Printer Setup

Compound Direct uses PrintNode to print from the cloud. This requires the PrintNode app to be installed and running on your computer which is connected to your label printer.

Supported Label Printers

Compound Direct can print to any label printer connected to a Windows PC and to any size label. A4 Printing of invoices and pharmacy receipts, as well as A5 Repeat Authorisation, is also supported via PrintNode.

Installing PrintNode

To be able to connect a printer to Compound Direct, first, we must install and setup Printnode.

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ page.
2. Click on the ‘Balances, printers & labeling’ button.
3. Navigate to the Printers section
4. If you are on a Windows PC, press ‘Download Printnode for Windows’
5. If you are on a Mac, press ‘Download Printnode for Mac’ (Currently only a4 & a5 printing is supported on Mac)
6. Once downloaded, follow the prompts to install PrintNode.

Setup PrintNode

1. Open PrintNode, either from the Start Menu or from the system tray.
2. Login with your PrintNode username and password which are available on the ‘Balances, printers & labeling’ page within Compound Direct.
3. Untick all printers and tick only the applicable printers you wish to be connected to Compound Direct.
   If Printnode is not showing a Computer ID next to the printer name, restart the PrintNode application.

Running PrintNode

Printnode allows Compound Direct to print labels but it must be running in the background in order to do this.

1. PrintNode may have a shortcut on the Desktop, go to your desktop and look for the PrintNode application.
2. Else, try searching the Windows Start Menu for 'Printnode' and if found, click on the PrintNode application. Do not click on the Printnode Installer.
3. If it cannot be found in either place, look for the application in C:\Program Files\PrintNode
4. If you are on a Windows PC, press ‘Download Printnode for Windows’
5. If you are on a Mac, press ‘Download Printnode for Mac’ (Currently only a4 & a5 printing is supported on Mac)
6. Once downloaded, follow the prompts to install PrintNode.

Setup Label Dimensions

Labels must be set up with the correct dimensions within Windows in order to print correctly. This can be done via the printing preferences for the label printer. It will not affect your current dispensing software connected to the printer.

1. Using the Windows Start Menu, navigate to ‘Printers and Scanners’.
2. Find the label printer you wish to set up and navigate to ‘Printing Preferences’.
3. Change the units from cm to mm.
4. Enter the dimensions of the label.
   The typical label dimensions are 102mm x 68mm for Fred compatible labels or 102mm x 71mm for other dispensing softwares.
5. Press Apply.

Troubleshooting Label Alignment

The label is shrunk

If the width of the label within Compound Direct and the printing settings do not match, the label will shrink, especially if the PC width is smaller than the Compound Direct label width. In most circumstances, the label width should be set to around 102mm, or 4 inches, on both Compound Direct and the PC.

The label is too high

If the label contents print too high on the sticker, it may be necessary to adjust the label top offset. This can be done within Compound Direct on the label settings. This however will change the settings for all printers so it may affect other printer setups you have for that type of label. If this is the case you may be able to apply a label top offset within the Printing Preference section on the PC depending on the printer/driver/Windows version. Alternatively, you can reduce the label height on the PC to occasionally achieve the same effect. Lastly if using our Standard Package, you can make use of label variants to accommodate for separate label top offsets without affecting other label setups on other computers.

The label is too low

Occasionally the label will print further down on the sticker than desired. This is generally remedied by increasing the height of the label on the PC but keeping the height of the label on Compound Direct the same.

Upside down

There are 4 types of dispensing labels in Australia and they come in two variants each, a regular version and a flipped version. If your labels are flipped (meaning they print with the text facing away from you) you will need to adjust the settings on the PC to invert the label (rotate 180 degrees). Depending on your printer/driver/Windows version this will appear differently but generally shows as an option to rotate 180 degrees.

To the left

If the label appears too far to the left, it often means there is a mismatch with the label width dimension either on the PC or Compound Direct. However, it could also mean that you are using the incorrect label layout for your type of dispensing label. Please review the sticker positioning on the dispensing label and ensure it matches the watermark shown in Compound Direct

To the right If the label appears too far to the right, it can mean that the label roll needs to be physically adjusted to the left in order to align the printing correctly.

Wrong layout

There are four types of dispensing labels in Australia, each with a unique sticker pattern. The most common is the FRED label, followed by LOTS. You need to ensure that the sticker pattern shown within Compound Direct matches the pattern on your physical stickers. Once you have the correct layout, use the label editor to configure the label for your sticker pattern. Contact Compound Direct who may be able to provide a quick default for your label.

Duplicate prints

In some cases when experiencing odd behavior when printing, such as printing multiple labels in different orientations, you may have installed the printer with the wrong driver. Review the model number on the bottom of the printer to ensure that it is installed correctly

Ensuring zero-conflict with existing programs

When setting up the printer, it is important to ensure that the existing dispense software is not affected by any of the changes. There are two methods to approach this: Create a separate stock or install the printer a second time. To create a separate stock, find the Stocks tab within the Printing Preferences and add a stock for 'Compound Direct'. The width and height should generally match the dimensions set within Compound Direct. Once the stock has been set up, you may need to restart PrintNode and refresh Compound Direct for that stock to show up as a Paper Type.

No paper types

Occasionally no paper types will be listed when selecting a printer within Compound Direct. This often occurs when toggling the checkbox for disabling all printers by default within Compound Direct. The easiest fix is to open PrintNode and toggle 'Printers active by default'