Positioning Checks for Printing

John Perry's Avatar

John Perry

Jul 08, 2011 @ 11:45 PM

I use checks that are configured for three checks per sheet and set the check printing option in Preferences to standard checks. If i have three checks left on a sheet I can print them without any problems with the check inserted into the printer in portrait mode.

If i have two checks left on a sheet I can print one or both without any problems with the check inserted into the printer in portrait mode.

If I have one check left on a sheet I cannot print it by inserting the check into the printer in portrait mode without the printer jamming. Try as I might, I have not found a way to print a single check using MD.

There is a thread from Philip Zaffere which was closed by Ben Spencer on 17MAY2010 which says that the solution to this problem is: Once you have your checks set up, when you choose print, there's an option under the type of check to choose how many checks are on the first page. I found that this "solution" did not solve the problem I have described above. Also on the discussion board is an answer which says that this "solution" is to determine which check in the three check stock is to be printed first. These are different issues.

I changed to MD 2011 from Quicken Mac 2007. In that program there is a preference for "positioning" checks. This preference is separate and apart from "aligning" checks in this aspect: "aligning" checks means setting up the checks for printing when the check stock is fed through the printer in portrait mode. Once "aligned" checks may be "positioned" for printing when fed through the printer in landscape mode. Another way of saying this is that "positioning" takes the "alignment" parameters and converts it to print on check stock using a 90 degree rotation of the check stock.

When it comes time to print checks Quicken Mac 2007 displays a print box to select the option to print one, two or three checks.

I've attached a screen clip of the Quicken for Mac 2007 "positioning" preference window and a copy of the print number of checks option window to illustrate.

Please advise if there is an existing solution to this problem, and I have just not found how to use it: or if it is a gap in the feature set for MD 2011. If a gap, it should be remedied asap to round out an otherwise excellent program.

  1. 1 Posted by Ben Spencer on Jul 09, 2011 @ 05:00 AM

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    Hi

    Can you clarify if you are trying to print a single check (1/3 of a sheet, literally a smaller piece of paper) or a sheet of three checks where you want to only print on the last of the three?

    Ben Spencer
    Moneydance Support

  2. 2 Posted by tarkine on Jul 09, 2011 @ 06:11 AM

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    Ben,

    I am trying to print a single check (1/3 of a sheet, literally a smaller piece of paper).

    John Perry

    Sent from my iPhone

    On Jul 8, 2011, at 10:00 PM, Ben Spencer<[email blocked]> wrote:

    > trying to print a single check (1/3 of a sheet, literally a smaller piece of paper)

  3. 3 Posted by tarkine on Jul 09, 2011 @ 02:58 PM

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    Sent from my iPhone

    On Jul 8, 2011, at 10:00 PM, Ben Spencer<[email blocked]> wrote:
    Ben,

    I am trying to print a single check (1/3 of a sheet, literally a smaller piece of paper).

  4. 4 Posted by Jon Hoover on Jul 09, 2011 @ 03:29 PM

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    Hi John,
    You are correct in your understanding that there is not currently a way to print checks in landscape mode in Moneydance on Macs. The default print setup on macs for java programs does not include a landscape vs. portrait option, unlike in windows and linux. We are considering adding an additional dialog box just for Mac because of the issue you are having and occasional other issues. I will attach that suggestion ticket and create a new one regarding a more direct way to switch checks to landscape printing.
    Thank you for your patience,
    Jon Hoover, Moneydance Support

  5. 5 Posted by tarkine on Jul 09, 2011 @ 06:14 PM

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    Sent from my iPhone

  6. 6 Posted by Jon Hoover on Jul 09, 2011 @ 06:56 PM

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    Hi John,
    We received a message from you with no text. This is probably because you put text at or near the bottom of your message which has prior messages in it, our server cuts out older message text to cut down on clutter. Please resend with the text at the top.
    Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience,

    Jon Hoover
    Moneydance Support

  7. 7 Posted by tarkine on Jul 09, 2011 @ 08:36 PM

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    Hi Jon,
    Thanks for your email. You should definitely add that feature and then use it to enhance the reasons for Quicken Mac users to convert to MD and it's feature set.

     Intuit sent out an email to Quicken Mac users yesterday that gave them 3 options: convert to Quicken Essentials (which means no electronic bill pay), switch to Mint.com (which means that users can't keep their historical transactions (say what, are they serious?)), or switch to Quicken for Windows (LOL! Can there be a Mac user anywhere who wants to go back to Windows?) If this printing issue is fixed MD now becomes the default app for Mac users who want the online banking features they had with Quicken Mac 2007.

    The bonus is that they now can save $12.95 a month because they don't have to use Quicken Bill Pay. This means they pay for the MD app after four months of use with those savings. After a year they will have saved over $100 and have a supported app.
    John

    Sent via mobile

  8. 8 Posted by dave on Jul 12, 2011 @ 07:07 AM

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    Hi John,

    I understand what you are saying about printing the single remaining check from a sheet in landscape mode, and I'm sure that the Devs will fix this issue.

    For the moment, as a workaround, how about taping that check to a full size sheet of blank paper and stuffing it in the printer as manual feed, telling MD to only print the first check on the page? That should get around the printer limitations for paper handling - personally, I hate envelope mode on printers, I can never remember which way round to put the envelope and it invariably prints upside down, so I hook the flap of the envelope over a blank page and print it in portrait mode which works perfectly every time!

    Hope that is of some help!

    Dave

  9. 9 Posted by John Perry on Jul 12, 2011 @ 01:37 PM

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    thanks dave. already did that and it's a good temp measure. john

  10. 10 Posted by Harvey B on Jul 13, 2011 @ 03:18 PM

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    I'm having trouble aligning intuit checks. Can anyone supply the correct X and Y numbers, please?

  11. 11 Posted by John Perry on Jul 13, 2011 @ 03:30 PM

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    These settings are for a Brother HL-5250DN. They may help:
    MD Check Alignment HL-5250DN.jpg

  12. 12 Posted by Harvey B on Jul 13, 2011 @ 07:25 PM

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    Thanks, John, that seems to work. H.

  13. 13 Posted by John Perry on Jul 26, 2011 @ 06:22 PM

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    Would a Moneydance developer kindly confirm that the fix to this aligning/positioning issue will be incorporated into the 2011r2 update?

  14. 14 Posted by Ben Spencer on Jul 27, 2011 @ 04:25 AM

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    At this time the ticket suggesting the addition of an option to print checks in landscape has not been scheduled for implementation.

    Sincerely
    Ben Spencer
    Moneydance Support

  15. 15 Posted by tarkine on Jul 27, 2011 @ 09:39 PM

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    No content.

  16. 16 Posted by Jon Hoover on Jul 31, 2011 @ 07:34 PM

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    Hi John,
    I emailed with the lead developer and this is what he said: "I can probably add an enable-print-dialog checkbox in the Printing tab of the preferences. It's not a great solution, but it does seem that a lot of people could use it."
    So I am sorry that we don't have a specific date but it is definitely on his radar.
    Sincerely,
    Jon Hoover, Moneydance Support

  17. 17 Posted by tarkine on Aug 05, 2011 @ 05:06 AM

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    On Jul 31, 2011, at 12:33 PM, Jon Hoover wrote:
    Hello John,
    If the phrase "add an enable-print-dialog checkbox in the Printing tab of the preferences" means that the print dialogue offers an option to print a single check and/or two checks in landscape mode (see previous emails with attachments on this subject) then I would say you guys are on the right track and understand that this feature is a competitively invaluable feature for Moneydance which should appear sooner rather than later in your update/upgrade timetable.
    Regards,
    John Perry
    >

  18. 18 Posted by Jon Hoover on Aug 06, 2011 @ 09:42 PM

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    John,
    I do believe we are all on the same page of the functionality of such a dialog. I think the developer wants to keep things simple and less confusing which is why he may feel reluctant to add more dialog boxes but I agree with you (as does he ultimately) that it is definitely needed.
    Sincerely,
    Jon Hoover, Moneydance Support

  19. 19 Posted by tarkine on Aug 07, 2011 @ 02:55 AM

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    > Thanks Jon

  20. 20 Posted by Mike on Dec 30, 2011 @ 07:50 PM

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    Has Moneydance come any closer to allowing 1 check on 1/3rd of the page to be printed? I USED to print many checks this way with Quicken and may to another software if not addressed. I think others will as well.

  21. 21 Posted by Bantham, Jr., C... on Dec 30, 2011 @ 08:20 PM

    Bantham, Jr., C. Harvey's Avatar

    Dont know, still using quicken 2007

    Sent from Harv's iPhone

  22. 22 Posted by Ben Spencer on Dec 31, 2011 @ 08:08 PM

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    I am afraid the ticket is not scheduled for implementation. I will post in this discussion if there is any development on the ticket.

  23. 23 Posted by tarkine on Jan 01, 2012 @ 06:53 PM

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    Ben,

    Please see this message I received from Quicken a short while ago. Hopefully it will provide an incentive to all of you Moneydancers to solve this issue about check positioning:

    Dear Quicken Mac Customer:
     
    As a fellow Mac fan and customer, I wanted to personally introduce myself, and share some highlights of our Apple-related efforts with you.
     
    I recently became General Manager of the Personal Finance Group at Intuit, responsible for Quicken and Mint.com. Intuit's 25 years of leadership in personal financial management software makes me excited to lead this team and I am committed to creating products to help you reach your financial goals.
     
    I recognize, however, that we have not always delivered on this promise to Quicken Mac customers.
     
    As you may know, Quicken for Mac 2007 does not currently work on Apple's latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion). I understand the frustration this may have caused you and have put a team in place to address this issue. I am happy to announce that we will have a solution that makes Quicken 2007 for Mac "Lion-compatible" by early spring. There are still details to be worked out, so I ask your continued patience as we work through these. In the meantime, you can find more information on our Mac FAQ page.
     
    Working toward a Quicken for Mac 2007 solution is just a first step in winning back your confidence.
     
    We are expanding our development team to continue our renewed focus on personal finance solutions that suit the needs of our Mac customers. As we develop solutions, we'll be looking to you and the rest of our Mac customers for ideas and feedback.
     
    I understand we have a way to go, but I wanted to start by communicating our commitment to Mac and look forward to sharing the details with you as they emerge.
     
    Thank you for your continued loyalty to Quicken.
     
    Sincerely,
     
    Aaron Forth
    General Manager, Intuit Personal Finance Group

    John Perry

  24. 24 Posted by rc on Jan 28, 2012 @ 08:56 PM

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    Although I am printing fewer and fewer paper checks these days, this inability to print the last check on a page of three "standard" checks after the first two are used is a problem. I will be glad to see the Moneydance developers address this issue. Apparently it is only an issue for us Mac users. However, Mac users should be abandoning Quicken in droves, so Moneydance is a very good alternative, even if there is a bit of tweaking left to do.

    My solution to printing the last check on a 3-up "standard" check page after the first two are torn off (yes, smaller piece of paper) is to print the check to a .pdf file, and then import it into Pages or Numbers and print it in landscape. While that seems like a long way to go, if you horse around with the positioning then set up a template, it should be readily repeatable.

    Tape the check to a piece of paper and send it through? I should think that would immediately send your laser printer into the repair shop. There's a lot of heat going on there, and Scotch tape is not designed for that. Kinda scary to me.
    YMMV rcarbaugh

  25. 25 Posted by tarkine on Mar 16, 2012 @ 07:33 PM

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    I'm following up on this discussion to find out if these tickets (3662 and 3951) have been scheduled for implementation. Quicken now has their Quicken for Mac ready for OS X 10.7 and it does print single checks. It would be good to know Moneydance will have this feature.

  26. 26 Posted by Msamjohnson on Mar 16, 2012 @ 08:53 PM

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    Money dance never had. I'll be switching back to Quicken.

    Sent from my iPhone

  27. System closed this discussion on Mar 31, 2015 @ 03:39 PM.

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