The Auto Print documentation
Automatically print orders, receipts and packing slips from your online store to any printer — thermal, laser or inkjet — anywhere in the world.
How it works
order paid → ☁️ The Auto Print Cloud
renders the receipt → 💻 Desktop app
on the printer’s computer → 🖨 Printer
paper out, seconds later
The store and the printer don’t need to be on the same network — the cloud relays every job. One account can serve multiple stores and multiple printers.
Getting started
- 1
Create an account at theautoprint.com. Installing our Shopify app? Skip this — an account is created for you automatically.
- 2
Download the desktop app and install it on the computer physically connected to your printer (Windows, macOS or Linux).
- 3
Sign in and select your printer(s) in the desktop app. Leave it running — it receives print jobs (it minimises to the system tray).
- 4
Connect your store — follow the WooCommerce or Shopify guide below.
- 5
Send a test print from your store’s settings page. Paper comes out → you’re live. 🎉
Desktop app
The desktop app is the bridge between the cloud and your physical printer.
Signing in
Click Sign in — your browser opens the The Auto Print login. Use your username/password, Google, or a passkey. Already signed in to the dashboard in that browser? It connects instantly, no typing.
Signing in on a different computer than the one you browse on? Set a password first: Dashboard → Account → Change password.
Selecting printers
Tick the printers this computer should expose to the cloud. Each appears in your dashboard and store settings, tagged with the computer’s name.
Staying online
The app runs in the background/system tray and reconnects automatically. If the connection drops, jobs fail with a clear message (Pro+ plans queue them instead — they print the moment the app reconnects).
What it prints
PDF, images (PNG/JPG), and rendered receipts. Documents are converted in the cloud, so the app prints natively — fast and driver-friendly, including 58/80mm thermal printers.
WooCommerce
- 1
Install the plugin: WordPress admin → Plugins → Add New → search “The Auto Print” → Install → Activate.
- 2
Get an API key: Dashboard → API Keys → Generate.
- 3
Connect: WooCommerce → Settings → The Auto Print tab → paste the API key → Fetch printers → pick your printer → Save → Test print.
- 4
Choose when to print under Triggers & Rules, and customise the receipt under Templates.
Shopify
- 1
Install “The Auto Print” from the Shopify App Store. A The Auto Print account is created for your store automatically — the API key is pre-filled. No signup.
- 2
Set up the printer: app → Connection page → Fetch printers → pick printer → Save → Test print. (Desktop app must be running — see Desktop app.)
- 3
Automate: Triggers & Rules decides when orders print (e.g. when paid). POS enabled controls whether Shopify POS orders print too.
- 4
Manual print: open any order → More actions → Print order with The Auto Print → Print now.
Receipt templates
Three ready-made templates ship with every store integration — edit them or add your own.
🧾 Thermal Receipt
58/80mm rolls — kitchen & counter.
📄 Invoice
A4/A5/Letter — full order details.
📦 Packing Slip
A4 with barcode for the warehouse.
Each template can toggle: store logo, customer note, prices, Code-39 barcode and QR code (both encode the order number — scan to look the order up). Edit content — store name, address, header/footer text — in the Template Editor with a live preview against a sample or real order, and print a proof directly from the editor.
Triggers & rules
Triggers choose when an order prints automatically: when it’s created, paid, fulfilled, or cancelled. Each order prints once — duplicates are filtered even if your store sends multiple events.
Conditions (optional) filter which orders qualify. Combine rules on order total, payment method, shipping method, product, collection/category or tag; match all or any; then choose to print or skip matching orders.
Cloud dashboard
Everything account-wide lives at theautoprint.com/dashboard:
- Print Something — upload a PDF/image/DOC and print it; press Print with no file to print a test page
- Devices — computers & printers, live online/offline status
- API Keys — create a key per store or integration
- Print History — every job with status and filters
- Passkeys — passwordless sign-in
- Account — plan, usage, upgrade, change password
Plans
| Feature | Free | Pro | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connected computers | 1 | Multiple | Unlimited |
| Prints per month | Limited | High | Highest |
| Choose a specific printer | — (default only) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Offline queue (jobs wait for the device) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Developer API | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Upgrade any time from Dashboard → Account. One plan covers all your stores — WooCommerce, Shopify and API together.
Troubleshooting
“No printer is connected to this account” ⌄
The desktop app isn’t running or isn’t signed in to this account. Install it from theautoprint.com/download, sign in, select printers. Then click Fetch printers in your store settings.
“Your printer is offline”⌄
The computer with the desktop app is off or lost internet. Open the app and check it shows Online. On the Free plan offline jobs fail immediately; on Pro+ they queue and print automatically when the device reconnects.
“Device limit reached”⌄
More computers are signed in than your plan allows (Free = 1). Close the app on the extra computer, or upgrade your plan.
Order printed 0 times or the wrong template⌄
Check Triggers & Rules: is the right trigger enabled, and do your conditions match the order? Use the store’s Test print and the dashboard’s Print History to see what was sent and why.
I can’t sign in to the desktop app on the shop computer⌄
Accounts created automatically (from the Shopify app) have no password yet. Open your dashboard (from the store app: Manage your account) → Account → Change password, then sign in on the shop computer with your username + new password.
Printing is slow or pages come out wrong size⌄
Set the template’s paper size to match the printer (80mm/58mm for thermal; A4/Letter for documents), and make sure the printer’s own driver default matches. The cloud renders to exactly that size.
Still stuck? Contact support with your account name and the time of the failed print — we can see the job trail.