Writing and printing checks

If you write a lot of checks, you may want to use Quicken's check printing ability to save time and minimize errors and avoid the duplicate work of hand-writing checks, and then recording them in Quicken.

Which do you want to do?

To write a check

1. Select a Checking account in the sidebar.
2. In Quicken, choose Transactions > Write Check.
   • You can also use the keyboard shortcut ⌘J.
   • You can also get to the check-writing screen at any time while entering (or editing) any transaction from your checking account. Just enter a transaction normally (using the New icon in the sidebar or typing ⌘N) and click on the Checks tab.
3. You should now see the Check tab
4. Enter the payee.
5. Enter the amount of the check.
6. If you are using window envelopes, enter an address for the payee.
   • If you have used more than one address for this payee, you can click Other Addresses to select an alternate address.
7. Select the To be printed checkbox.
8. When you are finished, you can simply press Enter and move on to your next task.
   • If you are printing this check from Quicken, you do not need to enter a check number. Quicken enters the check number after the check is printed. If you are recording a check you wrote manually, you can enter the check number.

Learn more about checks printed from Quicken

To print a check

1. In Quicken, choose File > Print Checks.
2. Select the account containing the checks to be printed.
3. Select which checks you’d like to print.
4. Click Print.
5. Verify that the check printing settings are correct:
   • The first check number should match the first check number of the checks in your printer.
   • The check style selected should match the checks in your printer.
   • You have indicated whether the first page is a partial page with one or two checks remaining.
6. Click Print.
7. If the checks did not print correctly:
   • You can reprint one or more checks, if necessary.
   • You can fine-tune the check alignment for your printer.
   • Make sure you are using the correct checks: Quicken is designed to print checks that comply with the United States federal Check 21 Act.

To reprint a check

The steps for reprinting a check are the same as printing a check, but follow these additional steps:

1. Make sure you destroy or otherwise void the previously printed check.
2. In the register, select the transaction for the check you want to reprint.
3. Click Edit Check.
4. Select the To be printed checkbox.
5. Save the transaction.
6. Print the check, as usual, paying special attention to entering the correct number in the Starting Check Number field.

To adjust check printing alignment

In most cases, you won’t need to do anything special to print checks with the text aligned correctly. If you do have problems, however, you may need to use these steps to adjust the alignment of text on your checks—but only if you have followed the instructions for printing checks and the text is still not aligned correctly on the printed checks.

Once your checks have printed correctly, Quicken saves your alignment settings, so you won’t have to change them again to print checks with the same alignment in the future.

1. In Quicken, choose File > Print Checks.
2. Select the Adjust Alignment checkbox.
3. Insert a sheet of US Letter paper (not checks) into your printer.
4. Click the Print button to print an alignment guide.
5. Hold the alignment guide on top of a page of your checks and verify that the text appears in the right place.
6. If you need to adjust the alignment, drag the text as necessary in the preview section of the printer dialog.
7. Click the Print button to print an adjusted alignment guide. Repeat until the text is properly aligned.
8. Uncheck the Adjust Alignment checkbox and resume printing your checks.