Cash drawer kicks open with nothing is printing

If your cash drawer opens even when nothing is printing, that means something is sending a drawer kick signal (pulse) to the printer outside of normal print jobs.

Why it happens:

There are a few common reasons:

1. POS software issue

   • Some POS systems automatically send a “drawer open” command when a transaction is completed, or even on startup, regardless of whether a print job occurs.

   • In certain cases, a misconfigured POS setting (e.g. “Open drawer on cash payment” or “Open drawer on transaction start”) can trigger the drawer independently.

2. Printer driver or port configuration

   • If the printer is configured with a “cash drawer open after job” setting in the driver, Windows may send a “dummy” job to the printer (even 0-byte jobs) that still trigger the pulse.

   • Sometimes background spooler or status checks can send ESC/POS initialization commands that include a drawer pulse signal.

3. Loose or miswired cash drawer cable

   • If the RJ-11/RJ-12 connector between printer and drawer is slightly misaligned or damaged, the +24V trigger pin can intermittently send a pulse — effectively "auto-opening" the drawer without any print command.

   • Try gently reseating or replacing the cable to test.

4. Firmware or ESC/POS command overlap

   • Some printers keep the last state of “open drawer” in buffer memory. So if a previous job didn’t clear properly (for example, a canceled print job), the next printer wake-up or power-on could re-trigger the command.

How to fix it

1. Check POS settings:

   • Disable any “Auto open drawer” or “Open drawer on cash-in” options.

   • Ensure the drawer only opens “After final receipt print.”

2. Update or reconfigure the printer driver:

   • Go to Printing Preference → Print Settings / Cash Drawer tab.

   • Reset CashDrawer Setting

   • Apply changes and restart the POS software.

3. Test directly via USB:

   • Temporarily connect the printer via USB instead of LAN/Wi-Fi.

   • This eliminates network packet noise or driver communication errors that might trigger pulses.

4. Inspect and reseat the cash drawer cable:

   • Unplug it and test printing with no drawer connected — if the drawer stops opening, the cable or drawer port may be shorting.

5. Factory reset printer (last resort):

   • Run a hardware reset procedure to clear stored commands and revert drawer settings to default.
     https://help.volcora.com/support/solutions/articles/73000623080-how-to-factory-reset-