Receipt Templates

Customize the format and content of your printed receipts using the built-in template language. You can control every aspect of the output — layout, text formatting, columns, tax breakdowns, and more.

Edit templates from Admin > System > Receipt Templates in the dashboard. Changes take effect immediately for all subsequent prints — no restart needed.

Template Types

Type	Purpose
Proforma	Customer-facing receipt with full business details, items, tax breakdown
Fiscal	Tax authority receipt with fiscal signature and verification QR code
Kitchen	Kitchen order ticket — large text, item focus, minimal business info

Each type has a built-in default. You can create custom templates and set one as the default per type.

Quick Reference

How do I make text bold?

{{ bold }}This text is bold{{ boldOff }}

How do I center text?

{{ center }}This line is centered
{{ left }}Back to left-aligned

How do I make text larger?

{{ doubleHeight }}LARGE TEXT{{ doubleHeightOff }}
{{ doubleWidth }}WIDE TEXT{{ doubleWidthOff }}

How do I print a separator line?

{{ separator }}
{{ doubleSep }}

separator prints dashes (------------------), doubleSep prints equals signs (==================).

Template Syntax

Templates use {{ }} tags for dynamic content and formatting commands. Anything outside the tags is printed as-is.

Displaying Data

Access order, business, and item data using dot notation:

{{ .Business.Name }}
{{ .Order.ReceiptID }}
{{ .Waiter.Name }}

Loops

Print each item in the order:

{{ range .Items }}
{{ .Name }} x{{ .Quantity }}  {{ currency .Total }}
{{ end }}

Conditionals

Show content only when a condition is met:

{{ if notEmpty .Order.Notes }}
Notes: {{ .Order.Notes }}
{{ end }}

Text Formatting

Command	Effect
{{ bold }}	Start bold text
{{ boldOff }}	End bold text
{{ center }}	Center-align subsequent lines
{{ left }}	Left-align subsequent lines
{{ right }}	Right-align subsequent lines
{{ doubleHeight }}	Double-height text (for kitchen visibility)
{{ doubleHeightOff }}	Normal height
{{ doubleWidth }}	Double-width text
{{ doubleWidthOff }}	Normal width

TIP

Alignment and size commands affect all lines that follow until changed. Remember to turn off bold/doubleHeight when you're done.

Layout Helpers

Two-Column Row

Print a label on the left and a value on the right:

{{ row "Total" (currency .Order.TotalDue) }}

Output: Total 1,234.56

Three-Column Row

{{ row3 "Left" "Center" "Right" }}

Centered Text

{{ centerText "RECEIPT" }}

Separator Lines

{{ separator }}
{{ doubleSep }}

Padding and Truncation

Align columns precisely:

{{ padRight (truncate .Name 20) 20 }} {{ padLeft (printf "%d" .Quantity) 3 }}

Function	Description	Example
padRight text width	Pad text with spaces on the right	padRight "Chicken" 20 → "Chicken "
padLeft text width	Pad text with spaces on the left	padLeft "150" 8 → " 150"
truncate text length	Shorten text with "..." if too long	truncate "Grilled Chicken Breast" 15 → "Grilled Chic..."

Number and Date Formatting

Currency

{{ currency .Order.TotalDue }}

Formats with commas and two decimals: 1,234.56

Dates and Times

Function	Format	Example Output
date .Order.CreatedAt	DD/MM/YYYY	07/04/2026
time .Order.CreatedAt	HH:MM:SS	14:30:00
datetime .Order.CreatedAt	DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM	07/04/2026 14:30
datetimeFull .Order.CreatedAt	DD-MM-YYYY HH:MM:SS	07-04-2026 14:30:00
datetime12 .Order.CreatedAt	DD/MM/YYYY hh:mm:ss AM	07/04/2026 02:30:00 PM

Printf Formatting

For precise number formatting:

{{ printf "%.2f" .Order.Tax }}     → 123.45
{{ printf "%d" .Quantity }}        → 3
{{ printf "%.0f" .Order.TotalDue }} → 1235

Graphics

QR Code

{{ qrcode .Fiscal.QRData }}

Prints a QR code that customers can scan (used on fiscal receipts for tax authority verification).

Barcode

{{ barcode .Order.ReceiptID }}

Prints a CODE39 barcode of the given text.

Printer Control

Command	Effect
{{ feed 2 }}	Feed 2 blank lines
{{ cut }}	Cut the paper
{{ init }}	Reset printer to defaults

A typical receipt ends with:

{{ feed 2 }}{{ cut }}

Available Variables

Order

Variable	Type	Description
.Order.ID	number	Internal order ID
.Order.ReceiptID	text	Receipt number (e.g., "RCP-2026-001234")
.Order.CreatedAt	timestamp	When the order was placed
.Order.Table	text	Table number or name
.Order.Notes	text	Order-level notes
.Order.PaymentMethod	text	"cash", "mpesa", "card"
.Order.MpesaCode	text	M-PESA transaction reference
.Order.Subtotal	number	Items total before discounts
.Order.BaseTotal	number	Total excluding tax
.Order.Tax	number	VAT amount
.Order.CTL	number	Catering Training Levy
.Order.Discount	number	Discount applied
.Order.TotalDue	number	Final amount to pay

Business

Variable	Type	Description
.Business.Name	text	Restaurant name
.Business.Address	text	Physical address
.Business.Postal	text	P.O. Box
.Business.Phone	text	Phone number
.Business.Email	text	Email address
.Business.Website	text	Website URL
.Business.PIN	text	Tax PIN
.Business.VATRate	number	VAT rate (e.g., 0.16)
.Business.CTLRate	number	CTL rate (e.g., 0.02)
.Business.Footer	text	Custom footer message

Staff

Variable	Type	Description
.Waiter.Name	text	Waiter's name
.Cashier.Name	text	Cashier's name

Items (use inside {{ range .Items }})

Variable	Type	Description
.Name	text	Menu item name
.Code	text	Item code
.Quantity	number	Quantity ordered
.Price	number	Unit price
.Total	number	Line total (qty x price)
.Notes	text	Item-level notes / modifiers
.Vatable	boolean	Whether item is taxable
.Category	text	Menu category

Fiscal (for fiscal receipts)

Variable	Type	Description
.Fiscal.Code	text	Fiscal device code
.Fiscal.QRData	text	Verification URL for QR code
.Fiscal.InvoiceNo	text	Fiscal invoice number
.Fiscal.Timestamp	text	Fiscal signing timestamp

Other

Variable	Type	Description
.Now	timestamp	Current date and time
.Printer.Name	text	Printer name

Math and Comparison

Function	Description	Example
add a b	Addition	{{ add .Order.BaseTotal .Order.Tax }}
sub a b	Subtraction	{{ sub .Order.Subtotal .Order.Discount }}
mul a b	Multiplication	{{ mul .Price .Quantity }}
div a b	Division (safe)	{{ div .Order.Tax .Order.Subtotal }}

String Functions

Function	Description
upper text	UPPERCASE
lower text	lowercase
title text	Title Case
trim text	Remove leading/trailing whitespace
repeat text n	Repeat text n times

Full Example: Custom Proforma Receipt

Here's a complete custom receipt template showing common patterns:

{{ center }}{{ bold }}{{ doubleHeight }}{{ .Business.Name }}{{ doubleHeightOff }}{{ boldOff }}
{{ .Business.Address }}
{{ .Business.Phone }}
{{ separator }}
{{ left }}{{ datetime .Order.CreatedAt }}
Receipt: {{ .Order.ReceiptID }}
Table: {{ .Order.Table }}
{{ doubleSep }}
{{ bold }}ITEM                     QTY    PRICE AMOUNT{{ boldOff }}
{{ separator }}
{{ range .Items }}{{ padRight (truncate .Name 24) 24 }} {{ padLeft (printf "%d" .Quantity) 3 }} {{ padLeft (printf "%.2f" .Price) 8 }} {{ padLeft (printf "%.2f" .Total) 7 }}{{ if .Vatable }} C{{ end }}
{{ if notEmpty .Notes }}  -> {{ .Notes }}
{{ end }}{{ end }}{{ doubleSep }}
{{ bold }}{{ row "TOTAL" (currency .Order.TotalDue) }}{{ boldOff }}
{{ separator }}
VAT 16%: {{ printf "%.2f" .Order.Tax }}
CTL  2%: {{ printf "%.2f" .Order.CTL }}
{{ separator }}
Served by: {{ .Waiter.Name }}
Cashier: {{ .Cashier.Name }}
{{ separator }}
{{ center }}{{ .Business.Footer }}
{{ feed 2 }}{{ cut }}

Tips

• Paper width: Standard 80mm thermal printers fit 48 characters per line (Font A). Plan your column layouts accordingly.
• Preview first: Use the Preview button in the dashboard template editor to see how your template renders before saving.
• Validate: The editor checks your template syntax before saving — fix any errors shown.
• Item column alignment: Use padRight for left-aligned columns and padLeft for right-aligned numbers. Combine with truncate to prevent long names from breaking the layout.
• C marker: The {{ if .Vatable }} C{{ end }} pattern marks taxable items with a "C" — a common convention on fiscal receipts.
• Kitchen tickets: Use {{ doubleHeight }} for kitchen templates so cooks can read orders from a distance.