The below article details how to configure your station in ShipStore using the Merchant app. The same setup can be performed via the admin screen of the system if you prefer that route. 

First time setup

If this is the first time you are using the app, you will be prompted to configure your station after you login to the app. This configuration must be completed before you can use the app.

Basics

In this section, you will need to enter a name for your station. The Computer Name box should already be filled out with your PC's name.

Scale

This section of the window is used to configure your scale settings if you have one connected to your PC.

NOTE: Currently, ShipStore officially supports scales from Metler-Toledo, NCI, and Weightronix. If your scale is not one of these brands, you will need to contact support to see if it can be supported.

To add a scale, first click the Add Scale button on the top of the form. From there, select the port from the dropdown at the top of the form. Reference the following instructions that align with how your scale is connected to your PC:

USB

NOTE: If you are configuring a new scale, you will first need to find the Hardware IDs of the device. To do this:
  1.  On the shipping station, open the "Bluetooth and other devices" window, and look for a Weighing Device under Other Devices.
    1.  If you do not see it, unplug the scale from your computer and pay attention to which option disappears when unplugged.
  2.  Once found, right-click and go to Properties > Details and select “Hardware IDs” from the dropdown.
    1.  The Vendor ID is preceded by “VID_” i.e. “HID\VID_0EB8&PID_F000” = “0EB8”
    2.  The Product ID is preceded by “PID_” i.e. “HID\VID_0EB8&PID_F000” = “F000”

To set up a USB scale, you will need to fill out the following information on the left side of the form:
  • Type - Brand/Model of the scale. Currently supported values: “PS90”
  • Vendor ID - HID Vendor ID of the scale
  • Product ID - HID Product ID of the scale
  • Weight Start Position - The first position of the weight data in the response from the scale. normally this is "4"
  • Weight Length - The total number of characters/bytes used for the weight data in the scale response. Normally this is "2"

COM/Serial Port

NOTE: If you are configuring a new scale, we will first need the baud rate, parity, word length, and stop bits for the scale we are working with. Sometimes you can find this info by going into the settings of your scale using the display on the scale. The process is normally a combination of pressing the Zero/Tare buttons until you get to the desired menu items. If this is not doable, we normally recommend checking the previous shipping system to see what settings that app was using.

To set up a COM/Serial port scale, enter the following information into the fields on the left side of the form:
  • Port configuration - Serial port parameters for scale configuration.
    • Format is: {baud rate},{parity},{word length},{stop bits}
  • Weight Starting Position - (starting from 0) The position in the scale response the weight starts at. Normally something around 6
  • Weight Length - The length of the weight value. Normally 5 or 6 depending on how many decimal places the scale supports.
  • Weight Command - Hexadecimal representation of weight command.
    • i.e. “570D” = “W” + Carriage Return
  • Termination Character - The Decimal value of weight response termination character. This is normally the last character in the scale response, something like "04"
Optional settings:
  • Status Position - The position of the scale status character (0 based). Leave as 0 if unknown.
  • Good Returned Value - Decimal value of a good status response. Leave as 255 if unknown.
  • Scale in Motion Value - Decimal value of a moving scale status. Leave as 255 if unknown.
  • Mask for in Motion Value - Decimal value of the mask to combine with Scale in Motion for status. Leave as 255 if unknown.
  • Zero Weight Value - Decimal value of a zero weight status. Leave as 255 if unknown.
  • Zero Value Mask - Decimal value of the mask to combine with Zero Weight Mask for status. Leave as 255 if unknown.
  • Tare Command - Alphanumeric character to send to scale for tare. Leave as “T” if unknown.

TCP

TCP connected scales are similar to Serial Port connections, with the addition of the following fields:
  • IP/URL - The address of the scale itself, or the server it is connected to
  • Port - The port used to access the scale

To test the scale

Once the details on the left are entered, you can test the scale connection via the buttons on the right side of the window. To test if a weight is being pulled, click the “Test Config” button. This will fire a WEIGH command to the scale and will return the following data:

  • Raw Data (Hex) - The hexadecimal output of data from the scale. This section is useful to determine if your start/length position settings are correct (i.e. is the weight where the settings say it should be)
  • Translated Weight - If the system was able to read the weight into a number based on the settings, the app will display that value here. Otherwise, the value will default to "-". The value here should match the weight shown on your scale's display (if it has one).
  • Log - This window logs all details from the scale. If you do not see a value in the Raw Data box, check this window to see if the Merchant app is receiving any data back. If yes, check that the ETX character matches the last character in the log for the scale response. If no data, check your other settings.

Printers

In this section, you will want to configure all printers that you expect to use for this station. This includes all label and laser/PDF printers. From this view, you can also edit any existing printers and test that documents are printing to those devices correctly

To add a printer
  1. Click the Add button in the header of the table. Fill out the form following the instructions below:
    1. Printer Name (top box) - This can either be a locally installed printer or a network/share path to the printer.
      1. If using a locally installed printer, choose the desired option from the dropdown
      2. If using a shared/networked printer, select "[Manually enter printer name]" from the dropdown and enter the network path to the printer (i.e. “\\{IP address}\{PrinterName}”).
    2. Printer Language - Language used by printer. Valid values are:
      1. Labels: 
        1. ZPL (Zebra Printing Language, used for Zebra Printers)
        2. EPL (Eltron Printing Language, used for Eltron Printers)
        3. PNG (Portable Networks Graphics, used for Laser Printers)
      2. For other documents:
        1. PDF (Portable Document Format, used for Laser Printers)
Optional settings:
  • Service to print for - Only needed if this printer is to be used for a specific carrier
  • Condition for use - Only needed if the printer is not to be used for all labels/PDFs
  • Top Offset - (ZPL/EPL only) Number of dots (DPI) to offset top of label
  • Left Offset - (ZPL/EPL only) Number of dots (DPI) to offset left side of label
  • Invert - (ZPL/EPL only) Whether or not to rotate the label 180°
  • Use Cutter? - (ZPL/EPL only) Whether or not the printer will need to cut the labels when printed

Dimensioner

Coming Soon....


Once configured, you can press the Save button at the bottom of the form and click the Close button. Your station should now be ready to use.