Select Maintenance > Hardware > Print Designer to access this function.

The Aloha POS system provides a generic layout for the guest check and for chits that print in your restaurant. You can do limited customization to these layouts using options available in functions like Store Settings, Printers, and others. Print Designer, introduced in v12.3, provides the ability to create custom layouts with much more flexibility on what prints on a guest check or chit, as well as increased control over the positioning of the information. You can create as many custom layouts as needed to fit your business needs.

You also use Print Designer to design a printed voucher for use with campaigns to drive traffic back into your restaurant. The Campaign Rulebook function is where you define the actual set of conditions under which a guest earns a voucher reward.

Benefits of Print Designer

Print Designer enables you to change the layout of your chits, guest check, and campaign vouchers. With Print Designer, you can:

• Use the Aloha generic chit layout as a template for designing a custom production chit layout for an expo chit, kitchen chit, tray chit, and more.
• Use the Aloha generic guest check layout as a template for designing a custom guest check layout.
• Use the Aloha generic general message layout as a template for designing a custom reward voucher.
• Define in what order elements appear on a chit or guest check.
• Define the horizontal position (left, center, right) of elements.
• Define free text data elements to appear on the printed form.
• Define the location of static elements on the printed chit, such as surveys, bar codes, and more. Promote “green” printing by suppressing line feed to control paragraph spacing and reduce the number of blank lines.
• Define text and font styles.

Once you complete a custom layout, access Maintenance > System Settings > Event Schedule and use the Activate Layout Override event to notify the system to use the custom layout, and use Disable Layout Override to revert to the default layout before the end-of-day, if necessary.

Layout types

When you create a new custom layout, you must select the type of layout you want to create. Select from the following types when you click the New drop-down to add a new layout:

Production chit provides the elements you need to design a custom chit to print in the kitchen, such as an expo chit, kitchen chit, and tray chit. You must include the Items and Training elements on a custom chit of this type to save the new layout.

Guest check provides the elements you need to design a custom guest check. You must include the Items and Training elements on a custom guest check to save the new layout.

General message provides the elements required to design a printed voucher for use with campaigns.

Order taker provides the same elements you need to design a custom chit to print in the kitchen (production chit) without the requirement of including the Items and Training elements. With this type, if you include one of the available elements in your design, you can save and use the new layout.

Layout tab

Group Bar: Settings

Name — Identifies the layout.

Design tab

Use the Design tab to choose the elements to include in the custom layout you are designing and to change how elements appear in the layout, such as font, alignment, and more.

Group Bar: Design

Element — Indicates the elements already selected to include in the custom layout. To add an element, click the Add drop-down arrow to display the Type list box and select from the list of available elements for the specific type of layout you are designing. For example, if you select ‘Guest check’ as the type of layout, only the elements available to add to a custom guest check layout appear in the Type list box.

Group Bar: Print style settings

Size — Specifies the relative size of the printed text. Select from Large, Medium, Small, Very small, and Very large. Documented Version: v12.3.

Alignment — Specifies the horizontal position of the element on the layout. Select from Left, Center, and Right. Documented Version: v12.3.

Expanded width — Stretches the printed element horizontally across the line. Documented Version: v12.3.

Expanded height — Increases the height of the printed element. Documented Version: v12.3.

Italic — Prints the element in italics. Documented Version: v12.3.

Underlined — Prints the element with an underline. Documented Version: v12.3.

Red — Prints the element in red. Documented Version: v12.3.

Bold — Prints the element in bold. Documented Version: v12.3.

Suppress leading line feed — Does not precede the element with a leading blank line, if any. For example, when you add the ‘Alerts’ element, a blank line usually precedes the element on the printed artifact. When you select this option, the system does not precede the Alerts element with a blank line, which promotes a ‘green’ environment. Documented Version: v12.3.

Suppress trailing line feed — Does not follow the element with a trailing blank line, if any. For example, when you add the ‘Ordermode name’ element, a blank line usually follows the element on the printed artifact. When you select this option, the system does not follow the ‘Ordermode name’ element with a blank line, which promotes a ‘green’ environment. Documented Version: v12.3.

Group Bar: Placeholder text settings or User text settings

The title of this group bar changes based on the element you select.

Placeholder text — Allows you to define free-form, non-printing text to include in the layout. This text serves as a label in the list of elements on a chit, such as END OF HEADER or START OF TRAILER. Required Options: You must add a ‘Placeholder Element’ or ‘Placeholder text’ element to a layout to enable this option.

Text — Allows you to define free form text to include in the layout. Required Options: You must add the ‘User text’ element to a layout to enable this option.

Group Bar: Line attribute overrides

Use line attribute overrides — Enables you to use additional basic text attributes, such as bold, italic, and underlined, and to print the element in a color of your choice. This allows an element to stand out while other elements print normally. Selecting this option exposes the remaining options in the group bar. Documented Version: AK 19.3.

RGB color settings — Specifies the color in which to print the text of the element. The default is 0.0.0. You must use a color printer. Documented Version: AK v19.3.

Italic — Prints the text of the element in italic. Documented Version: AK v19.3.

Underlined — Prints the text of the element with an underline. Documented Version: AK v19.3.

Bold — Prints the text of the element in bold. Documented Version: AK v19.3.