Quick answer: uniCenta oPOS talks to receipt printers directly over ESC/POS — it does not use the Windows print driver. That means two things catch most people out: plain USB usually will not work without a virtual COM port, and you should not install the printer driver at all (it can block the cash-drawer command).
For a standard counter we recommend the NBTP-8080 (80mm, 160mm/s, auto cutter, LAN version available) — use the LAN or serial interface to skip the virtual COM port entirely. On a tighter budget the NBTP-5880 (58mm) covers short receipts and queue tickets.
Does uniCenta oPOS work with third-party receipt printers?
Yes. uniCenta oPOS is not tied to any printer brand. It ships with protocol support for Epson, Citizen, Star and Aures, and any printer that accepts standard ESC/POS commands can be driven through the same Epson protocol setting.
That is the good news. The awkward part is how uniCenta talks to the printer. It does not hand the job to Windows — it opens the port and writes ESC/POS bytes itself. Everything below follows from that one design decision.
What uniCenta actually requires
1. A serial-style port, not plain USB
uniCenta expects serial-like communication. Per the documentation, ESC/POS mode requires "a physical serial cable with a COM port, or a USB/Ethernet cable with virtual COM port drivers". Community threads put it more bluntly: "uniCenta by default isn't really USB friendly."
So you have three routes, easiest first:
- Ethernet / LAN — cleanest option. The printer sits on the network, no port mapping needed, and several tills can share it.
- Serial (RS-232) — works exactly as uniCenta expects, no extra software.
- USB — needs the manufacturer's virtual COM port utility to present the printer as COMx. Doable, but it is the fiddliest of the three.
If you are ordering hardware now, specify the LAN interface and you avoid this whole category of problem.
2. Do not install the printer driver
This one is counter-intuitive, so it is worth stating plainly. uniCenta's own maintainer has written:
"You do not need the Epson printer drivers. In fact, best to uninstall — as often the driver suppresses the opendrawer command."
Installing the driver does not just fail to help; it can stop your cash drawer from opening, because the driver intercepts the pulse command before it reaches the printer. If you have already installed a driver and the drawer will not open, uninstall it first.
3. Avoid COM1 and COM2
When you assign a virtual COM port, skip COM1 and COM2 — they are usually claimed by onboard hardware. Community guidance is to pick something higher, around COM5.
4. The default ticket width is 42 characters
uniCenta is set to print at 42 characters per line by default. An 80mm printer at 203dpi gives you 48 characters (576 dots per line). Leave the default alone and your receipts will not use the full paper width — item names truncate earlier than they need to, and any column layout you have drifts out of alignment.
Fix it in the ticket print script rather than living with it. This is the single most common complaint after a printer is otherwise working correctly, and it is a five-minute change.
Step-by-step setup
- Do not install the printer driver. If one is already installed, remove it.
- Connect the printer. LAN or serial if you have the option; USB only if you must.
- For USB: install the manufacturer's virtual COM port utility and note the port it assigns (choose COM5 or higher).
-
In uniCenta: go to
Configuration → Peripherals → Printer 1. -
Protocol: select
Epson— this is the ESC/POS setting, and it applies to any ESC/POS-compatible printer, not only Epson hardware. -
Connection: choose
Serialand the COM port from step 3. For a network printer, point uniCenta at the printer's address instead. - Tick "Receipt Printer".
-
Print a test ticket. If nothing comes out, set the printer to
Screentemporarily — that confirms whether the problem is uniCenta or the connection. - Adjust the ticket width from 42 to 48 characters for an 80mm printer.
- Test the cash drawer. uniCenta sends the ESC/POS pulse directly, so the drawer should open without printing a line.
If the serial route is fighting you
There is a shortcut that some users prefer: share the printer from Windows and point uniCenta at \\computername\printername using the Epson protocol with the File option. It sidesteps virtual COM ports entirely and has been reported working across several receipt printer models.
NETBYE models for uniCenta
| Model | Paper | Speed | Cutter | Interfaces | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBTP-8080 | 80mm | 160mm/s | Auto | USB / LAN / BT / Wi-Fi | Standard retail counter |
| NBTP-8030 | 80mm | 220mm/s | Auto | USB / LAN / BT | High-volume checkout |
| NBTP-8040 | 80mm | 200mm/s | Auto | USB / Serial / LAN / Wi-Fi | Serial connection required |
| NBTP-5880 | 58mm | 90mm/s | Manual | USB / Serial / LAN / BT | Queue tickets, tight counters |
All four are ESC/POS compatible with a 203dpi print head. Full specifications are on each product page — see the complete range of thermal receipt printers, or narrow to 80mm and 58mm.
Ordering advice: specify the LAN or serial interface. It costs the same and removes the virtual COM port step described above.
How this compares with an Epson TM-m30
The Epson TM-m30 is the default recommendation in most POS documentation, and it is a good printer. On the specifications that matter to uniCenta — ESC/POS support, 203dpi, auto cutter, cash-drawer port — the NBTP-8080 matches it. The difference is price: as the manufacturer, we sell direct, and our pricing typically lands at a fraction of the branded equivalent for the same interface set.
We would rather you verify that on a sample than take our word for it. Sample units are available on every model.
Frequently asked questions
Will it work if I only have USB?
Yes, but you will need the virtual COM port utility so uniCenta sees the printer as a serial device. If you have not bought the hardware yet, choose the LAN version instead.
My cash drawer will not open. Why?
The most likely cause is an installed printer driver intercepting the pulse command. Uninstall it. Also confirm your printer has an RJ11 cash-drawer port — our cash drawers are triggered by the printer, not by the POS terminal directly.
Receipts are printing narrow. What is wrong?
Nothing is broken — uniCenta defaults to 42 characters per line. An 80mm printer supports 48. Edit the ticket print script to match.
Do I need a specific model, or will any ESC/POS printer work?
Any ESC/POS printer should work. Where models differ is in how much of ESC/POS they implement — QR code support, image printing, status reporting. Tell us which features your setup relies on and we will confirm before you order.
Can I use one printer across several tills?
Yes, with a network printer. That is another argument for the LAN interface.
A note on this guide. The configuration steps above are compiled from uniCenta's official documentation and community reports, not from a lab test of every model listed. If your setup behaved differently — a step that was wrong, a menu that has moved, a model that needed something extra — tell us and we will correct this page. We would rather publish something accurate than something impressive.
Get pricing
NETBYE manufactures these printers in-house and supplies distributors, system integrators and retailers worldwide. Factory-direct wholesale pricing, low MOQ on first orders, and OEM/ODM covering branding, packaging and firmware defaults.
Tell us which models, what quantity and which country, and you will get an accurate quote in one reply. Request a quote.