Written by Jason Feemster, POS specialist with 15+ years of experience helping restaurants and retailers troubleshoot POS systems, payments, and hardware issues.
Common Issue: Aloha kitchen or bar printer not printing orders, printing blank paper, or routing items incorrectly.
Fast Fixes: Check paper orientation, network cables, device assignments, and restart printer + terminal.
Want guided troubleshooting? Try the POSUSA POS Support Assistant (Free).
Aloha kitchen printer not printing? Orders may vanish, print to the wrong station, or only print test pages — leaving cooks stuck waiting for tickets.
This guide helps you quickly restore kitchen printing so food keeps moving.
Table of Contents
Common Reasons Aloha Kitchen Printers Fail
- Paper loaded upside down (thermal printers)
- Loose or bad network cable
- Printer offline in Aloha config
- Wrong printing assignments/routing
- Printer frozen with error lights
- BOH server services not running
How to Fix Aloha Kitchen Printer Issues
1. Check Power & Paper Orientation
Thermal printers only print on one side. If upside down, you’ll get blank slips.
- Remove paper and flip the roll
- Fully close the printer cover
- Check for jam LEDs or beeping errors
Blank prints are almost always a paper orientation issue.
2. Verify Network Connection
Aloha kitchen printers must communicate with BOH and terminals over the network.
- Look for solid link/activity lights on the printer port
- Reseat the Ethernet cable on both ends
- Swap to another port if lights are off
No link lights = printer is offline to Aloha.
3. Test a Self-Print
Confirms whether the hardware can print independently of Aloha.
- Power off the printer
- Hold Feed button
- Power on while holding
If the test prints fine → issue is configuration or routing.
4. Restart Printer + Terminal
Resets network communication and clears jammed print queues.
- Power cycle the printer
- Restart the POS terminal sending items
Then send a test order or void to verify.
5. Confirm Printer Assignments in Aloha Manager
Wrong item routing = tickets go missing or print somewhere else.
- Open Printers or Kitchen Routing in Aloha Manager
- Verify correct terminal → printer assignment
- Confirm item categories assigned to this printer
Bar drinks printing in expo? → That’s a mapping issue.
6. Check BOH Services (If Multiple Printers Fail)
If several printers stop at once, the issue is likely BOH-side.
- Restart Aloha BOH application services
- Confirm server didn’t reboot incorrectly
- Verify disk space and network communication
BOH down = no routing = no tickets.
When to Contact Aloha Support
- Printer doesn’t show any lights
- Self-test fails to print
- Routing changes won’t apply
- Multiple printers down with frozen BOH
Aloha Kitchen Printer Issues – FAQs
Why does my Aloha kitchen printer feed blank paper?
Why are tickets printing to the wrong station?
Why does my printer work for test prints but not orders?
Why did the printer stop after a network change?
Try the POSUSA POS Support Assistant
Need help restoring Aloha kitchen printing?
- POSUSA POS Support Assistant
- Select Aloha
- Search: “kitchen printer not printing”
- Follow guided troubleshooting
We help you get tickets flowing fast — even during the dinner rush.
Thinking About Switching POS Systems?
If you’re dealing with repeated POS issues, it might be time to compare more reliable options built for restaurants and retail businesses.
Takes 30 seconds • No sales pressure
