Goldenseal Printing

This section explains how to print forms and reports in the Goldenseal business software.

PRINTING BASICS
        Page Setup | Printing the Current Window | Printing Reports | Printing Quick Reports
        Purchasing Forms | Aligning Forms | Saving as Text

PRINT FORMS COMMAND
        Print Forms | Unprinted Records | Record Ranges

Website Links
       Accounting Software | Business Management Software | Check Writing Software

RELATED TOPICS
        Custom Layouts | Print Form Layouts | Report Layouts

Page Setup

Choose Page Setup from the File menu to set up the number of pages to print, the paper size, and their orientation.

The Page Setup dialog is different for each printer, so there may also be other options.

When you print records, forms or reports, Goldenseal uses the custom layout to determine what items to include, and where they are located.

HINT-- For data entry screens, the custom layout also determines the screen appearance.

For paper size and orientation, each custom layout can use either the Page Setup options, or a fixed value.
If the layout uses Page Setup options, choose Page Setup from the File menu before you print to make sure it is set up the way you expect.

If the custom layout uses a fixed paper size or orientation, that will be used instead of the settings in Page Setup.

HINT-- If you print onto pre-printed forms, it's a good idea to use a fixed paper size and orientation in the layout. That way you won't ever be surprised with the wrong paper size or orientation.

Printing The Current Window

Choose Print from the File menu to print the current window.  The printout will look like what you see on the screen, minus any buttons or controls.

HINT-- To get a printout that looks like a business form, use the Print Forms command instead.

Printing Forms

Usually when you print business forms, you'll want them to look different than what you see on the screen. Use the Print Forms command to print business forms of any kind.

To print forms, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Print Form from the File menu.
  2. Choose the Transaction that contains the data that you want to print.
  3. Choose the Form Type that matches your needs.
  4. Choose Unprinted Items, or one of the other record ranges.
  5. Click the Print button.
  6. The selected records will automatically be printed.

NOTE-- When printing forms, Goldenseal uses the page range to determine which records to print. The actual number of printed pages may be different if there is more than one record per page, or if some records include breakdowns that extend onto multiple pages.

Printing Unprinted Items

Each account and transaction includes a Printer Flag, found at the lower left corner of the window. The Printer Flag marks items that need to be printed.

Click on the icon to turn it on or off.

NOTE-- Goldenseal automatically marks new records as needing printing. After you use the Print Forms command to print the record, Goldenseal automatically turns off the printer flag.

When you choose Unprinted Records as a record range, Goldenseal will print only those items that have the printer flag turned on.
When you choose Unprinted Checks, Goldenseal will print only those items that are a Bank Check and that have the printer flag turned on.

HINT-- The next version of Goldenseal will include an Unprintable Checks option. It will only print checks that contain 'naughty' words.

Record Ranges

You can print any of the of the following ranges:

Unprinted Records-- Goldenseal will print only those items that have the printer flag turned on.
Active Record-- Only the active record will be printed. The Active Record is the one that is currently visible (or that was visible when the window was closed).
Found Records-- Only items in the found set will be printed.
Flagged Records-- Only items that have been flagged will be printed.
Found and Flagged Records-- Only items that are in the found set and that are also flagged will be printed.

Three additional ranges are available when printing Checking and Escrow Transactions:

Unprinted Checks-- Goldenseal will print only those items that are a Bank Check and that have the printer flag turned on.
Found Checks-- The same as Found Records, but only Bank Checks.
Flagged Checks-- The same as Flagged Records, but only Bank Checks.

Purchasing Forms

Goldenseal can print onto just about any pre-printed form. Use the Custom Layouts command to arrange Goldenseal data so it will print in the correct locations.
For bank checks, you can use forms that have one check per page, or you can print onto forms that have multiple checks per page.

HINT-- Forms with one check per page are more expensive, but they are also more flexible-- especially if you only print a few checks at a time.

Aligning Forms

If you are just starting to print onto a pre-printed form, you may need to "tweak" the layout to get everything to print in the proper place. Similar tweaking may be needed after you change operating systems or printers.

NOTE-- Printing goes through several steps between Goldenseal and the printer, so there are many opportunities for minor variations in printing.

To align Goldenseal print forms to a pre-printed form, follow these steps:

  1. Make a test print onto a sheet of plain copy paper (choose paper that is as transparent as possible).
  2. Hold it over the pre-printed form, and compare the alignment.
  3. Choose Custom Layouts from the Options menu, then choose Printed Forms from the submenu.
  4. Locate the form you are using.
  5. Move any fields that are not printing correctly.
  6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 until the printing is correct.
  7. Try a test print on the actual forms. If it is still not perfect, repeat the previous steps.

HINT-- If the paper feed in your printer has some "wiggle", it's a good idea to print several times to see the range of print locations.

Printing Reports

To print any report from the Reports menus, click the Print button. Goldenseal will print the report in the same format that you see on the screen.

NOTE-- To customize the layout of a report, choose Custom Layouts from the Options menu, then choose Reports from the submenu.

Printing Quick Reports

To print any report from the Billing, Deposit Funds, Pay Bills, Write Payroll or Job Costs command, click the Print Report button. Goldenseal will print the same data that you see on the screen.

NOTE-- Quick reports print with a fixed format, similar to what you see on the screen. If you want more control over the display format, use one of the reports from the Reports menu instead.

To create a custom report from the quick report commands, click the Save As Text button, then save a file on your hard drive. You can open the text file with any spreadsheet or word processor program. You can change columns, fonts, text, and any other report formatting in the custom report, before you print.

Saving as Text

You can save just about anything in Goldenseal as a text file that you can open with a word processor or spreadsheet.

To save as text, follow these steps:

In Browser Windows-- choose Save as Text from the File menu
In Reports-- click the Save as Text button
In Quick Reports-- click the Save as Text button