Connect a thermal receipt printer to Simple Host on iPad, iPhone, Android, or your web browser. Print guest tickets, reservation slips, and more.
Automatically print receipts when guests are seated or reservations are created
Hand guests a printed ticket when they join the waitlist. Includes guest name, party size, wait time, and a QR code they can scan to check their place in line from their phone.
Print a slip when a reservation is created with guest name, date, time, party size, and a QR code the guest can scan to view their reservation details online.
Every printed ticket includes a QR code. Guests scan it with their phone to see their waitlist position in real time or view their reservation details — no app download needed.
Set the print mode to Auto and tickets print instantly when a guest is added to the waitlist or a reservation is created. No extra taps needed.
Choose exactly which guest details appear on each chit — name, phone number, party size, notes, wait time, table assignment, and more. Toggle each field on or off in Printer Settings.
Send a test print anytime from Printer Settings to make sure your printer is connected and working before service starts.
Simple Host works with any ESC/POS thermal receipt printer connected to your local network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
TM-T20, TM-T82, TM-T88 and other Epson thermal receipt printers with network connectivity.
TSP100, TSP650, SP700 and other Star thermal printers with Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
Any thermal receipt printer that supports ESC/POS commands over TCP port 9100 on your network.
Choose your platform to get started
In Simple Host, go to Settings and tap Printer Settings.
Tap Scan for Printers to automatically scan your network. Your printer should appear in the list — tap it to select it.
If your printer doesn't show up, you can enter the IP address and port (default 9100) manually.
Choose your print mode:
Tap Test Print to verify the connection. If it works, you're all set.
In Simple Host, go to Settings and tap Printer Settings.
Tap Scan for Printers to automatically scan your network. Your printer should appear in the list — tap it to select it.
If your printer doesn't show up, you can enter the IP address and port (default 9100) manually.
Choose your print mode:
Tap Test Print to verify the connection. If it works, you're all set.
Web browsers can't connect directly to printers on your network. The SimpleHost Print Helper is a small app that runs on a Mac or Windows computer on the same network and handles printing for you.
Important: Web printing works best with Google Chrome. Safari and some other browsers may block the connection to Print Helper.
Download and unzip SimpleHost-Print-Helper-Mac.zip
Important: Right-click (or Control-click) the app and choose Open.
macOS may show a warning because the app isn't from the App Store. Click Open in the dialog to confirm. You only need to do this the first time.
If you see a message saying Apple could not verify the app, follow these steps: Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen → Click System Settings → Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar → Scroll down until you see a message about SimpleHost Print Helper being blocked → Click Open Anyway → Enter your Mac password to confirm.
A setup page will open in your browser confirming the installation. Print Helper will start automatically when your Mac boots.
Download SimpleHostPrintHelper.exe
Important: Windows may show a SmartScreen warning. Click More info, then click Run anyway.
This happens because the app is new and hasn't been widely installed yet. It's completely safe.
A setup page will open in your browser confirming the installation. Print Helper will start automatically when your PC boots.
In Simple Host (web app), go to Settings and tap Printer Settings.
Tap Scan for Printers to automatically scan your network. Your printer should appear in the list — tap it to select it.
If your printer doesn't show up, you can enter the IP address and port (default 9100) manually.
Choose Auto, Ask, or Off. Then tap Test Print to verify everything works.
A small helper app bridges the gap between your browser and printer
Simple Host sends print data to Print Helper running on your local computer.
Receives the print data and forwards it to your thermal printer over the local network.
Your thermal receipt printer prints the ticket. No cloud services involved — everything stays local.
Print Helper runs quietly in the background and starts automatically
Print Helper starts automatically when your computer boots. No need to open it each day.
No window or icon to deal with. It runs silently and only activates when a print job arrives.
Open http://localhost:38201/setup in your browser to see status, stop the service, or uninstall auto-start.
Visit http://localhost:38201/setup anytime to check if Print Helper is running and see connection details.
If the scanner doesn't detect your printer, you can add it manually using the IP address and port
Turn the printer off. Hold down the Feed button, then turn the printer on while still holding Feed. Release the button after it starts printing. A status sheet will print showing the printer's current IP address under "IP Address" or "Current IP Parameters".
You can also press and hold the small reset button on the back of the printer for 3 seconds with a pen tip to print a network status sheet.
Turn the printer off. Hold down the Feed button, then turn the printer on while still holding Feed. Wait for it to start printing, then release. Two test pages will print — the bottom of the second page shows "Current IP Parameters Status" with the IP address.
Log into your router's admin page (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in your browser). Look for a list of connected devices — your printer should appear with its IP address.
The port is almost always 9100. This is the standard port for ESC/POS thermal printers. You usually don't need to change it.
Go to Settings → Printer Settings
Tap the IP Address field and type your printer's IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
Tap the Port field and enter 9100 (or your printer's port if different)
Tap Test Print to verify the connection works
Make sure your printer and your device are on the same Wi-Fi network. If the test print fails, double-check the IP address and that the printer is powered on.
Any thermal receipt printer that supports the ESC/POS protocol and connects to your network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Popular brands include Epson, Star Micronics, Bixolon, and Citizen. The printer must be reachable on TCP port 9100.
No. The iPad/iPhone and Android apps connect directly to your printer over Wi-Fi. Print Helper is only needed when using Simple Host in a web browser.
macOS Gatekeeper blocks apps that aren't from the App Store by default. Right-click (or Control-click) the app and choose "Open" to bypass this. You'll see a dialog asking to confirm — click Open. This is only needed the first time.
Windows SmartScreen warns about apps that haven't been widely downloaded yet. Click "More info" then "Run anyway" to proceed. The app is completely safe.
Use the Scan for Printers button in Printer Settings — it automatically scans your network and shows available printers. If your printer doesn't appear, you can enter the IP address and port manually. Check your printer's self-test page or your router's admin page for the IP address.
Yes. Open http://localhost:38201/setup in your browser. You'll see buttons to stop the service or uninstall auto-start. On Mac, you can also delete the app from your Applications folder. On Windows, delete the .exe file.
Yes, when using the web browser version. The Mac or PC running Print Helper must be on and connected to the same network as the printer. For iPad/Android, the device connects directly — no computer needed.
Auto prints whenever a guest is seated or reservation is created. Ask shows a confirmation dialog first. Off disables printing entirely. You can change modes anytime in Settings.
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