Your data is in and your tax forms kit is waiting. Now all you have to do is print! Learning the ins and outs of the Adams® Tax Forms Helper® print menu is the key to mastering printing onto pre-printed tax forms.
It’s a good idea to read through these instructions first to pick up some helpful tips and tricks before you start printing this tax season.
Pick your prints
Select the appropriate tab to choose your form type. (For this example, W-2s). Choose “Select All” or check or uncheck boxes to choose your payers.
Click the “Print Selected” button at the bottom of the records table to open the print menu.
The Adams Tax Forms Helper print menu
This page has lots of tools to help you set print parameters. Let’s get familiar.
Select Format
The Select Format drop-down tells Tax Forms Helper which copies of your form you’d like to print next (Copy A, Copy 2, Copy C and so on). Tax Forms Helper will make any adjustments needed for the page.
Decide if you’d like to mask FIDs
Clicking this checkbox will mask any Federal ID numbers.
Set your paper selections
Next, tell Tax Forms Helper whether you’d like to print your data onto IRS-approved tax forms, or if you’d like to make plain paper copies.
Select Print onto Forms
Click the “Print onto Pre-Printed IRS Form” button.
In the print preview, you’ll only see the data from your record without any of the borders or lines from the form. Click "
Tip: It’s a good idea to load plain paper in your printer for your first test print. Just hold your plain paper print in front of a form to check the alignment.
Before you run that test print!
It’s also an excellent idea to check your printer settings before you begin.
TIP: The number one cause of avoidable form alignment issues are hidden printer settings for scaling and fit to page.
You can usually find scaling options in your printer’s system dialog under Printer Properties, Preferences or Advanced settings. In this example, you can see the additional scaling settings for a Brother printer. (Scaling should be set to “Off.” )
Got your plain paper loaded and scaling off? You’re ready to “Print”.
Correcting alignment issues
If your print settings were fine and your test print still revealed some alignment issues, Tax Forms Helper Online can help you make some adjustments.
Return to the print menu
Let’s go back to our print menu. Select your forms again and choose “Print Selected”.
From the Print Menu screen, you can move your data right, left, up or down using the adjustment indicators.
Simply enter a number in the hundredths box and select right/left or up/down from the dropdown options to adjust.
You can return to adjust the alignment as needed after each test run until you're satisfied with your results.