Print Service
Overview
The merchantCENTRAL Print Service is a universal print service for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It sends shipping labels, BC reports, and any PDF/ZPL documents through a local print service (MC.PrintService) to physical printers – without a browser print dialog.
Where does the print data go?
Print data never passes through ALTENBRAND infrastructure: with Direct Push it goes straight from Business Central to MC.PrintService; with Relay and Poll it runs through the customer's own Azure subscription.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multiple printers | Any number of printers, each with its own transport mode and connection |
| Immediate printing | Every new print job is rendered and sent seconds after the posting or label creation – in a background task of its own, never inside the posting itself |
| Print queue | Status-driven queue (Pending Render → Queued → Sending → Printed/Failed) with automatic retries |
| Routing rules | Priority-based assignment of shipping labels (provider + format + location → target printer) |
| Fallback printer | Automatic failover to a fallback printer when the target printer cannot be reached |
| Auto-print | Shipping labels are printed right after they are created |
| Print subscriptions | Automatic report printing after posting (sales shipment, sales invoice, credit memo, warehouse shipment, transfer shipment, purchase receipt) and after a shipping label is created |
| Dashboard | Daily overview with a notice banner, KPI tiles and cards |
| PDF & ZPL | Windows printers (PDF) and Zebra thermal printers (ZPL via TCP/IP) |
| Several computers | With Relay and Poll, several computers can print, each with a queue of its own; the Agent field on the printer card names the computer |
Prerequisites
- AD merchantCENTRAL Hub installed
- At least a demo license for the
PRINTSERVICEmodule, and the module switched on in merchantCENTRAL (see Installation) - A Windows machine on the customer's network for MC.PrintService (Windows 10 version 1903 or later, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2022 or later; Windows Server 2016/2019 only with the ZIP installation)
- Printers: Windows printer driver (PDF) or Zebra printer via TCP/IP on the local network (ZPL)
Getting Started
Setup involves three steps: installing the local print service, connecting it to Business Central, and adding a printer. Switch the module on first: merchantCENTRAL Setup → Extensions → Print Service → Set Up, then the Enabled switch on the hub card Extension. After that, the assisted setup Set up the merchantCENTRAL Print Service (under Assisted Setup) guides you through all three steps.
→ Full guide: Installation
Graceful Degradation
If the Print Service app is not installed, the Hub continues to work fully – just without print functionality. No errors are generated in other modules.
Connection to Business Central (Transport Modes)
Business Central (Cloud) cannot address local printers directly. There are three transport modes for the path from BC to MC.PrintService, chosen per printer:
| Mode | How it works | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Push (default) | BC calls the service directly via its fixed public address (HTTPS + API key) | Fixed public IP + port forwarding |
| Relay (Azure Queue) | BC puts the job into a queue in the customer's Azure; the service fetches it over an outbound connection | Customer's Azure subscription |
| Poll (Azure Queue) | An Azure Function in the customer's Azure fetches the jobs from BC; BC stays passive | Customer's Azure subscription |
→ Details and setup: Installation
Print Methods
| Method | Printer | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Any Windows printer (laser, inkjet, thermal printer with Windows driver) | Package labels, delivery notes, invoices, reports | |
| ZPL | Zebra thermal printers (GK420, ZD421, ZT411 …) via TCP/IP | Fast label printing |
Pages in This Section
| Page | Description |
|---|---|
| Installation | Step by step: install the service, connect to BC, add a printer |
| Dashboard | Daily overview with notice banner, KPIs and quick actions |
| Setup (Reference) | All fields and actions of the Print Service Settings on the hub card Extension |
| Printers | Printer list, printer card, status and fallback |
| Print Queue | Print jobs, status and retries |
| Routing Rules | Automatic printer assignment for shipping labels |
| Print Subscriptions | Automatic report printing after posting |
| MC.PrintService – Reference | Local print service: installation, configuration, endpoints, troubleshooting |