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Layout & font improvements for Printing Checks (Q Mac)

Blue

I would like to see some flexibility in setting up voucher checks to print. As of now, when you adjust the placement of the print, the entire screen moves. This should be corrected by the engineers.
1. I would like to print the address on the check in a larger font.
2. I would like to print the dollar amount larger and in bold without printing all in bold.
3. I would like to adjust each line item on the check individually so all letters and numbers are on the line provided on the voucher check.

This is a suggestion to the Quicken engineers to fix in an update soon I hope.

Thank You.

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Under Consideration

Printing

Mac

Font/Display

Status: Under Consideration

Comments

William Day

I find that the check alignment process could be better. It would be nice to be able to align individual "lines" independent of other "lines" when printing Quicken Voucher Checks.

The Memo line is not printing across from the Memo position on voucher checks and is printing very close to the routing numbers at the bottom of the voucher checks. It needs to be moved 'up' about three lines without adjusting/disturbing the other preprinted fields on the voucher check. Currently when one adjusts one line on a voucher check the other lines are automatically shifted the same amount in the same direction.

jacobs

@William Day You should cast a vote for your own idea by clicking the little gray arrow under the vote counter in the blue box under the first post in this thread. (Others who want this addressed need to vote as well.)

The issue of aligning checks -- and specifically being able to adjust the height of the address and the memo fields independently -- has been brought up many times in this forum (here and here and here, to note a few). The site moderators have unfortunately closed all those threads because they are old -- but the issue hasn't been addressed and it's unclear if they ever forwarded this issue to the development team or if it's on their roadmap. You may want to use the Report a Problem feature in the Quicken Help menu to explain why it's a problem for you; the more people who do that, the more likely it gets some attention.

The problem is that the code for printing checks is old: it comes from the predecessor 2010-era Quicken Essentials for Mac program, which served as the code the current Quicken Mac was built from. They have to completely re-write the check printing code part of the program in order to modernize it, so what seems like it might be an easy fix is actually something that's a bigger project. And with it being a problem for an apparently small percentage of Quicken Mac users, it hasn't been high on their priority list.

Meanwhile, many users have found that by adjusting the entire block of text up or down a bit, they can get to a non-optimal-but-workable solution for their checks. The memo may partly show through the window if you shift everything up, but you might find that better than having it too low.

LAJimm

Definitely need more flexibility especially in the placement of the memo field and the information on the voucher. Quicken 2007 was more advanced than Quicken 2020.

UKR

Blue said:

...
2. I would like to print the dollar amount larger and in bold without printing all in bold.
...

There's a federal rule, "Check 21", which states that the numeric amount of a check must be printed using Arial 10 pt. font only
That enables checks to be automatically processed by check sorting machines without human intervention.

Until that rule is revoked, I'm afraid, you won't be able to change the appearance of the numeric amount.

Changing the appearance of all the other parts of the check and, perhaps, their individual position on the paper ... that, I concur, is needed.

JLBenson

I would like to have the option to leave the voucher stubs blank. I use voucher simply because they work best in my printer. I don't need the person that receives the check to know how I itemized it for my own books.

UKR

JLBenson said:

I would like to have the option to leave the voucher stubs blank. I use voucher simply because they work best in my printer. I don't need the person that receives the check to know how I itemized it for my own books.

How about tearing off the two stubs and not mailing them to the addressee.
I always use 1 stub for my records and shred the 2nd one.

Donald E. Kaye

Quicken 2007 gave the user the ability to adjust each field on a check. Quicken 2020 for the Mac does not. For example, if I want to record a Memo on the check, it appears on a part of the check that makes the memo unreadable. Moving it up, moves everything on the check up so nothing else aligns properly. I would like to see a return of the ability to adjust each field on a check, so proper alignment is possible.

Quicken Anja

Hello @Donald E. Kaye,

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Community and post your request, though I apologize that this feature isn't currently offered.

I have moved your post to this ongoing idea thread for this topic.

Be sure to navigate to the top of this post and click the up arrow to add your vote!

Our development team frequently uses our idea posts in order to improve Quicken and implement new features requested by customers.

Thank you!

aj98home

so frustrating that they are not fixing this after you spend money on custom checks

jacobs

There seem to be more separate threads complaining about this issue than there are votes for this topic! Among them:

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7724004/check-printing-alignment-problem-q-mac

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7862589/memo-prints-low

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7855577/memo-field-printing-too-low-using-quicken-mac-deluxe-2019

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7884359/why-is-quicken-mac-memo-line-printing-to-low-on-intuit-voucher-checks#latest

If everyone who has complained about this issue would vote for this Idea above, it might gather enough votes to be brought to the attention of the developers.

Neil@

I concur with the many community posts that request that Quicken for Mac be updated to include the ability to align individual check fields (ie., memo field) for printing checks. I just bought a new set of checks and are experiencing the same problems I did previously... when I properly align the name, date, and amount fields, the memo field prints far too low. It is almost on top of the bank routing and account numbers.
This really needs to be fixed. The memo field is where I place the account number.

Susan Brasel

I am having the same issue with Windows and Quicken check printing. The memo field is too low and close to the routing numbers on my checks. I use three to a page wallet checks. I agree that the memo field needs to be brought up 3 to 4 lines.

jacobs

@Susan Brasel This thread is about an issue specific to Quicken Mac. I suggest you post your issue in a new Question under one of the Quicken Windows categories so the Windows experts here will see it and respond.

Big Steve

Hello! I have used Quicken for Mac for about 8 years now and finally decided to use the check printing feature. I ordered checks that said they work with Quicken and the alignment is off. The Payee line and line below are too close. If I align the Date, Payee, etc perfectly, the money amount written out just below is below the second line. Can't find any way to move up just that one line. Any help is appreciated.

jacobs

@Big Steve Unfortunately, there is no help anyone can really offer. Quicken Mac doesn't have the capability to adjust the position of lines on a check individually. Perhaps they'll re-write this old section of the code someday, but for now, there's nothing you can do but move everything up and down together, and try to find the best compromise for your checks.

And make sure you go to the top of this thread and vote for the feature request (by clicking the little gray arrow under the vote count in the big blue box).

VeroPhyl

Please make the placement of the Memo line on the checks adjustable. I have used Quicken since it was first developed in the mid 1980s. Even in the old Apple IIe version, the user could adjust the fields on the checks independently. Since Quicken for Mac has been the red-headed stepchild for the last couple of decades, I used the 2007 version until I was forced to update when I bought my new Macbook. That version also allowed the user to adjust the check fields independently. Surely, some programmer working on developing all the new bells and whistles for Quicken could program the ability to independently adjust the Memo line ONLY for those of us who still print checks and who do not use window envelopes. Surely, we deserve as much consideration as the window envelope users, especially since the many versions of the Quicken program that we have used since the 1980s have had that capability.

jacobs

@VeroPhyl You should also visit this thread and cast your vote for it. (In the yellow box under the first post, click the little gray arrow to increase the vote count).

The issue, I believe is that the check printing portion of the code in Quicken Mac is a carryover from the 2010-era Quicken Essentials program which was used as the base for tis new generation of Quicken. In that code, what prints on the check is one block of text. The developers have never gone back to write this section of code to make all the elements separate and independently moveable. This generates complaints from users, but apparently not enough for this to be a high priority to re-engineer.

UKR

BTW, everybody who is reminiscing about the old method of being able to individually adjust each field's position on a check, don't you remember that this was necessary in the good old days?

There were no check layout standards in effect in the 80s and every check supplier provided a slightly different layout. That made it necessary for every user to laboriously customize the formatting. I remember it well when using Managing Your Money for DOS.

A few years later Intuit started promoting "Quicken / Quickbooks - compatible check styles", Wallet, Standard and Voucher checks. And with that standard, field - specific alignment support went out the window. Who needs it when one uses a standardized check layout, to match the printed output ...
All one needs now for correctly printed checks is to make sure that you have a supported printer driver installed in your Windows or Mac system and properly configured System Printer Properties (paper size 8.5*11", 100% reduction/magnification factor) and everything should work well ... theoretically ...

jacobs

UKR said:

BTW, everybody who is reminiscing about the old method of being able to individually adjust each field's pAll one needs now for correctly printed checks is to make sure that you have a supported printer driver installed in your Windows or Mac system and properly configured System Printer Properties and everything should work well ... theoretically ...

Yes, the problem is that it's only theoretically. Many Quicken Mac users have complained about the memo line printing too low on correctly-printed checks. There are dozens of threads on this forum about it. At one point, the developers tried raising the memo field a whole line -- because they don't have a way to raise it a fractional amount without re-writing the check-printing code -- and people complained that the memo line was visible in window envelopes. So they moved it back down. And thus the problem remains. Until the developers agree this is a problem and commit to re-writing the code to allow elements of the check to be individually positioned, the complaints are valid and will continue.

richardwhiteside

Cannot print cks from my original Mac on HP laserjet. Q2007. Used to be able to.

jacobs

@richardwhiteside Your issue is different than the one discussed in this thread because you’re talking about Quicken 2007.

I have several questions, starting with this key one: since the Quicken 2007 program hasn’t been updated in years, what changed on your computer? Did you upgrade your operating system?

What type of Mac, and what operating system do you have? Can you print other documents to this printer? Can you print a Quicken report other than checks? What happens when you try to print checks?

Lysander Spooner

As has been mentioned over the years, the MEMO field prints ver low on the Voucher Check. You can adjust alignment for the entire check but this is not granular enough.

I would like the ability to choose where the MEMO field prints.

Here is an example of the current problem:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6031128/uploads/editor/9d/gr7dh141hy4o.jpeg

Quicken Anja

Hello @Lysander Spooner,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community with your request.

I went ahead and merged your Idea to this active Idea thread regarding this topic.

Ideas are reviewed by our Development and Product teams to see what features people would like to have available in the future. Please, be sure to add your own vote as well by clicking the up arrow (see example below).

Thank you!

UKR

As has been mentioned in other Memo Line - related discussions, the position of the Memo line is a compromise between positioning it correctly or positioning it low. When positioned correctly, the Memo text will be readable in the address window of mailing envelopes. Users didn't want that, so the programmers moved the line as far down as possible.

IMHO, yes, making the Memo line (and perhaps all others) individually adjustable to the user's specific needs would be really helpful. I vote for this programming change to be made soonest possible.

HerbieSD

I, too, vote for this programming change regarding the memo line ASAP. Quicken support has been notably unhelpful about this.

Ric Helthall

I just voted for this improvement. Got new Voucher Checks and the current text alignment approach requires all fields to move up, down, right or left. We desperately need to move the Payor Name $$ amount and Dollar Text as one field; then the address field separately and finally the memo field separately ... this will allow perfect alignment of check from varying Voucher Check Suppliers.

NancyL58

I have just upgraded from my old beloved 2007 version for Mac. Ack! The check printing feature is awful. On the old one I was able to fine-tune the placement of all the fields on a check. Now it seems it's all or none. Terrible. Can't stand having the memo field down so low where it infringes on the section of the bank's routing number, but if I move it up, EVERYTHING moves up. Ridiculous. I added my vote to this thread, but I fear it won't really help our situation. C'mon Quicken, do something about this. It can't be that hard to fix this.

NotACPA

The only reason that I can envision for being able to manually position individual lines is that people are using non-Q-Compatible checks ... and are trying to make their purchases compatible with Q.

Since the development of the request would cost Q money, and the loss of the sales of Q-Compatible checks would cost Q money, I can't see this as ever happening.

jacobs

NotACPA said:

The only reason that I can envision for being able to manually position individual lines is that people are using non-Q-Compatible checks ... and are trying to make their purchases compatible with Q.

@NotACPA No, it's been shown many times that the spacing is just off in Quicken Mac. It still uses code handed down from the predecessor Quicken Essentials program circa 2010, and the memo line is either too low, running into the MICR line, or, when they tried shifting it up a line, too high for window envelopes. The developers need to make the memo line about half a line different to properly work with Quicken-approved checks, and the current code can't do that. And they have to re-write the code for print output for checks in order to change this.

Ralph W Y

My memo line is running into the bottom line of the address. Any way to change that?