Docs/Features/Thermal Printer

Thermal Ticket Printer

New feature

Derby supports ESC/POS thermal receipt printers for instant printing of fight tickets, team receipts, and judge sheets. Fast, paper-efficient, and perfect for high-volume tournament operations.

License Requirement

Thermal printing is bundled with the Weight Scale feature and available in both Basic and Advanced tiers.

What You Can Print

DocumentContentUse Case
Fight Ticket Fight number, teams, weights, delta, round Hand to handlers or post at arena
Team Receipt Team name, all cards with weights, owner Confirmation after weigh-in
Judge Sheet Fight details with space for notes/scoring Official record for judges

Compatible Printers

Derby works with any ESC/POS compatible thermal printer. Popular models include:

  • Epson — TM-T20, TM-T88, TM-m30
  • Star — TSP100, TSP650, mC-Print
  • Bixolon — SRP-350, SRP-380
  • Generic — Most 58mm and 80mm thermal printers
Paper Width

Derby supports both 58mm (narrow) and 80mm (standard) paper widths. 80mm is recommended for better readability.

Connection Types

USB (Recommended)

Plug-and-play connection. The printer appears as a USB device and Derby detects it automatically.

Serial (COM Port)

Traditional RS-232 connection. Configure the COM port in Derby settings. Default baud rate is 9600.

Network (Ethernet/WiFi)

Connect via IP address. Enter the printer's IP in Derby settings. Useful for shared printers or remote stations.

Setting Up Your Printer

Connect the printer

Connect your thermal printer via USB, serial, or network. Ensure it has paper loaded and is powered on.

Open Printer Settings

Click the printer icon in the Derby toolbar, or go to Settings > Printer.

Select connection type

Choose USB, Serial, or Network. For USB, select your printer from the dropdown. For Serial, select the COM port. For Network, enter the IP address.

Test the connection

Click Test Print to print a test ticket. Verify the output looks correct.

Configure options

Set paper width (58mm or 80mm), enable/disable auto-cut, and adjust other preferences.

Printing Documents

Print Fight Ticket

  1. Go to the Matching tab with an active schedule
  2. Select a fight in the schedule view
  3. Click the Print Ticket button or press Ctrl+P

Print Team Receipt

  1. Go to the Teams tab
  2. Select a team
  3. Click Print Receipt in the toolbar

Print Judge Sheet

  1. Go to the Matching tab
  2. Click Print Judge Sheet in the phase toolbar
  3. Sheets for all fights in the current round are printed

Ticket Format

Fight tickets are formatted for quick scanning:

================================
        FIGHT #12
       Round 2 of 4
================================

GREEN CORNER
  Team Alpha
  Card: 2,145g

RED CORNER
  Team Beta
  Card: 2,130g

DELTA: 15g

--------------------------------
Championship Derby 2026
Mexico City
================================

Troubleshooting

Printer not detected

  • Ensure the printer is powered on and connected
  • Try a different USB port
  • Install manufacturer drivers if required (some printers need them)
  • Restart Derby after connecting

Printing is garbled or misaligned

  • Verify the correct paper width is selected (58mm vs 80mm)
  • Check that the paper is loaded correctly
  • Try a different baud rate for serial connections (9600, 19200, 38400)

Network printer not connecting

  • Verify the IP address is correct
  • Ensure the printer and computer are on the same network
  • Check that port 9100 is not blocked by firewall
  • Try pinging the printer IP from command line

Best Practices

  • Keep spare paper — Thermal paper runs out fast during busy events
  • Position near weigh-in — Print receipts immediately after weighing
  • Use auto-cut — Speeds up high-volume printing
  • Test before event — Verify setup before the tournament starts

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