Memo field on checks prints too low

Any advice for me out there? I'm trying to print checks with Quicken. All the fields except for the memo field prints correctly aligned. The memo field is much too low and very near the chek/account/routing numbers at the bottom.

The check style is a voucher check with the check at the top of the page.

I don't know if I'm omitting any other relevant information, but if so, please let me know.

TIA. Mike

Reply to
MikeB
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"MikeB" wrote

Any advice for me out there? I'm trying to print checks with Quicken. All the fields except for the memo field prints correctly aligned. The memo field is much too low and very near the chek/account/routing numbers at the bottom.

The check style is a voucher check with the check at the top of the page.

I don't know if I'm omitting any other relevant information, but if so, please let me know.

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I don't print checks from Quicken, so I can't give you much practical help.

Additional relevant info might include your Quicken year, version and release.

But, if we're lucky, perhaps the following kb article will provide some help.

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Reply to
John Pollard

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Hello John, Thanks for the link. I'm using Quicken 2011. I'll look into the article and report back.

Mike

Reply to
MikeB

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We can but hope. the article has exactly the right title, but the contents discuss moving *all* the lines on the check. My problem is tha t*only* the memo line is printing too low.

I spent >60 minutes on live chat with some dude - to no avail. Now on the phone with their phone suport after he recommended it, but I have little hope.

I guess I shelled out for checks that we won't be able to use. Or at leat not if I want them printed from Quicken.

Reply to
MikeB

OK, After spending hours with Quicken - first on chat, then on the phone, I'm no closer to a solution and Intuit's final recommendation to me was "to play around as see if you can get it to work." Wow.

I'd really like to hear from others that also print checks, maybe I *am* missing something.

Firstly, in Quicken 2011, there does not seem to be a way to adjust the individual fields on the check, all the fields are moved "as a unit" in any of the up/down/left/right directions as a whole. I'd guess this is primarily so they can make their check layouts slightly different than other checks and render all other stock checks completely useless.

Now I'm wondering if anyone here has Intuit voucher check stock and can tell me the exact dimensions of the check if the check is the top part of the page?

Also, does anyone here have any personal experience with printing checks on non-Intuit check stock? I ordered checks from

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and I specified Quicken compatible checks, yet the memo line prints way too close to the account and routing numbers at the bottom of the check. I'm now left with 250 checks that I'll have to write by hand, and I still don't think I'm going to risk ordering Intuit's own checks just on the off-chance that they might work.

Reply to
MikeB

Sure - I've used 3up sheet checks from Costo with no problem. Make sure you order the kind without guide lines and alignment isn't an issue.

Reply to
Robert Neville

"MikeB" wrote

I am using wallet-sized computer checks ordered through Wal-Mart (on line), and the text for all fields is aligned very well using QD 2010 (after minor tweaks).

I'll e-mail you an edited scan of one so you can see the layout.

Reply to
Richard Fry

What you have found is similar to my experience as well. The way I deal with it is that I actually print my own checks onto blank checkstock. Currently I use VersaCheck 2007 and am using their wallet style checks (3 to a page). The advantage to this is that using their check designer you place the fields where you want them on the page. So, I had Quicken print a check onto the blank checkstock and then used the designer to place the fields on the actual check to match where Quicken printed it. This way you can move all of Quicken's lines up - as a unit - to get the memo line off the account numbers.

Another advantage of this setup is that I can print checks for any of my accounts (or any new accounts if I choose to change banks) without having to throw out blank checks that I paid for. Now that the template is formatted and set in the designer, I just duplicate it, change the bank name and routing/account numbers and I have a new template ready to go for another account (and I already know Quicken's printing will fall in the right spots).

I bought two boxes of 750 checks when Office Depot was liquidating their stock for $2.50 a box (The VersaCheck 2007 software was includes but it is not the current version - still works fine though). I think it is normally more like $20 a box online. I also bought an MICR refill kit to put into an old cartridge for my Laserjet printer from someone on e-bay for $30 shipped. So all-in my cost for 1500 wallet-sized checks is around $35 and a little time to play with the designer to get it right.

Every couple of months I print off 5 pages of checks for my main account (15 checks) since I don't actually write that many anymore. At the rate I am going through them, this might turn out to be a lifetime supply! I just change the toner cartridge to the MICR one, load 5 sheets of blank checkstock in the tray, fire up VersaCheck and tell it to print. When done swap toner cartridges again and put everything away. Maybe takes 5 minutes, tops.

VersaCheck does support voucher checks, but I have never used any. Your cost will likely be much higher than mine - not the least of which is that the voucher checks are more expensive - but it will solve your problem and might turn out to be cheaper in the long run if you print lots of checks.

Mike

Reply to
AmsterDude

You might want to investigate Check Magic -

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have used it for years with wallet checks and it can also print voucher checks. Their supplies prices are reasonable also.You print to a file from Quicken and then run Check Magic to print the complete check in one pass.

Reply to
Hank

Which brings up an interesting related topic: Do it yourself check printing.

VersaCheck, Check Magic and the like were always problematic in the past as many banks used magnetic MICR reading and the DIY check printing programs had no way of enforcing the use of MICR ink. The result for a lot of people were recode strips pasted on the bottom of the checks and in some cases, rework fees from their bank. The problem being that the check could be presented at any bank, so the account owner had no way of knowing if the receiving bank could read the check optically or required a mag strip.

Nowadays, with the new echeck regs and scanning devices showing up everywhere including retail establishments, and banks allowing deposit at home with scanned images of a check, the requirement for magnetic ink has probably gone by the wayside.

Reply to
Robert Neville

AFAIK it's illegal for any bank to charge for non MICR checks.

It certainly has not, banks that had MICR equipment stayed with it rather than go to the expense of replacing everything.

FWIW as of a year or so back my local Walmart would NOT accept a non MICR check.

Reply to
XS11E

Ummm, sort of. Legally, a check can be drafted on pretty much anything. It's essentially nothing more than written direction to your bank to dispense funds from your account. I've heard stories dating back decades about checks being drafted on the hide of a cow. Probably legend but it illustrates the point.

As to charging for non-MICR checks being illegal, I did a quick check and couldn't find anything that suggests that it is. Then you have to separate checks presented to the drawing bank vs those that have to be cleared. There are tons of rules from the clearinghouses though and they could certain require magnetic MICR ink or pass through surchanges for extra processing.

Accepting local checks on non-standard paper probably depends on how much your business is worth to them.

The Check 21 rules from a few years ago required that banks accepted a scanned image as the "substitute" legal copy and also said that banks did not need to go to the expense of shipping the paper document back to the paying bank. If you have to optically scan every check that isn't yours anyway, what's the point of keeping MICR readers around? May as well just OCR them.

That's kind of a different thing. Walmart takes the MICR data from the check and turns it into an ACH electronic debit card like transaction. They aren't scanning the whole check - just capturing the routing and account number. IIRC they hand the check back to the purchaser after they scan it. They certainly wouldn't want to swap out all the mag stripe readers and it also acts as a low level security feature as the funds may not be withdrawn immediately.

You also see this with all the late night infomercials. They don't even bother scanning the account number (obviously) - just ask you to read it to them over the phone.

Wikipedia has a reasonably good entry on this:

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Reply to
Robert Neville

As is so often the case, many of the replies ignore your question.

No, you're screwed. There is no way I've ever heard of to change the spacing BETWEEN the fields.

OTOH, if the vendor said these were appropriate for Quicken, you should return them for a refund - they lied to you.

Doug

Reply to
Doug

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