w2's 2023

Let me guide you on how to fix the alignment issue on your W-2s, @kcvac1.

To start with, you can make Adobe Acrobat Reader your default PDF viewer by following these steps:

1. Go to the Windows Start menu and select Settings.
2. Click Apps, then Default apps.
3. Scroll down until you see .pdf and choose Adobe Acrobat Reader as its default program.
4. Select Switch anyway.

Next, ensure that the scale setting of your printer is set to the actual size, not the printable area. Then, you can print a test on a blank paper to verify the alignment.

Once everything is in place, you can now print your W-2 forms. For a complete guide, refer to this article: Print your W-2 and W-3 forms.

In case the printing issue persists, you can troubleshoot it by following the recommended solutions in this article: Fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

Feel free to return to this thread if you have any other concerns besides alignment issues on your W-2s. The Community is always ready to support. Stay safe!

I have done all of this and it does not work. It lines up perfectly on the top w2 but is off on the bottom one.  The scale setting is not the problem.  If it was it would not be in line on the top w-2.  This is a program issue with quickbooks.  Is there a fix I can download to correct this issue.

Thank you for getting back to us, @kcvac1.

Let me share additional information about the alignment when printing W2 in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

There are several factors to consider when printing W2 forms on a pre-printed form. One of which is the version of print drivers and the specific printer you're using. Also, make sure to update your QuickBooks software and payroll tax table to the latest version.

I understand that you have performed all the troubleshooting steps provided by my colleague. I recommend reaching out to our Customer Care team. They have the tools to conduct a secured screen-sharing session to further investigate the root cause as to why you're unable to accurately align your W2 forms.:

Here's how:

1. Open QuickBooks.
2. Go to Help, then select QuickBooks Desktop Help/Contact Us.
3. Select Contact Us.
4. Give a brief description of your issue, then select Continue.
5. Sign in to your Intuit account and select Continue and then Continue with my account.
   • If you don't already have an account, make sure to Create a new account.
6. We'll email you a single use code. Enter your code and select Continue.
   • If you have more than one account, select the account you want to use and then Continue.
7. Choose to chat with us or Have us call you.

Lastly, I've added this article for additional reference: Year-end checklist for QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Feel free to comment below if you have questions about printing W2 forms in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. I'm always here to help. Have a great day.

Ethel,

Thank you for your response.  I have a HP Laserjet  P1102W printer. How do you tell if my print driver is the problem.  I have the latest version of quickbooks and payroll tax tables. 

thank you

Hi there, @kcvac1.

Let me direct you to the best help to tell what's the error of your printer.

To know if the error originated in your printer, we recommend contacting an IT expert. Since this is out of QuickBooks' scope.

You can also read this article to help you troubleshoot QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) printing issues: Fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

If you have additional questions about printing forms in QBDT, feel free to reply to this post. I'll be willing to help. Have a good one.

Bryan

After wasting a whole day of my life with this problem I am convinced that i is a QuickBooks issue.  I tried it on my printer and home, I went to my office and tried it on the printer there and then went to my husbands place of business and tried printing them there.  At every location they printed the them.  Now with that being said, I don't feel that it is a printer problem at all.  I have read a lot of remarks on the internet and this is an ongoing issue with Quickbooks that  is not addressed nor fixed.

At all three locations adobe was set as pdf, had latest adobe, had latest payroll, had all updates on drivers.  Still the problem exist.  

I wish there was a simple solution but there does not seem to be one.  I am highly disappointed in Quickbooks for not resolving this issue.

Kelly

I have wasted 2 days! First I ordered W2 and 1099 forms from Amazon, those didn't align, then Office Depot, those didn't align.  After hours on the phone with Intuit, they said it requires their forms.  Spent a fortune on them.  Here I am, on a Sunday, and what shouldve taken an hour tops, I can't get half the forms to line up.  If you go through the alignment process, it only works on one-half of the page.  UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!

I have wasted days!! I first purchased W2 and 1099 forms from Amazon, they won't align.  Bought more forms from Office Depot, they won't align.  Spent hours with Intuit customer service and they indicated I would have purchase their forms, so spent more $100's and got their forms.  They don't align either.  

I understand how important is this so you can use the purchased forms. I'll help you align your W2 and 1099 payroll forms, Cwgreen.

You'll have to use coarse adjustments if you're using forms purchased from Intuit. Other continuous-feed forms can't be adjusted using this method. If your coarse adjustments are successful, you won’t need to make fine adjustments.

To make coarse alignment adjustment, follow the steps below:

1. Go to File, and then select Printer Setup.
2. Select the form you want to print from the Form name.
3. Select Continuous (Perforated Edge) from the Printer type.
4. Select Align, then choose a template to use.
5. Once you’ve selected a template, select OK.
6. Select Coarse, then OK to print a sample form.
7. Check the pointer line QuickBooks printed across the middle of the sample. Note the number closest to the arrow points. Enter this number in the Pointer Line Position field, and then select OK. QuickBooks might print another sample.
   Important: If QuickBooks prints a third sample when you select OK, something's wrong with the sample test print. Check your printer settings and make sure you don’t adjust the printer manually.
8. Take note of the printer alignment position on the test form for future reference.

To make fine alignment adjustments, here's how:

1. Go to the File menu, then select Printer Setup.
2. Select the form you want to print from the Form name.
3. Select Continuous (Perforated Edge) from the Printer type.
4. Select Align, and then choose a template to us and select OK.
5. Select Fine, then OK to print a sample form.
6. Check the alignment grid QuickBooks prints on the sample. Estimate how far to move the text.
7. In the Vertical and Horizontal fields, enter a number to specify how much and in what direction to move the printed text on the form.
8. Select Print Sample to test the form alignment.

Select OK when the fine adjustment settings are correct, and then OK to close the Printer Setup window.

Furthermore, paying your federal taxes and filing the necessary payroll forms on time is an essential task, learn how you can pay and file them. For more details, read this article for reference: E-file and E-pay Federal Forms And Taxes in QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Enhanced.

If you need further assistance when printing payroll forms, let us know so we can get back to you. As always, we're here to get you covered anytime.

None of this resolves the problem.  Really she purchased the forms from Intuit and they don't work.  I have read this over and over again.  This is a program problem that quickbooks does not want to address or correct.  I will be leaving quickbooks after this terrible tax season and all the days I have wasted with no resolution.

I will find a program that works.

Once again NONE of this works.  2 days and NOTHING works.  Have tried 3 different printers and still does not align.  IT is quickbooks program.

After days and days of frustrations, multiple calls to intuit and purchasing multiple brand forms, I had our IT person update my brother printer driver and everything worked.  Best of luck but I'm certain that will fix your problem. 

I understand your frustration in putting in a lot of effort to resolve the issue with the W2 alignment in QuickBooks, but still encountering the same thing, @kcvac. 

Since the issue remains even after doing the suggested steps given by my colleagues above, I recommend reaching out to our Phone Support team for further assistance. They are equipped with the necessary tools to safely look at your account and provide specific guidance to help resolve the alignment problem. They can be reached while using QuickBooks. Here's how:

1. In your top menu bar, go to Help, then QuickBooks Desktop Help.
2. Click Contact Us.
3. Enter a brief description of the issue in our Ask a question (or tell us what's wrong) field.
4. Hit Continue.
5. Select We’ll contact you for a callback or Message Us to start an instant messaging session.

Be sure to review their support hours so you'll know when agents are available. In the event you're unable to reach out to Intuit through your books, you can get in touch through our website.

You might also consider contacting your IT person to guide you in updating to the most compatible printer drivers.

For future reference, you can read this article to help you troubleshoot QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) printing issues: Fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop.

Keep us posted on how it goes by leaving your reply below. You can always count on us here in the Community to be your helping hand. 

This has been super frustrating.  I found that my printer driver was defaulted to a Microsoft Driver instead of the Brother Driver.  As soon as I switched it, my form aligned perfectly.

I am having the same issue!! I'm running out of time with it being January 23,2024

Nothing is working to fix this issue. I cannot print them like this because they are not legible. 

I am having the same issue and running out of time. Is there any way you can tell me how I would check my printer drivers. I'm going nuts here and very upset that this is not lining up correctly. Thank you

Lisa

I am going nuts here too trying to get this aligned and running out of time!! There is no way I can give these to our employees. This is very unacceptable!! All the money I spend on QB. Someone mentioned changing the printer driver and that resolved their problems but I have no idea what that entails. 

It isn't the kind of experience we want you to come across, ALK65.

I'm here to help modify your printer setup to fix the issue you encountered when printing W2 forms.

Here's how:

1. From the File menu, select Printer Setup.
2. Select the form you want to print.
3. Make sure the printer name matches the exact name of the printer you want to use. If not, click Printer Setup to select the correct one.

If the same issue persists, I'd recommend reaching out to our technical team so we can investigate this further. You can get in touch with them through the Help menu. Then, select QuickBooks Desktop Help.

Furthermore, I've added here an article that will guide you in ensuring your books are correct: Year-end checklist for QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Don't hesitate to post anytime you have concerns about printing W-2 forms.

Do you have an IT person that can install an updated printer driver? If not, google your printer name and update driver and run the update. It definitely worked for me after days and days of dealing with QB’s with no resolution. It takes about 5 minutes to complete. I know how frustrated you feel.