Hello!
So i am building my own POS, since my shop is very unique I needed to add a lot of things that are not present in Square POS. My pos currently runs on any pc or browser. On my main shop computer I run it using an Electron app in windows, But I can also access it on my IPAD in the browser.
Just curious how I can integrate square terminal into my pos in order to take payments.
I currently use the square card reader connected to my IPAD. Do i need to build my pos into an IPAD app in order to connect to my square reader? I also think from reading that maybe I can connect square “terminal” to my windows app? but also from reading that the SDK is not available outside the US.
So what are my options? basically I take all my orders using my own POS system and just mark it as paid, made, collected etc etc. I want to take payments using my own POS so I can send my own invoices (the current square receipt system is gross)
I do not want to enter card information in my POS app.
Thank you for any info. I have searched all the docs and it seems very confusing due to all the different terminology.
If it’s any help, I’m currently building a web application which uses Square Terminal for payments. The way the integration works is that your web application (or whatever) posts JSON requests to the Square API which communicates with the Square Terminal and displays the payment screen on it. It’s all done via HTTP.
thank you, that does help. Just quick question the terminal is the little one with a screen right? I don’t suppose I can do that with the square card reader?
thank you.
Yes, it’s the one with the screen. Sorry, don’t know the capabilities of the Square card reader. I chose the Square Terminal because it was the only device I came across which I could determine would work with a straight web application (actually in my case a Progressive Web Application) running on a tablet, as opposed to a native app. Not sure that that is the case, there may be others, but I haven’t found them yet.
Currently the Terminal is the only device you can make an API call to CreateTerminalCheckout which will push the payment from any device including a PC to the Terminal to complete a checkout.
If you’d like to use our other readers you’ll need to use either Reader SDK or Point of Sale API which only run on mobile iOS and Android devices. 
amazing thank you for the clear answer. I shall order a terminal! SO just to be clear. I can create line items from my app and send them over to the terminal which will update wth the total price and allow the customer to tap their card?
also I noticed you have some receipt printers. do any of these allow sending of custom data to print a receipt? or do I need to do a transaction through the terminal in order to print a receipt?
ie: can I use it to print receipts for orders directly from my own pos app? even if they do direct deposit?
At this time you’d just be able to process a payment with the Terminal API. Processing an itemized order isn’t yet available. It’s a very popular feature request and we hope to have more for you soon.
Additionally, the ability to print on other printers other than the Terminal isn’t currently available.
oh right ok so it’s a feature in the works, that is good to know.
I wasn’t asking if i can print on other printers from the terminal. I was asking can I print using the square printer from my own pos. that way I can print receipts for eft payments processed using the terminal and just issue receipts from my own POS whenever I feel like.
EDIT: sorry just realised what you meant. SO the terminal has a printer built in. So when I process a custom order using my own pos I send the total to the terminal and it takes payment and printers a receipt… You also sell a USB printer. I was asking if I can plug that into my pc and send whatever I want to it? for example a cash payment from my own POS so I can take payment and print a receipt? Or maybe a customer pays via direct deposit and I can mark it as paid in my POS and print a receipt.
Is that possible using the SQUARE USB printer? or should I look for a more open generic one?
The Terminal will print a receipt however it isn’t able reprint receipts. The other printer that work with Square aren’t actually Square printers. They are 3rd party printers and I bet you could configure them to work with your POS.
oh silly me I did not even notice, they are an Epson. amazing thank you!
amazing so I just purchases the square terminal and the barcode scanner and the usb printer. THis should allow me to really upgrade my checkout experience!
The barcode scanner seems to just read as keyboard input meaing I can program in some barcodes for my items and print my own barcode stickers and scan them in.
The printer means I can print my own receipts in store. and the terminal handles card payments.
only thing missing is sending line items to the terminal. is there any ETA on that?
Unfortunately there isn’t a public roadmap but as I mentioned it’s a popular feature request.