Overview

The Bixolon SPP-R310 is a small Bluetooth label printer used by mobile vets for drug label printing with VetlinkPRO.

Important: Bixolon has officially confirmed that the SPP-R310 is technically a receipt printer, not a true label printer, and cannot be calibrated in the standard way. The configuration steps below are the confirmed working setup. These settings must be verified whenever printing issues occur, as changing the label size or driver settings is the most common cause of recurring problems.

Known Issues

• Footer (clinic name) missing from printed labels — content appears correctly in the VetlinkPRO preview but is cut off on the physical label. Almost always caused by incorrect label dimensions or paper type in the Windows printer driver (see Troubleshooting section below).
• Printer printing double or multiple labels — caused by label height being set too large, or the End Page field missing the <FF> value.
• Bluetooth pairing shows "driver unavailable" — driver needs to be uninstalled and reinstalled (see Step 4 below).

⚠️ Do not attempt to auto-calibrate using standard label printer methods. Bixolon have confirmed this model cannot be calibrated. The VetlinkPRO settings in Step 5 are the correct workaround.

Full Setup & Configuration

Connect via TeamViewer before proceeding. All settings must be configured on the Windows laptop or Surface the printer is paired to.

Step 1 — Switch Printer into Label Printing Mode

1. Turn on the printer power.
2. Open the paper cover and hold the paper feed button for longer than two seconds until a buzzer tone sounds.
3. After the buzzer tone, insert paper and close the cover.
4. To return to receipt mode later, repeat these same steps.

Step 2 — Auto Calibrate the Printer

1. Turn the printer off while still in label print mode.
2. Press and hold the paper feed button, then press the power button.
3. After the printout, press the power button to perform auto calibration:
   • Select the mode
   • Auto Calibration: Power Button
   • Self-Test: Feed Button

Step 3 — Pair Bluetooth with Windows

1. Pair the printer with the Windows laptop or Surface.
2. Bluetooth PIN: 0000

Step 4 — Install Windows Driver & Set COM Port

1. Install the Bixolon Windows driver (check Downloads folder — run the .exe).
2. To find the COM port: Control Panel → Devices and Printers → SPP-R310 → Properties → Hardware tab → Standard Serial over Bluetooth link COMX
3. Select the correct COM port in the driver settings.

⚠️ If Bluetooth pairing shows driver unavailable: Run the .exe to uninstall the driver first, reboot the PC, then reinstall.

Step 5 — VetlinkPRO Printer Settings (Critical)

These settings must be configured exactly as below. To access: Control Panel → Devices and Printers → right-click SPP-R310 → Printing Preferences → Paper tab.

⚠️ Common incorrect configuration observed in the field:

Why the Footer Goes Missing — Explained

The VetlinkPRO drug label template works as follows:

• Drug name and medication instructions are placed at the top of the label canvas
• The clinic footer (clinic name, address, phone, vet name) is anchored to the bottom of the label canvas
• The canvas size is determined by the Paper Length set in the Windows printer driver

When Paper Length is set to 55 mm, the footer is placed at approximately 50–55 mm down the canvas. However, the physical label stock only measures 40 mm. The printer feeds 40 mm of paper and stops — the footer never physically reaches the paper and is lost.

The print preview in VetlinkPRO will show the correct layout — drug info at the top, a large white gap in the middle, and the footer at the very bottom of the tall canvas. This preview looks strange but confirms the footer exists in the template. The problem is entirely in the driver dimensions: the canvas is taller than the paper.

The fix is simple: reset Paper Length to 40 mm. This aligns the bottom of the canvas with the bottom of the physical label, so the footer prints correctly.

Troubleshooting: Footer (Clinic Name) Missing from Printed Labels

Symptom: Footer visible in VetlinkPRO preview (at the bottom of a tall, mostly blank canvas) but not appearing on the physical printed label.

Root cause: Paper Length is set larger than 40 mm, pushing the footer beyond the physical label boundary.

Resolution:

1. Connect via TeamViewer.
2. Open Printing Preferences: Control Panel → Devices and Printers → right-click SPP-R310 → Printing Preferences.
3. On the Paper tab, check Paper Type — change to Ticket if set to Receipt.
4. On the Paper tab, click the … button next to Paper Size to open User Defined Paper Size.
5. Set Paper Width to 70 mm and Paper Length to 40 mm. Click Save.
6. Click OK/Apply to close all dialogs.
7. Test print a label and confirm the footer (clinic name, address, phone) appears at the bottom.
8. If the footer still does not appear after correcting all settings, the VetlinkPRO label template may need developer review. Escalate accordingly.

Troubleshooting: Printer Printing Double or Multiple Labels

1. Check Paper Length — if increased beyond 40 mm, reset to 40 mm.
2. Check Paper Type — must be Ticket, not Receipt.
3. Confirm the End Page field (Document Settings tab) contains <FF>.
4. If the issue persists, redo the calibration process (Step 2 above).

Originally created August 2022. Updated April 2026 to include confirmed correct settings, real-world incorrect configuration reference, visual explanation of footer anchor behaviour, and detailed troubleshooting steps. Please update after each resolved SPP-R310 incident.