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baddschaum
September 13, 2021
Solved

My check printing is no longer aligned. When I try to align the checks and print a sample, nothing changes. Why is this not working?

  • September 13, 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 205 views
The checks were printing fine until about a month ago and now, everything is printing one line down. So, I have gone into the print set up to fine tune the alignment. I was originally at 30 for vertical, so I tried moving it up to 15. Then I printed a sample. This is where I am having a problem. The sample prints the same no matter where I set the vertical - 0, 15, 30, -15 - I pick any of them and print the sample and it just stays in the same spot. Please help...
Best answer by Emma_P

Why don't my check alignment changes take effect on the sample print in QuickBooks Online, and how do I fix checks printing one line off?

 

When your alignment changes don't show up on the sample print, it is almost always because your browser is still serving the old cached sample, so clearing your browser cache is what usually fixes it. Together with printing at actual size (100%), that also corrects checks that suddenly started printing one line off. Here is the order to work through.

Try an incognito window first, then clear cache if that is unsuccessful 

  1. Open a private or incognito window and print the sample there. If the adjustment works in that window, the cache was the cause.
  2. Clear your browser's cache and cookies. 

Re-run the alignment

  1. Go to All apps, then Expenses & Bills, then Expense transactions. Select Print checks. Select Print setup.
  2. Choose your check type, then select View preview and print sample and Print.
  3. If it is still off, select No, continue setup and drag the grid to match your sample, then print another sample.
  4. When it lines up, select Finish setup. Full steps: Configure print settings for checks in QuickBooks Online.

Check the print scale (fixes the "one line down" shift)

  1. In the print dialog, set the scale to Actual size or 100%, not Fit to page or Shrink to fit.
  2. Make sure your printer driver isn't applying its own scaling.

If checks still print off after clearing the cache and confirming 100% scale:

Official sources drawn from:

5 replies

DivinaMercy_N
DivinaMercy_NModerator
Moderator
September 13, 2021

Thanks for sharing the details of the steps you've performed, @baddschaum. I'm here to further help you align your checks correctly.

 

To start, let's clear the stored cache files of your browser. The saved cache can get corrupted and damaged over time that caused issues when using QuickBooks Online (QBO). Once done, attempt to print a sample check. If the same thing happens, let's update your Adobe Reader and set it as your default PDF viewer. Here's how:

 

  1. Navigate to the + New option and select Print checks.
  2. Click Print setup and then choose No, continue setup.
  3. Select the latest version of the Reader link. You'll be routed to Adobe’s page. From there, you can download the latest version of Acrobat Reader.
  4. Once the installation of Acrobat is done, get back to QBO. Then, click the How? link to set Adobe Reader as your browser’s default PDF viewer.
  5. Next, go back to QBO and choose View preview and print sample. Then select Print.
  6. Follow the on-screen steps to finish printing your sample check.
  7. Once done, print a sample check and verify if it shows the correct alignment.

 

If the issue persists, you may need to adjust the scale on your print dialog box. For the detailed instructions, proceed to Step 4 of this article: Configure your print settings for printing checks in QuickBooks Online. This also includes steps in setting up printing alignments for paychecks and 1099 forms.

 

I've also added this helpful article for your reference: Fix QuickBooks Online printing issues on browsers for Windows. This will provide a further guide in fixing common printing issues.

 

You may also visit our QuickBooks Online Help page if you need any useful resources that you can bookmark for future use. The site has tons of help articles and even video tutorials, to assist you with your QBO tasks.

 

If you need additional assistance in correcting the alignment of your check, I am here to assist you once more. Simply post your reply below and I'll respond as soon as possible. 

B
baddschaumAuthor
September 15, 2021

You should remove your step 4 from your standard instructions around setting Acrobat as the default - that does not exist any more in any browsers.

 

The step that actually worked was clearing the cache.

Emma_P
Emma_PCommunity ManagerAnswer
Community Manager
August 6, 2026

Why don't my check alignment changes take effect on the sample print in QuickBooks Online, and how do I fix checks printing one line off?

 

When your alignment changes don't show up on the sample print, it is almost always because your browser is still serving the old cached sample, so clearing your browser cache is what usually fixes it. Together with printing at actual size (100%), that also corrects checks that suddenly started printing one line off. Here is the order to work through.

Try an incognito window first, then clear cache if that is unsuccessful 

  1. Open a private or incognito window and print the sample there. If the adjustment works in that window, the cache was the cause.
  2. Clear your browser's cache and cookies. 

Re-run the alignment

  1. Go to All apps, then Expenses & Bills, then Expense transactions. Select Print checks. Select Print setup.
  2. Choose your check type, then select View preview and print sample and Print.
  3. If it is still off, select No, continue setup and drag the grid to match your sample, then print another sample.
  4. When it lines up, select Finish setup. Full steps: Configure print settings for checks in QuickBooks Online.

Check the print scale (fixes the "one line down" shift)

  1. In the print dialog, set the scale to Actual size or 100%, not Fit to page or Shrink to fit.
  2. Make sure your printer driver isn't applying its own scaling.

If checks still print off after clearing the cache and confirming 100% scale:

Official sources drawn from:
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