How to print checks from QuickBooks without alignment problems

What do you need before printing checks from QuickBooks?

Get four things ready before you touch print setup. Most alignment trouble starts with a mismatch between the stock and the check type selected in QuickBooks, not with the printer.

• Preprinted laser check stock with your bank details and MICR line already printed.
• The right check type: voucher (one check per page with stubs) or standard (three per page).
• A laser printer that feeds letter paper straight and consistently.
• A few sheets of plain letter paper for test prints.

QuickBooks Online offers only voucher and standard check types, and Intuit has said wallet checks work only in QuickBooks Desktop. QuickBooks Desktop also notes that it does not print MICR fonts, so the bank numbers must already be on your stock or come from a third party add on. If you are still choosing a format, our comparison of laser checks vs wallet checks explains which suits your volume.

How do you set up check printing in QuickBooks Online?

Intuit's steps start from the Expense transactions list. Menu names change from time to time, so follow the labels in your version if they differ slightly.

• Go to Expenses and Bills, then Expense transactions, and select Print checks.
• Select Print setup.
• Choose the check type that matches your stock: voucher or standard.
• Preview and print a sample on plain paper.
• Place the sample on top of a blank check and hold both up to a light.
• If the fields do not line up, drag the alignment grid or adjust it by hand, then print another sample.
• When the sample matches, select Yes, I'm finished with setup.

Intuit also says the latest Adobe Reader should be set as your browser's PDF reader for alignment to work properly. That single setting fixes a surprising number of misprints.

How do you print a batch of checks?

Once setup is done, you write checks or pay bills with Print later selected. Those checks show To print instead of a number and wait in the print queue.

• Open Print checks from Expense transactions.
• Choose the bank account the checks draw on.
• In Starting check number, enter the number printed on the first sheet in your printer.
• Tick each check you want to print.
• Select Preview and print, review the preview, then print.
• When QuickBooks asks, choose Yes, they all printed correctly, or Some checks need reprinting and enter the first bad check number.

The starting number step matters. QuickBooks assigns numbers in order from what you type, so if the printer holds check 1047 and you enter 1045, every record will be off by two.

What are the most common QuickBooks check printing problems?

Scaling deserves special attention. Intuit's own help points to print scale settings in Adobe Acrobat and in printer drivers when misalignment persists. A page printed at 97 percent looks almost right, but a small shrink moves the amount box a noticeable distance by the bottom of the sheet.

How do you handle a misprinted check?

Treat the misprint as a used check, because it carries your real bank details. Write VOID in large letters across the face, keep it with your records, and note the number. Then tell QuickBooks that some checks need reprinting, starting from that number, so the software reprints on the next sheet and your sequence has no silent gap.

Never throw a misprinted check in the regular trash. Shred it after you have recorded it, or file it if your accountant wants voided checks kept. Our guide on how to void a check covers the paperwork side.

How is QuickBooks Desktop different?

QuickBooks Desktop offers three check styles in its printer setup: voucher, standard and wallet. The Desktop wallet style prints small checks on laser sheets and is different from a handwritten wallet checkbook. Intuit also advises unchecking the option to print your company name and address when your checks already have them preprinted, otherwise the name prints twice.

The alignment idea is the same: print on plain paper, compare against a blank check, adjust and repeat. Desktop users who need MICR printing on blank stock need a third party tool, as the Desktop article states.

Which check stock works with QuickBooks?

QuickBooks Online does not print at the bottom of voucher sheets, according to Intuit staff replies in its community, so avoid check on bottom stock for it. For layout detail see our guide to check on top, middle or bottom, and before going the blank stock route, read our explainer on blank check stock and MICR.

What should you do after the first successful run?

Write down the settings that worked: check type, alignment position and printer tray. Load stock the same way every time, face and direction included. If you change printers or browsers, run a new plain paper test before printing real checks.

Keep enough stock for a few months. Voqado laser checks for QuickBooks start at $34.99 for 50 and come in multipurpose, payroll and accounts payable layouts. Standard orders take 2 to 4 business days of handling plus 5 to 8 business days in transit, so reorder before the tray runs low.