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GalinMcMahon
February 23, 2026
Question

Estimate adds blank line

  • February 23, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 19 views

When adding a CO line to an estimate, QB automatically adds a blank line between the line item and the text QB generates (~~~~~ CHANGE ORDER ~~~~~ etc).  The problem is that we often have estimates that are several dozen lines long so it takes upwards of 2 minutes to save.  Having to go back in to the estimate, remove the blank line we don't want and save again is a time waster.

 

How do we change the default action where QB adds a blank line after the new line and before the generated text?

1 reply

Morgan_B
Morgan_BQuickBooks Team
QuickBooks Team
February 23, 2026

Hi there, GalinMcMahon.

 

Thanks for posting your question here in the Community. I'm happy to relay some info so you can eliminate the blank line on estimates in your QuickBooks Desktop account.

 

To remove unwanted blank lines between items on the estimate in QuickBooks Enterprise Suite, you can adjust the template's layout settings to reduce spacing. There are a couple of methods to get this done:

 

Method 1: Customize Data Layout (Template Fix) 

This adjusts how the printed or emailed form looks, removing unnecessary space: 

 

  1. Open the invoice or estimate.
  2. Click the Formatting tab at the top and select Customize Data Layout.
  3. Click the Layout Designer button.
  4. Double-click the areas where extra space appears (such as the main item table or description fields).
  5. In the Properties box, adjust the font size, line spacing, or drag the boxes to reduce the gap between fields.
  6. Click OK, then click Preview to ensure the blank lines are gone. 

 

Method 2: Adjust Printer Setup

If the blank lines only appear when printing:

 

  1. Go to the File menu and select Printer Setup.
  2. Select the Form (e.g., Invoice) from the dropdown.
  3. Ensure your printing settings are not forcing a specific page layout that includes extra spaces.
  4. If using continuous paper or specific form types, verify that the printer settings are set to "No Gap" or appropriate, non-default spacing.

 

The following article provides additional info about using and customizing form templates in QuickBooks Desktop.

 

With this info you'll be able to clear out the blank lines, leaving you with a neat and concise estimate. Please don't hesitate to drop a comment below if you have any other questions. The Community always has your back!

G
GalinMcMahonAuthor
February 23, 2026

Thank you for the reply.  However, the properties box has none of this information.  The text tab allows justification and font.  The border tab allows changing lines to dashes and line thickness.  The background tab allows background fill.  None of these address the issue of QB adding an extra line in the estimate when new lines are added.

    Morgan_B
    Morgan_BQuickBooks Team
    QuickBooks Team
    February 23, 2026

    Thank for getting back to me, GalinMcMahon.

     

    Looking into this a bit further, you can stop QuickBooks Enterprise from adding a blank line when entering new items to an estimate by making sure to not click into the blank row below the last item. Instead, use the "Insert Line" function by right-clicking on an existing line item and selecting "Insert Line" to place a new line above that row, rather than allowing the system to auto-generate a new row at the bottom.

     

    You may also want to check your preferences to make sure no automated "auto-fill" or "automatic insert" preferences are enabled under Edit > Preferences > Sales & Customers.

     

    Please give this a try and see how things look afterward. I'll be here if you have any other questions.

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