What else does an online ordering store need?
Printing gets orders to the kitchen. The rest of the system decides which orders arrive. Whitfield also has a delivery radius, which I explain in how to limit WooCommerce delivery to a radius in miles, along with opening hours and an 18+ check for alcohol and vapes. The broader list is in my WooCommerce store build checklist, and restaurant and venue specifics are in what a hotel or restaurant website needs to take bookings.
I set up ordering stores, printing included, through my WooCommerce stores and online ordering service. Tell me how your kitchen works today and I will reply with a plan.
