User Manual

Culsi for Android – User Manual

1. Introduction

Culsi is an Android application for foodservice operations to manage time/temperature control for safety (TPHC), maintain compliance records, and streamline labeling. It prints through Android’s system print, so it works with printers supported on your device—no vendor SDKs required.

With Culsi, you can:

  • Log food items when removed from temperature control.
  • Track discard times automatically (Due Alerts/Alarms).
  • Print labels with customizable templates (Avery sheets or thermal single-label pages).
  • Use Saved Labels for one-tap printing of common items.
  • Queue and batch print multiple labels at once.
  • Export records for compliance and auditing.

Culsi is lightweight, offline-capable, and optimized for Android 7.0+ (API 24+).

2. Getting Started

Installation

  • Download and install Culsi on your Android device.
  • Open the app to begin setup.

First-Time Setup

  • Set your default discard duration (commonly 4 hours).
  • Select your label template:
    • Avery: 5160, 5163, 5167
    • Thermal sizes: 62×30 mm, 57×32 mm, or Custom Thermal Size

Navigation Overview

  • Food Logs — Create, view, manage logs.
  • Catalog — Standardized items and categories.
  • Saved Labels — One-tap printing for common items.
  • Settings — Templates, alignment profiles, Avery sheet tools, alarms, and utilities.

UI note: The top bar shows the Culsi logo at left. Tap About (top-right) for app info.

3. Food Logs

Food logs track items once they leave temperature control.

Creating a Food Log

  1. Tap Add New Log.
  2. Enter the food name (pick from catalog or type new).
  3. Set the time removed from temperature control.
  4. Confirm duration (defaults from Settings).
  5. Enter Logged by.
  6. (Optional) Add notes.
  7. Tap Save.

The discard due time is calculated automatically and used for alerts/printing.

Viewing Logs

  • Active — Items still within their discard window.
  • All — Full history.
  • Recent — Last 30 days.

Discarding & Deleting

  • Mark items as Discarded with a reason/action (trash/compost/other).
  • Delete a single log or clear by date range.

Exporting Logs

  • CSV — Spreadsheet-friendly.
  • JSON — Structured data for systems.

4. Item Catalog

The catalog standardizes item names for fast, consistent logging.

Categories

  • Breakfast: Bacon, French Toast
  • Lunch & Dinner: Beef, Vegetables
  • Sauces & Mise: Ranch, Salsa

Custom Items

  • Add your own items per category.
  • Items are stored locally and shown with defaults.

“Logged by” memory: Culsi remembers the last “Logged by” name to speed repeat entries.

5. Saved Labels

Saved Labels are one-tap shortcuts to instantly print common labels.

Screen Layout

  1. Batch print food labels (checkbox) — toggle batch mode.
  2. Saved label buttons — newest first.
  3. Add new saved label — create a new shortcut (unique names enforced).
  4. Logged by & Duration — inputs below Add New.

Adding & Managing

  • Create new buttons from Saved Labels → Add.
  • Use each button’s ⋮ menu to Edit or Delete.
  • Duplicates are prevented (case-insensitive).

Printing with Saved Labels

  • Tap a button → instantly print a label.
  • Logged by is required.
  • Duration is applied in days (or hours if configured).
  • Batch Mode: enable, tap to queue, then use Print Batch (or Clear Batch).

Avery Sheet Tracking
Culsi tracks used cells on Avery sheets. When a sheet fills, you’ll be prompted to start a new one—or start a new sheet manually in the Partial Sheet Editor. You can also enable Auto-advance Avery sheet (Settings) to continue without prompts.

6. Label Printing (Settings)

The Label Printing section controls templates, alignment, and Avery tools.

Templates

  • Avery: 5160 (30-up), 5163 (10-up), 5167 (80-up)
  • Thermal: 62×30 mm, 57×32 mm (single-label pages)
  • Custom Thermal Size: define width/height (mm)

Alignment Controls

  • Scale (%) — overall size
  • X Offset (pt) — horizontal shift
  • Y Offset (pt) — vertical shift

Alignment Profiles (per-printer presets)

  • Save current as… — e.g., “Front Desk HP”.
  • Apply — instantly applies saved Scale/X/Y.
  • Rename / Delete — manage presets.

Partial Sheet Editor (Avery)

  • Collapsible editor with live summary when collapsed (Free/Used/Planned).
  • Tap cells to toggle used/free. The grid honors the real label aspect ratio (e.g., 5160 is wide).
  • Planned print order shows numbered overlays (1..N) when a batch is queued.
  • Start new sheet — button inside the editor opens the confirmation dialog to reset the sheet.
  • Grid height is capped (scrollable) to keep the screen usable.
  • Undo last print and Reprint last batch are available.

7. Printing Utilities

  • Print Alignment Test — prints outlines/indices to calibrate Scale/X/Y (Avery grid / Thermal guides).
  • Export Last PDF — share the most recent printed PDF for printing elsewhere.
  • Tip: Print Services — if none are installed, Culsi suggests installing one (e.g., Mopria or your printer brand’s plugin).

Culsi prints via Android’s system dialog and works with Brother/HP/Epson/Canon, etc., through installed print services.

8. Bluetooth & Print Services

  • Bluetooth status — On/Off/Unavailable; open system Bluetooth settings to pair devices.
  • Installed print services — lists detected services; Get Print Service opens the Play Store.
  • After pairing/installing a service, run Print Alignment Test to verify output.

9. Data Management

  • Logs older than 30 days are purged automatically (configurable in Settings).
  • All data is stored locally in culsi.db.
  • Exports (CSV/JSON) are saved to your device or shared via Android share sheet.

10. Permissions & Device Requirements

Permissions

  • POST_NOTIFICATIONS (Android 13+): Due alerts and notifications.
  • INTERNET: Printing via network print services and sharing PDFs.
  • FOREGROUND_SERVICE: Ensures timely notification handling.

Culsi doesn’t request Bluetooth permissions; pairing happens in system settings.

Device Requirements & Screen Size

  • Min SDK: 24 (Android 7.0)
  • Target SDK: 34 (Android 14)
  • Recommended display: smallest width ≥ 400dp and height ≥ 700dp.
  • On devices below the minimum, Culsi shows a blocking warning with an option to exit (a developer override may be present in debug builds).

11. Troubleshooting

  • Labels misaligned: run Print Alignment Test, then adjust Scale/X/Y in Settings.
  • Printer not listed: install a print service (e.g., Mopria), then try printing again.
  • “Screen too small” message: use a device or tablet that meets the display requirements or rotate to landscape.
  • Export fails: ensure a recent print exists; then use Export Last PDF.
  • Crashes/freezes: update to the latest version and restart the app.

12. Appendix — Glossary

  • TPHC — Time/Temperature Control for Safety.
  • Discard Action — Method/reason for disposal (trash/compost/other).
  • Placement Plan — The algorithm that fills Avery sheets with queued labels.
  • Alignment Profile — Saved Scale/X/Y offsets per template/printer.
  • Custom Thermal Size — User-defined label dimensions (mm).

Supported Avery Templates

  • 5160 (30-up)
  • 5163 (10-up)
  • 5167 (80-up)

File Formats

  • CSV — Comma-separated values for spreadsheets.
  • JSON — Structured data for systems.
  • License: Culsi is FREE software. If you paid someone for it, request a refund.
  • About dialog: “Culsi — built in Austin, TX by Chris Villarreal • culsi.com • © 2025 • FREE software. If you paid for it, get a refund.”
  • Target SDK: 34 (Android 14)
  • Min SDK: 24 (Android 7.0)
  • Last updated: October 9, 2025

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