When it comes right down to it, Comic Shop Assistant is just a website. So any device you have that can run a website should run CSA just fine (phone, iPad, etc). That said, it's designed with a computer browser in mind, and will work best using the following.

DEVICES

  • Desktop or laptop computer (Mac or PC) running a modern version of Chrome. We do the majority of our testing on a modern Mac running the newest operating system, but since Comic Shop Assistant is just a website, it should work fine without the latest and greatest. Take this upgrade to your store as an opportunity to get a new machine if you're running something old. There's no way you'll regret it.
  • CSA gives you the best experience with a wider monitor, but it scales fairly gracefully to whatever you're using now.
  • Fast, reliable internet. You can use slow internet, but why? Treat yourself. You work hard. You deserve it.

EXTERNAL HARDWARE

  • You'll want a barcode scanner. My favorite is the Honeywell Xenon XP: 1950GHD (it can scan a barcode in any orientation, and can also scan QR codes), although you'll get along just fine with a trusty ol' Honeywell 1300G.
  • For a receipt printer, we know CSA works great with a Star Micronics 650. It also works with other printers, but this is what we recommend and can help you troubleshoot.
  • Credit card processing is not integrated with Comic Shop Assistant, so you can use any processor and device you wish. During a transaction, once you've taken payment through the interface of your choice, you just swear on a stack of Watchmen that you took the money, and CSA trusts you.
  • For your label printer, we use and test with the Dymo 450, although with some tinkering on your print settings, you should be able to get other models to work. The Dymo 450 is what we support, though.
  • If you lose internet, you won't be able to access Comic Shop Assistant, so we recommend getting some sort of hotspot option. In our shop, the owners can our phones, but if we aren't there and the internet goes out, we have a backup cell phone with plenty of bandwidth available for hotspot connections. PRO TIP: It was cheaper to take advantage of a deal at our phone provider to get a free iPhone and a new line than it was to buy an official hot spot.

Not that you asked but we also really like the Monarch 1136 price gun. We've dropped ours hundreds of times and it still works. The double line version is better than the single line because it opens up a whole world of extra information you can encode in your price sticker (issue number, grade, date put on the shelf, etc).