Chapter 14
Printing, E-mailing, and Managing Documents in QuickBooks
In this chapter:
• Set up your printers for use with QuickBooks
• Print forms and checks
• E-mail forms
• Manage QuickBooks documents
Many of the transactions that you create in QuickBooks need to be delivered to your customers, vendors, or employees. In some cases, the delivery method is in the form of a printed document; in other cases, transactions are sent electronically. This chapter covers your options for both sending and storing the forms and documents that are critical to running your business.
QuickBooks Printer Setup
If you choose to send printed versions of your documents, you have to link each type of document you print to a specific printer and then configure the way the printer processes each document type.
Choose File | Printer Setup to begin. The Printer Setup dialog opens with the drop-down list of the Form Name field displayed. Select the form you want to print, as shown in Figure 14-1.
FIGURE 14-1 |
Start by selecting the form you want to print. |
The form type you select determines the contents of the Printer Setup dialog; the tabs, fields, and options vary depending on the form. Many of the forms you print come out of the printer perfectly with little or no adjustment; however, some forms (such as checks) should be tweaked to make sure the output is what you want it to be. If you use multiple printers, you can assign specific printers to specific types of forms, and QuickBooks will always select the appropriate printer when you print those forms.
Choosing Form Printing Settings
This section covers setting up forms, with the exception of checks. See the section “Using QuickBooks to Print Checks” later in this chapter to learn how to set up check printing.
You must assign a printer and assign settings for the forms you print. Start by selecting the appropriate form in the Form Name field at the top of the Printer Setup dialog; the fields in the dialog change to match the needs of the form you selected. For example, Figure 14-2 shows the setup options for an invoice; other forms have different—and sometimes fewer—options available.
FIGURE 14-2 |
Choose your settings for printing an invoice. |
Choosing a Printer for a Form
The drop-down list in the Printer Name field displays the printers installed on your computer. Select the appropriate printer for this form.
Selecting the Paper for Printing a Form
For transaction forms, the setup offers three types of paper: Intuit preprinted forms, blank paper, and letterhead.
• Intuit Preprinted Forms You can order these forms from Intuit or your favorite supplier that carries forms specifically designed for QuickBooks. All the fields are preprinted and aligned to match the way QuickBooks prints the form. When you print, only the data prints, not the field names.
• Blank Paper If you use blank paper to print transaction forms, QuickBooks prints your company name and address at the top of the paper and prints the field names in addition to the data. Lines to separate fields and columns are also printed. You can select the option not to print the lines, but without the column and field lines, the invoice may be difficult to read or understand.
• Letterhead This setting is the same as the Blank Paper setting, except QuickBooks does not print the company name and address information at the top, and the top of the form begins printing 2 inches below the top of the paper to make sure the data doesn’t print over your preprinted letterhead text.
Fine-tuning the Alignment for Printing Forms
To make sure that everything prints in the right place or to change the position of the printed output, you can fine-tune the alignment of text. Although it’s important to do this if you’re using preprinted forms, it doesn’t hurt to check the way the printout looks on blank paper or letterhead.
Click Align to open the Align Printer dialog. Choose the template that you want to work with and click OK. This opens the Fine Alignment dialog in which you can print a sample and then move text up, down, left, or right to make adjustments to the sample printout. Continue to print a sample and make adjustments until the printout looks the way you want it to.
Adjustments affect all the text as a block. You cannot adjust individual fields, rows, or other elements in the printed form. So if you adjust the alignment by moving a field up 14/100th of an inch, for example, everything that prints on the form moves up 14/100th of an inch.
Printing Forms as PDF Files
QuickBooks automatically installs a PDF printer driver when you install the software. The printer driver is used by QuickBooks when, for example, you send an invoice or purchase order via e-mail to customers or vendors (covered later in this chapter in the section, “E-mail Forms and Reports”). If you want to print your forms as PDF documents, with the form open choose File | Save As PDF.
Using QuickBooks to Print Checks
If you want to print your checks from within QuickBooks instead of creating checks manually, you must use checks that are designed specifically for QuickBooks.
Purchasing Checks That Work with QuickBooks
QuickBooks checks come in a wide range of colors and designs and in several varieties. You can order any of the following check types directly from Intuit by choosing Banking | Order Checks & Envelopes | Order Checks:
• Voucher checks
• Standard business checks
• Wallet-sized checks
Setting Up Your Printer for Checks
To configure your printer to manage check printing, choose File | Printer Setup from the menu bar. Select Check/PayCheck as the form, and then select the printer you’re using for checks. Your Printer Setup window should look similar to Figure 14-3.
FIGURE 14-3 |
Set up your printer for check printing. |
Choosing a Check Style
You have to select a check style, and it has to match the check style you purchased, of course. Three styles are available for QuickBooks checks, and a sample of each style appears in the dialog to show you what the style looks like.
• Voucher checks These have a detachable section on the check form. QuickBooks prints voucher information if you have voucher checks, including the name of the payee, the date, and the individual amounts of the bills being paid by this check. The voucher is attached to the bottom of the check. The check is the width of a regular business envelope.
• Standard checks These are just basic checks. They’re the width of a regular business envelope (usually called a #10 envelope). If you have a laser or inkjet printer, three checks fit on each page. Continuous (dot-matrix) feed printers just keep rolling, since the checks are printed on a continuous sheet with perforations separating the checks.
• Wallet checks These are narrower than the other two check styles so they fit in your wallet. The paper size is the same as the other checks (otherwise, you’d have a problem with your printer), but there’s a perforation on the left edge of the check so you can tear the ledger portion off the check.
Adding a Logo and Signature
If your checks have no preprinted logo and you have a file of your company logo, select Use Logo or click the Logo button to open the Logo dialog. Click the File button to locate the graphics file. If you want to print a signature on your checks, select the Print Signature Image check box; then click the Signature button and locate the signature file that you want to use.
There’s also a selection box for printing your company name and address, but when you buy checks, you should have that information preprinted.
Changing Fonts
Click the Fonts tab in the Printer Setup window to choose different fonts for printed checks. Use the Font button to change the font for all check information, with the exception of your company’s name and address. To change the font for this information, click the Address Font button. Click the appropriate button and then choose a font, a font style, and a size from the dialog that opens.
Handling Partial Check Pages on Laser and Inkjet Printers
If you’re printing to a laser or inkjet printer, you don’t have the advantage that a continuous feed printer provides—printing a check and stopping, leaving the next blank check waiting in the printer for the next time you print checks. QuickBooks offers a handy solution for this problem on the Partial Page tab (see Figure 14-4). The solution that matches your printer’s capabilities is preselected.
FIGURE 14-4 |
Partial page printing allows you to print one check on a full page of checks. |
Aligning the Printout
Click the Align button to print a sample check and see where the printing lines up on the physical check. You can move the starting points for printing up/down or left/right to make sure everything prints where it’s supposed to. When you’re finished, click OK in the Printer Setup window to save the configuration data.
Printer Settings vs. Printer Options
When you assign a printer to a specific form and customize the printing setup for that form, QuickBooks memorizes that selection. If you change printers when you’re ready to print, the next time you print the same form, QuickBooks returns to the original printer and printer settings linked to that form type, unless you reconfigure the setup to change printers.
Every printer has its own set of options to control the way printing occurs. And when you’re ready to print a document, such as an invoice, you can set the printing options when you print. On the Print dialog is an Options button that you can click to open an additional dialog for selecting options for the selected printer. You can change the tray (or select manual feed), change the resolution of the printing, and perform other tweaks.
ProAdvisor RecommendsPrint Settings May Not Work for Multiple Companies
QuickBooks printer settings are applied to the software, not to the company file that’s open when you set up printers. That means that if you work in multiple company files and they require different print settings, you’ll need to set up the printer and the printing options each time you change the company file.
So, for example, if one company file has payroll and buys voucher checks for all their check printing, but the other company uses wallet-size checks, you must go through a complete printer setup every time you switch company files and want to print checks. In addition, QuickBooks doesn’t let you perform separate setups for payroll checks (with vouchers) and vendor checks (without vouchers). You can solve that problem for a single company by buying voucher checks for both types of check printing. If you’ve repositioned printing with the Align feature, you should write down your saved settings so you can enter them again each time you switch between companies.
QuickBooks does not memorize these options; it uses the printer’s defaults the next time you print the form type. If you want to make printer options permanent, you must change the printer configuration in the Windows Printers folder.
Print Checks
If you print checks in QuickBooks, you can print each check as you enter and save it in the Write Checks window, or you can wait until you’ve finished entering all your checks and then print them in a batch.
Printing Each Check As You Create It
If you use the Write Checks window to create a check, when you’ve finished entering all the data, you can click the Print icon at the top of the window. The Print Check dialog opens, and the next printed check number is entered as the default.
Peek at the checks in your printer to make sure this is actually the next check number; if it’s not, change the number in the dialog. Then click OK to open the Print Checks dialog and click Print. After sending the check to the printer, QuickBooks displays the Print Checks – Confirmation dialog.
If the check printed properly, click OK. If not, click Cancel to fix the problem and print the check again; see “Reprinting Checks After a Problem,” later in this section. If you want to create additional checks in the Write Checks window, you can repeat these steps. However, if you’re creating multiple checks, it’s faster to create all the checks and then print them in a batch.
ProAdvisor RecommendsHow QuickBooks Numbers Checks
QuickBooks tracks two sets of check numbers for each checking account:
• Numbers for checks that are entered manually The next available number is automatically inserted when you enter checks in the check register or deselect the Print Later option in the Write Checks or Pay Bills window.
• Numbers for checks that are printed in QuickBooks The next available number is used automatically when you print checks.
This is a useful feature if you have preprinted checks in the office for printing checks and a checkbook you carry around so you can write checks when you’re not in the office.
Printing Checks in Batches
You can print all your checks in a batch after you’ve completed the task of creating them. If you’ve been working in the Write Checks window, click the Save & New button to continue to create checks. When you’re finished, use one of the following options to print all the checks you’ve prepared:
• On the last check, click Save, and then click the arrow below the Print icon on the check window and select Batch.
• Click Save & Close when you create the last check, and then choose File | Print Forms | Checks to print the batch.
Either option opens the Select Checks To Print dialog.
By default, all the unprinted checks are selected for printing, which is almost always what you want to do, but you can deselect checks if there’s a reason to do so (they remain in the batch and will be waiting for you the next time you print checks). Click OK to open the Print Checks window.
If your checks were written on different bank accounts, the Select Checks To Print window displays only the checks ready for printing from a specific bank account. After you print those checks, use the same steps to get to the Select Checks To Print window and change the bank account to see those checks. Don’t forget to put the correct checks in your printer.
If you use the Pay Bills window to create checks for vendors, when you finish selecting the bills and amounts to pay, click Pay Selected Bills. If you selected the To Be Printed option, QuickBooks displays a Payment Summary window with a Print Checks button. If you selected the Assign Check Number option, you’re asked to assign a check number in the Assign Check Numbers dialog before you see the summary.
• If these are the only checks you’re creating at the moment, click Print Checks.
• If you have additional checks to print, you can click Done and print all your checks at once from the File menu, as described earlier in this section.
In the Print Checks dialog, click Print to begin printing your checks. When all the checks have been sent to the printer, QuickBooks displays the Print Checks – Confirmation window. If all the checks printed correctly, click OK.
Reprinting Checks After a Problem
Sometimes things go awry when you’re printing. The paper jams, you run out of toner, or an ink cartridge is empty.
If there is a problem, select the check(s) that didn’t print properly in the Print Checks – Confirmation window, click OK, and put more checks into the printer. Then click OK and choose File | Print Forms | Checks. Your unprinted checks are listed in the Select Checks To Print dialog, and the first check number should be the next available check number—if it’s not, you can change it.
Ways to Print Transaction Forms
All of the forms that you create in QuickBooks (such as invoices and checks, for example) can be printed one at a time, as you create them, or together in a batch.
Printing Transactions As You Create Them
For your security and the integrity of your QuickBooks file, it’s best to save the transaction before printing; that way, you have a record of the transaction in your QuickBooks file. In fact, QuickBooks has a default Preference setting that will automatically save the transaction for you before printing. You can find this option by selecting Edit | Preferences | General. On the Company Preferences tab, select the Save Transactions Before Printing option. You can deselect this option setting if you want the ability to print the current transaction before saving it.
To print the current transaction, click the Print button at the top of the transaction window. QuickBooks opens the Print dialog (Figure 14-5 displays the Print One Invoice dialog). Click Print to send the transaction form to the selected printer.
FIGURE 14-5 |
Printing a single invoice transaction is quick and easy. |
Previewing Form Printouts
If you want to see what the printed document looks like, click the arrow below the Print icon at the top of the document window and select Preview.
Often, the printed form differs from the form shown onscreen. For example, if you’re creating a packing slip, the onscreen form shows prices, but the printed form doesn’t. If you create custom fields for lists or items, the custom field data may appear only in the onscreen form to help you prepare the transaction (such as backorder preferences for customers, advance payment requirements for vendors, and so on).
To learn how to customize transaction forms and decide which fields are seen only onscreen, only on the printed form, or on both, read Chapter 24.
Printing Transaction Forms in Batches
To print transactions in batches, make sure the Print Later check box is selected on each transaction you create. Then follow these steps to batch-print the documents:
1. Choose File | Print Forms | <Transaction Type> (substitute your transaction type).
2. In the Select <Transaction Type> To Print window, all your unprinted transaction forms are selected with a check mark. Click the check marks to remove them from any forms you don’t want to print at this time (it’s a toggle).
3. Click OK to print. A Print <Transaction Type> dialog appears, where you can change or select printing options. Click Print to begin printing. After sending the documents to the printer, QuickBooks asks you to confirm that all the documents printed properly.
4. If everything printed properly, click OK; if not, in the Confirmation dialog, select the forms that need to be reprinted and click OK. Now return to the Print Forms <Transaction Type> dialog, where the forms you selected for reprinting are listed, so you can continue printing your batch. Of course, before taking this step, you’ll need to unjam the printer, put in a new ink cartridge, or correct any other problem that caused the original print job to fail.
E-mail Forms and Reports
You can e-mail documents and reports directly from QuickBooks as PDF attachments to e-mail messages. E-mailing works exactly the same as printing forms and reports, as described earlier in this chapter. That is, you can e-mail each individual transaction as you create it or save the transactions and e-mail them in a batch.
If you’re using Outlook or a compatible web-based e-mail service, QuickBooks can send e-mail to your customers either directly through your e-mail software or your e-mail service. If you use e-mail software other than the supported software, you can use QuickBooks E-mail, which provides a server-based e-mail service. This is a service that you have to sign up for, and additional fees may apply.
You can e-mail any report (either as a PDF file or as an Excel file), and you can also e-mail all of the following QuickBooks transaction forms:
• Invoices
• Estimates
• Sales receipts
• Credit memos
• Statements
• Purchase orders
• Pay stubs (if you use QuickBooks payroll and have signed up for direct deposit)
Setting Up E-mail
Your e-mail setup options can be found by selecting Edit | Preferences | Send Forms. If QuickBooks finds a copy of one of the supported e-mail software applications (such as Outlook) on your computer with an active profile installed (an active profile is an e-mail account established in the software, and the software is the default e-mail software on your computer), the Send Forms category on the My Preferences tab shows this as the default e-mail method, as shown in Figure 14-6. If these options aren’t displayed, you must use the QuickBooks E-mail service to send transaction forms and reports.
FIGURE 14-6 |
QuickBooks selects your installed e-mail software by default. |
The My Preferences tab also shows an option, Auto-check The “Email Later” Checkbox If Customer’s Preferred Delivery Method Is E-mail, to instruct QuickBooks to select Email Later automatically on every transaction linked to a customer that has e-mail set as their preferred delivery method (set on the Payment Settings tab of the customer record). If you configure a customer’s delivery method as e-mail, make sure you enter the customer’s e-mail address as well.
When creating Purchase Orders, you’ll also have the option to Email Later if you want to send those transactions in a batch. This option works only if you’ve entered an e-mail address for the vendor on their Address Info tab in their record.
On the Company Preferences tab (Figure 14-7), you can use e-mail templates to design multiple versions of the message that accompanies an e-mailed form (such as invoices, purchase orders, and estimates, to name a few).
FIGURE 14-7 |
Use e-mail templates to create a customized e-mail message when sending a form from QuickBooks |
Click the Add, Edit, or Delete buttons to create, modify, or delete an e-mail template.
Sending E-mail
To send a single transaction form by e-mail, click the Email button at the top of the transaction form. Or select Email Later (located next to the Email button), before saving the transaction to send the e-mail in a batch.
Using Your E-mail Software
If QuickBooks is using Outlook to send transaction forms (or reports), the standard Create Message window appears.
• If the customer’s or vendor’s e-mail address is stored in QuickBooks, it’s automatically inserted into the To: field.
• If the customer’s or vendor’s e-mail address is not available, QuickBooks searches your e-mail software address book. If the name/e-mail is found, the entry in the To: field is underlined to indicate the name has been matched to an existing address book entry.
• If the customer’s or vendor’s e-mail address is not available in either place, you’ll need to add the customer’s e-mail address to your QuickBooks file.
The Subject field is prefilled with <Transaction Number> from <YourCompanyName>. The Attachment field is prefilled with the name of the PDF file of the transaction form. The text of the message is prefilled by QuickBooks, using the text in the Send Forms Preferences dialog, discussed in the previous section.
Using QuickBooks E-mail
If you’re not using one of the supported e-mail applications and you’ve activated the QuickBooks E-mail service, QuickBooks fills out the message and attaches the document in the same way it does when you’re using your own e-mail software.
When you click Send Now, QuickBooks opens a browser window and takes you to the QuickBooks Billing Solutions website. If this is the first time you’re e-mailing invoices, follow the prompts to complete the sign-up process, and then QuickBooks will send the e-mail. Thereafter, your e-mail is sent automatically. An additional feature of this Billing Solutions service is the ability to accept online payments from your customers that receive an invoice from you via this service (additional fees may apply).
ProAdvisor Tip: If you use the QuickBooks Billing Solutions, enter your own e-mail address in the CC: or BCC: field of the message window so you have a record of the e-mail. (If you use your own software, you have a copy in the Sent Messages folder.)
Document Management: Using the Attach File Feature
The Attach File feature allows you to attach files of any type to a QuickBooks list record or transaction. You’ll see an Attach File icon at the top of all transaction windows as well as in all QuickBooks centers.
Once you’ve attached a file or scanned image, it is easily accessible via the Doc Center (which you can open by clicking the Docs button on the Icon Bar). For example, you might want to attach a scanned copy of a customer’s purchase order to the invoice that you generate for them in QuickBooks, or maybe you’ll need to attach an e-mailed copy of a vendor’s bill when you enter the bill into QuickBooks. Or you might want to attach a file or image to a vendor record.
To attach a file or image to a transaction (such as an invoice or estimate), open the transaction and click the Attach File button. To attach a document to a customer or vendor record, highlight the record's name in the appropriate Center, and then click the Attach (paper clip) icon.
The Attachments window opens, giving you the option of attaching a document directly from your computer, your scanner, or the Doc Center.
A QuickBooks transaction or record that has an attachment will display a blue icon (a paper clip attached to a piece of paper), indicating that an attached file or image exists. Click this icon to open the Doc Center to view this and other files and documents stored there.
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