--- title: "Desktop app or Android app: which BizPrint station should you use?" description: "Compare the BizPrint desktop app and the BizPrint Android app, what each one prints, which printers each one works with, and how each one connects to them." url: https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/desktop-or-android/ section: "Start here" last_updated: 2026-11-12 --- # Desktop app or Android app: which BizPrint station should you use? Section: Start here > Compare the BizPrint desktop app and the BizPrint Android app, what each one prints, which printers each one works with, and how each one connects to them. This page helps you decide whether to use the [BizPrint desktop app](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#bizprint-desktop-app) or the [BizPrint Android app](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#bizprint-android-app) as your [station](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#station), the device that receives your [print jobs](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#print-job) 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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#printer-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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/print/layout-settings/) | 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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/install-android-app/) | For the Android app’s printer settings, see [Change paper, cut and layout settings for a printer in the BizPrint Android app](https://docs.getbizprint.com/manage/android-printer-settings/). ## 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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/android-sunmi-printer/). - **You print shipping labels.** Both apps work. On Android, see [Print shipping labels on a label printer with the BizPrint Android app](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/android-label-printer/). - **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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/android-office-printer/). 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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/manage/android-background/). ## What each app needs from WooCommerce In the [BizPrint plugin for WooCommerce](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#bizprint-plugin-for-woocommerce), every [printer location](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#printer-location) has an [output format](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#output-format) (**Output Format**): **HTML** or **Plain Text**. Both apps print both formats. - **HTML** prints the [template](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/glossary/#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](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/android-printer-location/). 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)](https://docs.getbizprint.com/developers/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. ## Related pages - [What you need to use BizPrint](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/requirements/) - [Choose your BizPrint setup path](https://docs.getbizprint.com/start-here/choose-your-setup/) - [Install the BizPrint desktop app on Windows, Mac or Linux](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/install-desktop-app/) - [Install and connect the BizPrint Android app to your station](https://docs.getbizprint.com/set-up/install-android-app/) Need help? Contact BizPrint support at .