The Check Form Setup screen allows users to set up how checks are printed using the Accounts Payable module and Payroll module. Here users can work from templates to determine where blocks of information should display on the different types of checks including block positioning, size, features, text, signatures, and more. Checks can be backed up and saved as well as copied for convenience.
It is important to address all setting before setting up and printing checks via Setup > Settings > Miscellaneous tab > Check Printing section.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Click Create New.
3. Enter a title in the Create a new check form text box.
4. Select the applicable HTML Template from the pull-down. A template is the HTML base from which a check is designed and includes the data that displays on a check.
Click the Check Template Descriptions document link below to view and/or download a table of additional data regarding the different templates.
The file contains the breakdown for each A/P check. Payroll checks typically only use payroll_template.html or payroll_template_mailer.html. The difference between the two is that the latter includes a section for printing the address to appear inside of an envelope window. Otherwise, the templates are more or less identical. In fact, you could use payroll_template_mail.html exclusively to hide the mailer section when it is not needed.
5. Click Create.
Once created, the new check form displays as a page definition in the Page pull-down, which is a saved configuration that lays out the elements of a template into a formatted document, in this case, a check.
6. Select the Setting of the check you need to adjust.
Display: Determines which blocks of information and fields display on the check.
Position: Determines the positioning of fields displayed on the check.
Size: Determines the size of fields displayed on the check.
Features: Determines which features are included on the check including margins, padding, and borders.
Text: Determines the size and placement of text displayed on the check.
7. Select the Covered Facilities from the pull-down to determine which facilities have permission to use the check form in order to generate checks. Permission is based on users' accounting strip permissions.
8. Select the Internal check box to ensure this check form only applies to Internal facilities. If the Internal check box is selected, users must have accounting strip permission to internal facilities in order to use the check form to generate checks.
9. Select the Allowed Profiles from the pull-down to determine which profiles have access to the check form in order to generate checks.
The Document Preview displays the check's blocks and positioning to help you develop your check before using to generate paper checks.
Display Settings
Display Settings determine which fields display on the check.
Check Form Setup uses CSS Formatting to determine how the check displays and will be used for generation.
All Display settings default to none upon creating a new check form. Inactive fields display in gray.
a. Review the Selector and select the Display setting from the pull-down, such as block, inline-block, table, etc.
b. Select from the Break Page After pull-down to start a new page after the selected element is printed.
Position Settings
Position Settings determine the positioning of fields displayed on the check.
Check Form Setup uses CSS Formatting to determine how the check displays and will be used for generation.
All position settings default to relative position at 0.00 inches upon creating a new check form. Inactive fields that aren't currently displayed on the check display in gray.
a. Review the Selector and select the Position setting from the pull-down, such as absolute, relative, fixed, etc.
b. Enter the Top Amount and select the Top Units, such as Inches, to determine the field's placement from the top of the page.
c. Enter the Left Amount and select the Left Units, such as Inches, to determine the field's placement from the left of the page.
Size Settings
Size Settings determine the size of fields displayed on the check.
Check Form Setup uses CSS Formatting to determine how the check displays and will be used for generation.
All size settings default to 100.00 percent width amont and height amount upon creating a new check form. Inactive fields that aren't currently displayed on the check display in gray.
a. Review the Selector.
b. Enter the Width Amount and select the Width Units, such as Inches or Percent, to determine the size of the field displayed on the check.
c. Enter the Height Amount and select the Height Units, such as Inches or Percent, to determine the size of the field displayed on the check.
Feature Settings
Feature Settings determine which features are included on the check and how they display including margins, padding, and borders.
Check Form Setup uses CSS Formatting to determine how the check displays and will be used for generation.
All feature settings default to 0.00 inch Margin and Padding, a 0.00 pixels black border with none style upon creating a new check form. Inactive fields that aren't currently displayed on the check display in gray.
a. Review the Selector.
b. Enter the Margin Amount and select the Margin Units, such as Inches or Percent to determine the size of the field displayed on the check.
c. Enter the Padding Amount and select the Padding Units, such as Inches or Percent, to determine the size of the field displayed on the check.
d. Select the Border Color and Border Style, such as black and solid. Enter the Border Width and select the Border Units, such as Pixels or Inches.
Text Settings
Text Settings determine the size and placement of text displayed on the check.
Check Form Setup uses CSS Formatting to determine how the check displays and will be used for generation.
All text settings default to size 10.00 points at normal weight aligned left upon creating a new check form. Inactive fields that aren't currently displayed on the check display in gray.
a. Review the Selector.
b. Enter the Size Amount and select the Size Units, such as Points, to determine the size of the text displayed on the check.
c. Select the Size Weight, such as normal, and select the Size Align, such as left or center, to determine the weight or placement of the text on the check.
While you are editing select settings, the field highlights in the Document Preview.
To work in sections, click the arrows to collapse and expand specific sections, as needed. For example, if you were done working on the address block, you could click that particular arrow to close that section while working on another one.
Once collapsed, the arrow displays facing the right. Click the arrow again to expand the section.
10. When settings are established, click Save Check to apply changes.
You must click Save Check before switching the setting to change different aspects of the check form or changes will be lost.
Once Save Check is clicked, the changes cannot be undone, unless undone manually. Click Backup Templates before making changes to save a copy of all check form templates to your computer to ensure original copies are not lost. If needed, the file downloaded to your computer can be used to insert data back into Focus using RunQuery. See Backing Up Check Form Templates for more information.
11. Click Reset Check before saving to discard any edits made and start over.
Signatures must first be set up via Setup > Settings > Signatures.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Select the check form from the Page pull-down.
3. Click Signatures to insert signatures into the check form.
4. In the pop-up window, select Signature 1 and Signature 2 from the pull-downs.
5. In order for signatures to display on the checks, ensure the signature fields are enabled: From the Settings pull-down, select Display. Change the Display selection from the pull-down to ensure the fields are displayed. See the section on Display Settings for more information.
6. Click Save Check to save signatures.
The Check Form Setup screen allows users to upload a copy of the paper check as a background in the Document Preview. Uploading a background file will help users line up the fields to match the paper copy.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Select the check form from the Page pull-down.
3. Click Load Background to upload a copy of the paper check as a background in the Document Preview.
4. Click Choose File.
5. Select the file from your computer and click Open.
The Document Preview displays the check background.
The loaded background displays for all check forms, not just the check form selected from the Page pull-down.
6. To remove the check background, click Load Background. From the pop-up window, click the x to remove the file.
The number of remit lines determines how the check is divided and how many invoices can be attached per check page. Note: This feature doesn't apply to Payroll as payroll always uses single page checks.
In order to apply remit lines properly, the following settings must be addressed via Setup > Settings > Miscellaneous tab > Check Printing section:
Create Filler Check Numbers For Line Item Overflow determines how multiple pages for an A/P check are handled. If set to yes, commonly used for when the checks are printed on pre-numbered stock, the system will assign a unique check number per page, intended to match the numbers on the stock. If set to no, when printing on blank paper or unnumbered stock, the system will apply the same check number across multiple pages for that check.
Allow For Separate Printing Of First & Remaining Pages is designed to print all checks, but only the first page. This is for printing to pre-numbered stock. The remaining pages are printed on plain paper. It reduces the amount of check stock used at the expense of the work involved manually collating check pages.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Select the check form from the Page pull-down.
3. Enter the applicable number of Remit Lines in the text box.
4. Click Save Check to apply changes.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Select the check form from the Page pull-down.
3. Click Print Sample to print a sample of the check to better understand changes that need to be made in order to ensure the check form lines up with paper check templates.
4. Click the Printer icon to print the sample check page.
The Check Form Setup screen allows users to create copies of existing check forms.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Select the check form from the Page pull-down that you want to duplicate.
3. Click Copy Current to create a copy of the selected check form.
4. Enter the title of the new check form in the Copy current form to text box.
5. Click Copy.
The copied check form displays.
Once Save Check is clicked, the changes cannot be undone, unless undone manually. Backing up check form templates before making changes allows users to save a copy of all check form templates to the computer to ensure original copies are not lost. If needed, the file downloaded to the computer can be used to insert data back into Focus using RunQuery.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Click Backup Templates.
The file downloads to your computer where it can be saved for later, if necessary.
The Check Form Setup screen allows users to rescan one or more saved check forms in order to incorporate new fields and/or new features adding during a version upgrade.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2a. Click Rescan All Templates to update all check form templates.
2b. To scan a select check form template, select the template from the Page pull-down. Then, click Rescan Structure.
Rescanning the check template file will reset any unsaved changes. Be sure to save your work before scanning the check form template. This only applies to Rescan Structure.
3. Once scanned, a pop-up window displays alerting you to how many sections were added or removed. Click OK.
1. From the Setup menu, click Check Form Setup.
2. Select the check form from the Page pull-down that you want to delete.
3. Click Delete Check.
4. Click OK in the pop-up window to permanently delete the check.
