The saved layouts your cheques are printed from. A layout says where each printed item sits on one bank's cheque leaf: the date, the payee, and the amount in figures and in words.
When to use it
When a bank's cheque leaf has a different size or arrangement from the one you already print correctly, or when you want a layout of your own for a particular account.
Before you start
- If you want the layout tied to a bank account, that account must already exist as a bank account in your chart of accounts. Leave the bank account blank for a layout that suits any leaf.
- Designing a layout needs the Cheque Printing add-on. Printing, printer calibration and printing in Nepali do not.
Where to find it
Entry > Cheque > Cheque Print Layouts.
The fields on this screen
| Field (on screen) | What to enter | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Layout Name | for example NIC Asia - Current 0123 | No |
| Bank Account | Which bank account this layout prints for (blank = generic) | No |
| Default Layout | Used when printing without picking a layout | No |
How it works
- Add the layout. Name it after the bank and account so you can recognise it, pick the Bank Account it prints for, and tick Default Layout if it should be used when nobody picks one.
- Saving creates the layout empty. It prints nothing yet. Open the designer from the layout's row in the list and place the items on the cheque face: date, payee name, amount in figures, amount in words, cheque number, account number, a memo and any fixed text. Each item gets its own position and font.
- Check it on paper, not on screen. The designer's Test print and Alignment sheet send the printer the same page a real cheque would produce. You can hold it against a leaf without spending one.
- When a cheque is printed, the layout is chosen in this order: the one you pick; otherwise a finished layout for that cheque's bank account; otherwise your default layout; otherwise the built-in one. A layout with nothing placed on it is skipped at every step, so an unfinished layout never quietly takes over.
Tips and common mistakes
- Saving the layout is only half the job. Until you place the items in the designer, it will never be used.
- Tick Default Layout on one layout only. If two are ticked, the older one wins, and that is rarely the one you meant.
- You do not nudge the whole cheque a millimetre or two here. That is your own printer setting, under Account > Preferences > Cheque printing. It applies to every layout, and only to your own prints.
- Always print one cheque after changing a layout, before running a batch. A misprinted leaf is a spoiled leaf.
Related guides
- Cheque Issuance (where a cheque is numbered and printed)
- Payment Voucher, Account > Preferences