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Quicken Check Printing Issues

CLB

Occasionally when I send Quicken checks to the printer, nothing happens. They show up as pending and sometimes I can delete them and sometimes not. Sometimes they will print if I restart the computer, sometimes not. Along with this, occasionally the printer will randomly print the last check(s) it printed, which may have been 2 days prior. Add to this, I occasionally get a message that HP cannot print Quicken. That message often pops up after the checks have printed. That message may be a hint that the next time I power my computer on, the last checks I printed are going to print again, but that doesn't seem to be a given. The problem is somewhere between Quicken and an HP Officejet Pro 8100. I had this same problem a couple years ago and eventually got it resolved, but I don't remember how. I got a new computer recently and the problem started again.

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UKR

How to Repair Printer Setup:

Try resetting your printer definitions in Quicken and then redefine the printer:

For Quicken for Windows versions 2009 and older:

Close Quicken
Use Windows File Explorer to locate and rename the file
C:\Users\_username_\AppData\Roaming\Intuit\Quicken\Config\WPR.DAT to WPR.OLD
Now set up your printer again, as described below. The WPR.DAT file will be recreated next time you start Quicken.

For Quicken for Windows 2010 and newer:

Click File / File Operations / Validate and Repair. Click "Reset Quicken Printer Settings", then click OK.

Now set up your printer (see below)

Printer Setup (all versions):

Close and restart Quicken (might not be necessary, but it can't hurt)
In Quicken click File / Printer Setup / For Printing and visit all selections as needed
(a) for Reports,
(b) for Checks,
(c) for Invoices [Quicken H&B, RPM users only]
and define your printer.

If you're printing checks, do not forget to select the correct check style.

For 3-per-page personal size checks choose "Wallet Checks (Check 21 ...)", not "Wallet Checks" (unless you still use some very old stock from many years ago)
For 3-per-page business size checks choose "Standard Checks", not "Voucher Checks".
For 1-per-page business size checks with 2 stubs choose "Voucher Checks".
Canadian users need to choose between 2 layout styles, e.g., old style "Voucher" vs. new style "Voucher - Image ready".

(Optional) If you are printing a logo (image) on your checks, click the Logo button and make sure that your logo image file is still where Quicken expects it to be.
Also choose the proper features for printing partial pages when using 3-per-page stock.
Users of continuous forms on dot matrix printers: Be sure to select "Continuous Forms" instead of "Page-oriented".
Laser / inkjet sheet-fed printers: select paper size 8.5*11", standard paper. Do not use any "Auto detect" or photo print settings.
If checks print OK on one computer but do not align properly on another computer, compare printer settings and printer port selections.

Make sure that at least one of your printers is marked as Windows Default Printer ... doesn't have to be the one you want to use with Quicken, but you need at least one marked Default Printer

In some of the newer versions of Windows 10 you may also need to do this:
Go into Windows Settings or Control Panel, Printers & Scanners.
Uncheck "Let Windows manage my default printer".

CLB

Thank you, UKR, for your response. I went through the process you described. It will take a while to know if this corrected the problem, considering how intermittent it has been.

CLB

That wasn't the fix after all. I was just sitting here working and heard the printer waking up to print something. I quickly pulled the check drawer, then stuck in blank paper so it didn't waste another check. It was just one check this time, but if the last printing had been a group of checks, all of them would have reprinted. This happens unpredictably, typically only every couple weeks. If there's anything to predict it, it's the "Cannot print to Quicken" box that pops up after printing a check(s). That message pops up long after the checks have already printed, but it seems to be the warning that in a day or so, it's going to reprint.

UKR

In years past, there were a number of questions / complaints about wireless connections not always working reliably or not waking up the printer right away.

How is this printer connected to your computer?

With a USB cable directly to the computer?

With an Ethernet cable connection via your network router?

WiFi wireless from computer direct to printer?

Do you have the latest HP printer drivers installed, direct from the HP website?

CLB

The printer is connected WIFI wirelessly. This is not a problem of the printer not waking up or losing wireless connection. I print checks, then those checks randomly reprint, usually on another day when I restart the computer. I don't even have to have Quicken open for a check to print. It seems like they go back into the print queue after they've already printed. ?? I'm tired of voiding checks!

UKR

If you can, try one or both of the following:

Connect the printer with Ethernet cable to your router and use this connection
or

connect the printer with USB cable directly to your computer and use this connection instead.
Either way, see if the problem gets solved.

Rocket J Squirrel

This is a strange problem. All I can think of is Windows settings related to the printer queue. Can't think of anything in Quicken which would cause this. Maybe check all the printer settings? There are a couple which look suspicious, but I'm not sure what they actually do.

CLB

Although I'm obviously not a technology expert, this doesn't seem to be a wifi issue, so I am hesitant to start stringing cables.

I am not losing connection to this printer. The problem is checks reprinting, wasting one or more checks in the process. (What would make a print job respool?) This doesn't occur with any predictability, although sometimes a message box pops up several minutes after printing: "HP cannot print Quicken", then immediately disappears. That message seems to be the sign that checks will reprint at a random time, likely the next time I open Quicken. Since I only use this printer for check printing, I ticked "print directly to the printer". I will try that a while. (So far I like that checks begin printing immediately!)

As for printer drivers, I am using the full-featured driver that has the option to print back to front. The driver that installs by default lacks this feature that is needed for the check numbers to line up correctly in the Quicken register. If I search for a new driver, I will get one that doesn't have this option.

CLB

OK, since this problem keeps repeating, I connected the printer directly to the router via ethernet. Would somebody be able to explain how this might resolve the problem of check printing jobs being stuck in the printer queue after they've already printed and reprinting even after I manually remove them from the queue? I'm close to replacing the printer for this reason but is Quicken going to reproduce the problem in a new printer as well?

Rocket J Squirrel

CLB said:

OK, since this problem keeps repeating, I connected the printer directly to the router via ethernet. Would somebody be able to explain how this might resolve the problem of check printing jobs being stuck in the printer queue after they've already printed and reprinting even after I manually remove them from the queue? I'm close to replacing the printer for this reason but is Quicken going to reproduce the problem in a new printer as well?

This is not a common problem. In fact, I cannot recall anyone else ever reporting it in all of Quicken history. So I'd say it's more likely related to your network setup than to Quicken itself.

Have you gone to the user interface to your router and checked for issues there? Perhaps a LAN address conflict? I'd check the router logs and the DHCP assignments to start. Conceptually, switching from WiFi to Ethernet shouldn't change anything, but there are many network settings that only apply to WiFi and maybe one of them is wrong.

CLB

I seem to have resolved this issue. When you install this printer, the 8100 driver Windows installs by default does not include the option to print back to front. Knowing this, I installed the "full feature driver" from the HP website. The other day, I uninstalled that printer and when I reinstalled it, there was a second option: "8100 Class Driver". That driver includes the back to front printing option and works correctly. Thank you to everyone who attempted to help me resolve this.