ZDNET's key takeaways
Even in a digital era, paper checks remain widely used.
QuickBooks Online offers built-in tools for check alignment.
Check numbering follows the print list order you select.
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So you want to print a paper check from QuickBooks Online? A paper check. I know. That's like using a phone to talk to someone with your voice. Who does that anymore?
Even in a world of Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, Apple Pay, and bitcoin, people and companies still send money to each other using paper documents. We all like getting money, even if it's in the form of a paper check.
Although paper check use has declined considerably over the past few decades, they're still used for bill payments, business-to-business transactions, sometimes as paychecks, and for larger transactions where a paper trail is valuable.
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If you use QuickBooks Online, you may need to generate paper checks. In this article, I'll show you how, from how to enter payment data, to how to make sure the printer and check paper are aligned, all the way to making the printer actually put ink on paper.
How to print checks in Quickbooks Online
1. Enter a payment
For our examples, I'll be using a QuickBooks Online demo account for Craig's Design and Landscaping Service. Who's Craig? No idea, but we'll be using his QBO account. Thanks, Craig!
The easiest way to get started is to click on Create Check in the Shortcuts menu on your QuickBooks Online dashboard.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
You can also choose Expenses from the menu on the left (at 1) and then drop down the New Transaction menu and choose Check (at 2).
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
In the example below, we're paying $198 for More Vroom for Shop Truck, because who doesn't want more vroom for their shop truck? This check entry form has a couple of points of interest.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
The most important thing (from a check printing perspective) is indicated at 1. If you check the Print Later checkbox, the payment will be scheduled to print, and a check number will not be assigned at this time. If you leave that box unchecked, you'll need to fill in the check number on the form. The payment will simply be recorded in the ledger.
You can see confirmation of this (at 2). Rather than showing a check number, the header indicates "To print."
If you're only printing one check, you can print it directly from this form by clicking "Print Check" (at 3). In this example, we'll skip clicking on Print Check and hit save. That will save the transaction. We'll get to printing the check in a moment.
2. Set up your printer
Back on the Expenses form, you can see that the check we just entered is in the register. Note (in the green box) that the check number is blank. This is how you know that the check is to be printed. To initiate the process, click Print Checks.
This will take you to the printing setup page. Before we go any further, make sure you have plain white paper in your printer. Do not load a check at this time.
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I'm not going to show you how to connect your computer to your printer, because that differs from printer to printer. But I will show you how to make sure that when you print your check data, it aligns perfectly with your physical checks. That's what this screen is for.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
First, you'll need to choose your check type. You can use 3-up checks or voucher checks. My company uses the Voucher style, so that's what I'll show you in this article (at 1).
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Next, go down to "View preview and print sample" (at 2) and click it. You'll be redirected to a print preview screen, which will print a fake check on the white paper you loaded earlier.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Click Print. Note that depending on your browser, you may have to click your browser's print button as well. In Chrome, you're dropped into preview and then have to hit the print icon.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Once the page prints, fetch it off the printer and also get a blank check. You'll be comparing them for alignment. Once you have both, go back to your computer and close the preview page. This should bring you back to the QuickBooks Online check printing setup page.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
Hold the check and the preview print up to the light and see how the amount aligns with the align field. As the above example shows on the left, you're looking for proper alignment. If you don't have proper alignment (as shown on the right), we'll need to adjust the offsets.
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If the alignment is off, click "No, continue setup."
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
This brings us to a step that might be controversial for some. QuickBooks Online recommends you use Adobe Acrobat Reader. The contention is that printing alignment is best using Reader. It's up to you, but if you run the test and the print still doesn't align, hit No at the bottom of the screen again.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
I, personally, don't like that approach. I want the very few checks I print to print directly from Chrome to my printer. So, I would skip the reader test, and click No again. This time, QuickBooks takes you to an alignment grid option page.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
As you can see, I moved the grid 32 clicks to the left and 13 clicks down. This matches the location on the second example above, where I showed you how it might look if it doesn't align.
Keep clicking "View preview and print sample" and then adjusting the alignment until you have a match. Once you do, click Finish Setup.
3. Print checks
Now that your check alignment is configured, you can print your checks. Go back to the Expenses screen and click on Print Checks. This time, you'll see the checks you previously queued up for printing.
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET
You have a few selection options here. You can choose the Account to pull finances from for the checks. You can select from Check and Bill Payment in the Transaction Type field. And you can choose how to order the checks as they print. Choose from:
Order created
Date, then Payee
Date, then Order created
These options will determine how the pending checks are displayed on the list. Check numbers follow the list, so if you change the list order, you'll also change the order in which checks are printed, which will be reflected in the check number.
Finally, indicate the starting check number in its associated field. Then click Preview and Print. You can go ahead and examine the intended print order, cancel if you don't like it, or hit print to send the checks to your printer.
And that is how you print checks in QuickBooks Online.
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Have you ever needed to print paper checks from QuickBooks Online? Do you still find paper checks useful for certain business transactions, or have you gone completely digital? How has your experience been with check alignment and printing setup, smooth or frustrating? Do you rely on Adobe Acrobat Reader for accuracy, or do you print straight from your browser? Let us know in the comments below.
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