Thermal Printers And Stream Labels

What Can It Print?

The Windows standalone app can send silent jobs to a printer installed in Windows. A flow can combine any available values, such as a viewer name, donation, product, message, or counter value, and control the text size and alignment.

Compatibility rule: the printer must appear as a working Windows printer queue. Social Stream prints through the installed Windows driver; it does not send raw ESC/POS, ZPL, or manufacturer SDK commands.

Quick Setup

1. Connect the printer by USB, turn it on, and install its Windows driver. Print a Windows test page first.
2. In Social Stream, open Global settings and tools → Printer Control.
3. Select Find printers and choose the exact queue name shown by Windows.
4. Enter the physical paper width, commonly 58, 80, or 62 mm depending on the device and stock.
5. Leave Fixed label length at 0 for a content-sized receipt. For die-cut stock, enter the label's feed-direction length in millimetres.
6. Select Print alignment test. If an edge is missing, increase that side's safe margin and test again.

Receipt Roll, Continuous Sticker, Or Die-Cut Label?

These are examples, not a guaranteed compatibility list. Before buying, confirm that the exact model has a current Windows driver, supports your label dimensions, and appears as a normal Windows printer.

Print A Donation Label With Event Flow

1. Open the Event Flow Editor and create a flow.
2. Add the Donation / Tip trigger. Set Minimum Amount if only larger donations should print.
3. Add Print Thermal Label from Integrations and connect the trigger to it.
4. Set the label text to {username}, add a new line, then {donation}. Choose the font size, weight, alignment, and copies.
5. Normally leave the action's printer and fixed-length overrides blank or 0 so the global Printer Control settings apply.
6. Open Test Flow, enter a name, enable Has Donation, enter an amount, and run the test. This sends a real print job in the standalone app.

Other useful placeholders include {message}, {source}, {donationAmount}, and {counterValue}. Values created by earlier nodes can also be used in the print template.

Bold the buyer, keep the item normal

Choose Weight → Selected text (**bold**), then enter:

**{username}**
{itemName}

Use single braces. If your earlier node creates buyer, use **{buyer}** instead. The purchase source or an earlier node must supply itemName. Only text wrapped in ** becomes bold; no custom JavaScript or HTML is needed. Existing All bold and Normal labels keep their formatting.

A Counter numbers purchases, not unique buyers. Reusing one ID for every purchase by the same buyer needs a separate buyer-to-ID mapping and an explicit reset at the start of each stream. User Memory's reason field is descriptive text, not a dedicated buyer-ID counter.

Fixed-Length Labels Without Surprises

3 × 1-inch labels (including a Munbyn BT320 setup): use 76.2 mm width and 25.4 mm fixed length when the 1-inch side is the feed direction. Match that stock and orientation in Windows Printing Preferences. Start with 12–14 pt text and test a long buyer and item name.

The alignment test's side borders mark the safe width after the selected printable-area setting and safe margins. The box height follows the test text; it does not outline the full label or touch the physical paper edges.

• Measure in the feed direction. A 62 × 29 mm label normally uses a 62 mm paper width and 29 mm fixed label length.
• Match Windows too. Select the exact label stock, orientation, gap/mark sensing, and cutter behavior in the printer driver's Printing Preferences.
• Fixed means fixed. Social Stream does not add receipt feed space to a fixed-length job. Content that is too tall can clip or spill depending on the driver.
• Test the longest realistic data. Long viewer names, product variants, currency labels, and multiple lines need more room or a smaller font.
• Driver limits still apply. Windows or the printer driver may clamp very short custom pages; Social Stream requests a minimum of 20 mm.

Stream Ideas

• Print supporter-name stickers for a wall, prop, map, or physical progress board.
• Create merch-order, commission, drink, or pickup tags as purchases arrive.
• Print raffle tickets or giveaway entry stubs, with rate limits and eligibility checks before the print action.
• Make VIP badges, team assignments, challenge tokens, or donation milestone labels.
• Print a short moderation or fulfillment queue for a producer working beside the streamer.

Common Fixes

• No printer appears: confirm Windows can print a test page, then restart Social Stream and select Find printers again.
• The job reports success but nothing prints: open the Windows queue for that printer and check for paused, offline, paper, driver, or port errors.
• An edge is cut off: keep Use printable area enabled and increase the safe margin on that side.
• There is too much blank paper: use fixed length 0 for receipts, reduce bottom margin and feed, or set the exact length for label stock.
• One label becomes two: the content is taller than the fixed label, or Windows is using the wrong stock size. Reduce text, font size, line spacing, and margins.
• The wrong printer is used in Test Flow: choose a printer override on the Print Thermal Label node. A blank override uses the Windows default while testing directly in the editor.