Desktop app or Android app: which BizPrint station should you use?

This page helps you decide whether to use the BizPrint desktop app or the BizPrint Android app as your station, the device that receives your print jobs and prints them. It is for anyone planning a BizPrint setup.

The short answer

The choice is mainly about the device you want to print from. Both apps print formatted receipts, invoices, packing slips and labels, with your logo.

Choose the BizPrint desktop app if you print from a Windows, Mac or Linux computer. It prints to any printer installed on that computer.
Choose the BizPrint Android app if you print from an Android device, such as a phone, a tablet or a Sunmi point of sale device. You add each printer in the app, and it can search for printers nearby.

You can have more than one station in your account, so you can use both: for example, a computer for packing slips in the back office and an Android tablet for receipts at the counter.

How the two apps compare

	Desktop app	Android app
Runs on	Windows, Mac and Linux computers	Android phones, tablets and Sunmi devices (Android 8.0 or later)
What it prints	Formatted pages (HTML) and PDF documents, through the computer’s own print system	Formatted pages (HTML), PDF documents and plain text
Receipt printers	Yes, if installed on the computer	Yes, printers that use the ESC/POS or StarPRNT command set
Label printers	Yes, if installed on the computer	Yes, printers that use the ZPL or TSPL command set
Office printers	Yes, through the printers installed on the computer	Yes, as a full-page printer (for printers that support IPP, AirPrint or Mopria), or through the Android print dialog, where someone taps Print for each job
Built-in printer of a Sunmi device	No	Yes
How printers connect	However the computer connects to them: USB, network, or shared	Wi-Fi or network, Bluetooth, or USB. The built-in printer of a Sunmi device needs no connection
How printers are added	The app finds every printer installed on the computer	You add each printer in the app. Add printer searches for network, Bluetooth and USB printers nearby, or you enter the printer’s address
Paper size	Uses the paper size set for the job, or the printer’s default paper size. See Change page size, margins, orientation and fonts for BizPrint printouts	Receipt, label and built-in printers use the paper set for the printer in the app. To use the paper size and margins set for the job, set the printer’s Page size from job to Use the job page size when sent. Office printers use the job’s paper size by default and do not use margins. Plain Text printed with the printer’s own fonts does not use paper size or margins
Copies	Prints the number of copies set for the job	Prints the number of copies set for the job
Logos and images	Yes	Yes
Signing in	Sign in with your BizPrint account, or connect with station keys	Sign in with your BizPrint account, or enter the station keys. See Install and connect the BizPrint Android app to your station

For the Android app’s printer settings, see Change paper, cut and layout settings for a printer in the BizPrint Android app.

Which one fits your setup

You already have a computer at the counter or in the back office. The desktop app uses the printers you have already installed on it, including office printers.
You want to print from a phone, a tablet or a point of sale device. Use the Android app. It works without a computer.
You have a Sunmi device with a built-in receipt printer. Use the Android app on that device. See Print to the built-in printer of a Sunmi device with BizPrint.
You print shipping labels. Both apps work. On Android, see Print shipping labels on a label printer with the BizPrint Android app.
You print invoices or packing slips on full sheets. Both apps work. On Android, see Print full pages on an office printer with the BizPrint Android app.

A station prints only while its app is running. A computer or an Android device that stays switched on at your business works best. On Android, see Keep the BizPrint Android app running so it can print.

What each app needs from WooCommerce

In the BizPrint plugin for WooCommerce, every printer location has an output format (Output Format): HTML or Plain Text. Both apps print both formats.

HTML prints the template as designed, with your logo and layout.
Plain Text prints simple text in fixed-width lines. On a receipt printer connected to the Android app, it prints with the printer’s own fonts, which is fast.

For an Android station, see Set up a WooCommerce printer location for an Android station with BizPrint.

If you send print jobs from your own app, an Android station accepts PDF, HTML or plain text documents, and ZPL or TSPL label code for a label printer in the same printer language. See Serve the document to print with the BizPrint Print API (print by URL).

Which templates work with each output format

Every built-in template prints as HTML. Only some can also print as Plain Text:

Template	HTML (desktop app or Android app)	Plain Text (desktop app or Android app)
Customer Receipt	Yes	Yes
Customer Order Receipt	Yes	Yes
Order Receipt (no prices, used for kitchen tickets)	Yes	Yes
Address Labels	Yes	Yes
Shipping Label	Yes	Yes
Delivery Note	Yes	No
Dispatch Label	Yes	No
Invoice	Yes	No
Packing Slip	Yes	No
Pick List	Yes	No

When you pick a template for a printer location, the Output Format list only offers the formats that template supports. Templates you add from the BizPrint Marketplace work the same way.

Need help? Contact BizPrint support at https://getbizprint.com/support/.