The Muster App prints visitor badges from the iPad at check-in, on a Brother label printer over Wi-Fi. Each iPad is paired with the printer once. This guide covers what to buy, pairing the printer and printing your first badge.
Which printer to buy
The Muster App prints to the Brother QL-820NWB. It's a thermal label printer, so there's no ink or toner, just rolls of labels. It's the printer the app is built and tested for. Other printers, including other Brother models, are not tested.
Which labels to buy
The badge has a layout for these three Brother label rolls:
- DK-11202, 62 × 100 mm labels
- DK-11234, 60 × 86 mm name badge labels
- DK-22205, 62 mm continuous roll
The iPad reads which roll is loaded straight from the printer. For the rest of the kit, see Recommended hardware.
1. Put the printer on your Wi-Fi
The printer and the iPad must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Join the printer to it using Brother's setup instructions for the QL-820NWB.
The Muster App talks to the printer directly over the network. It never uses Bluetooth, and you don't need a Brother app on the iPad.
2. Find the printer from the iPad
On the iPad, open the Crew screen and tap the gear at the top. This opens Device settings. In the Badge printer card, press Search.
After a few seconds your printer appears in the list by name. Only Brother printers are listed.
If your printer doesn't appear:
- Check the iPad and the printer are on the same Wi-Fi network. Guest and crew networks are often kept apart.
- Check the printer is switched on, then search again.
- Check Local Network is switched on in iPad Settings → The Muster App.
3. Pair the printer
Tap your printer in the list. It shows Paired, and the Badge printer card shows Connected with the printer's name and label size.
The pairing is kept on that iPad. If you have more than one iPad, pair each one separately.
4. Print a test badge
In the same card, press Test print. A badge for "Test Visitor" prints with your badge logo. Check the layout and print quality.
5. Put your logo on the badge
The badge logo is set in the admin panel under Settings → Devices → Badge Settings. Pick a logo from your logo library and check it on the preview.
The admin panel doesn't print badges. Only the iPad does.
Troubleshooting
The badge won't print
Check the loaded roll is one of the three above. The badge has no layout for any other size.
Print a badge again
A badge that didn't print can be printed again from Reprint a badge in Device settings.
"Printer offline" banner on the iPad
The iPad checks the printer every 30 seconds. The banner appears after three failed checks in a row, about a minute and a half. Tap the banner to snooze it for an hour. When the printer answers again, the banner clears on its own.
More than one printer on the network
Every Brother printer on the network shows in the list. Tap the one you want by name. The iPad only prints to the one it's paired with.
That's it
Once a test badge prints clean, every visitor check-in on that iPad prints a badge.