Using a Fallback Printer

A Fallback Printer provides an alternative printing destination when the primary Device or printer is unavailable.

This can help keep important printing workflows running when a printer or computer goes offline.

1. Open the Print Rule

In your WordPress dashboard, go to:

Deviking Order Autoprint → Print Rules

Edit the rule you want to configure.

2. Select the Primary Printer

Choose the normal printing destination:

Device → Printer

For example:

Primary Device: Warehouse PC
Primary Printer: Warehouse A4 Printer

This is the printer the rule will normally use.

3. Configure the Fallback Printer

Enable or select the fallback destination.

Choose:

• Fallback Device
• Fallback Printer
• Offline timeout, where available

Example:

Fallback Device: Office PC
Fallback Printer: Office A4 Printer

4. How Failover Works

If the primary Agent or printer remains unavailable for the configured period, Deviking Order Autoprint can redirect the job to the fallback destination.

Typical workflow:

Primary Printer available
→ Print normally to the primary printer

Primary Printer unavailable
→ Wait for the configured timeout

Still unavailable
→ Send the job to the fallback printer

5. Why Use a Fallback Printer

Fallback printing is useful for workflows where printing should continue even if one destination fails.

Examples include:

• Warehouse packing lists
• Kitchen tickets
• Dispatch documents
• Order preparation sheets
• Customer receipts

6. The Fallback Can Be on Another Device

The fallback printer does not need to be connected to the same Windows computer.

For example:

Primary
Warehouse PC → Packing Printer

Fallback
Office PC → Office Printer

This provides protection not only against printer failure, but also against the primary Windows computer going offline.

7. Requirements

The fallback destination must:

• Belong to a paired Device
• Be available in Windows
• Be reported by the Deviking Print Agent
• Be suitable for the document format being printed

For best results, use a fallback printer that supports the same paper size as the primary printer.

8. Paper Format Compatibility

Be careful when the primary and fallback printers use different formats.

For example:

Primary: 80mm Thermal
Fallback: A4 Printer

The same document may not be appropriate for both printer types.

For reliable failover, it is better to use printers with compatible paper formats whenever possible.

9. What Happens When the Primary Printer Returns

When the primary Device and printer become available again, new matching jobs can return to the normal primary destination.

The fallback printer remains configured and ready for future failures.

10. Test the Fallback

Before relying on failover in production, test the setup.

A useful test is:

1. Confirm normal printing works on the primary printer
2. Make the primary destination unavailable
3. Wait for the configured failover period
4. Confirm the job reaches the fallback printer
5. Restore the primary printer

This verifies the full failover workflow.