2024 Redline Form Alignment

Welcome to the Community, CTC Books. I'm here to provide additional troubleshooting steps to assist you in resolving the misalignment issue with your W2 payroll forms using QuickBooks Desktop.

To begin with, we'll need to verify your printer settings to ensure they're correctly configured for the specific paper size you're using. Additionally, it's important to check that the paper type you're using is compatible with your printer. Using incorrect settings or incompatible paper can lead to alignment issues during the printing process.

Next thing is to perform Print Head Alignment. This will help in accurately position printer's head, allowing for a clean and precise printing outputs. The process involves adjusting the arrangement of the print heads for optimal print quality. To do so, here's how:

1. On your computer, click the Windows menu.
2. From the search field, type Control Panel.
3. Open the Devices and Printers and right-click on your printer.
4. Select Printing Preferences and find for an option to Align the Print Cartridges or Print Head Alignment.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the alignment process.

For more information, please see this article: Fix printing issues in QuickBooks Desktop
 

Also, make sure your printer's driver are updated, since outdated drivers can cause various printing issue, including misalignment. Moreover, I encourage you to do a test print on a plain paper to see if the alignment issue persists. If it does, I recommend contacting our live support team. They have the appropriate tools and skills to help identify the cause of this matter and resolve this issue promptly. 

Furthermore, here's an article providing guidance on the steps you need to take, and the preparations required in QuickBooks as you gear up for the new year: Year-end guide for QuickBooks Desktop.

The Community forum is here to assist you with any alignment issues you may be facing, CTC Books. Just click the Reply button and we will be around to help you any time.

You can avoid all this by printing the W-2's on plain paper. There's no reason to use the red drop-out ink W-2's. They are not required and haven't been for 20 years.

All copies of W-2s can be printed on blank paper, both for employees and to file. You do not need to use the red scanable forms.

QuickBooks prints W-2 forms on plain paper that you can submit when you pick the plain paper - for the SSA - form option.

The SSA uses a different set of scanners for this standard, which Intuit and other payroll providers worked out with the SSA over two decades ago.

The only reason Intuit still sells the red forms is... so they can sell the red forms. No one needs them.

Here's some additional information from the SSA:

At https://www.ssa.gov/employer/paperFormInstr.htm
"Social Security accepts laser printed Forms W-2/W-3 as well as the standard red drop-out ink forms. Both the laser forms and the red drop-out ink forms must comply with Internal Revenue Service's Publication 1141 and require pre-approval from Social Security."

Note that by "laser printed" they mean laser-printer-like quality, so your average ink-jet printer also works fine.

Here's a link to Pub 1141, if you really want to read it.  https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-1141

The SSA describes it as:

"This publication provides the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding the preparation and use of substitute forms for Form W-2 and Form W-3 for wages paid during the calendar year.

It's rather dry, though it does include an image of the "W-2 (Copy A) (Substitute Black-and-White)" form on page 24, which is what you'll get if you print the forms from QuickBooks on plain paper for filing.

I order my forms directly from IRS for free, so they don't have to be on those forms at all? or should I get prior approval from IRS before doing that?

No, they don't have to be on those red forms. They're more for typing up the W-2 (remember typewriters? The government does.)

You don't need approval to file on plain paper, from either the IRS or the SSA.