How do I set up an image for my letterhead logo?
Drake Tax allows only a .bmp (bit-mapped) file to be used as the logo. The size of the image as printed can vary depending on your printer setting. After reviewing the following information, if your logo does not print as expected, see Related Links below.
- If the image you want to use is not a .bmp file, you must convert it to a .bmp file. For help converting a .jpg file to a .bmp file, see Related Links below.
- If you use a monochrome printer (a printer that prints only one color, typically black text on white stock), open the .bmp file in Microsoft Paint and save it as a as monochrome bitmap. If you save the image in other software, save it as a black-and-white image or as a grayscale bitmap, if black and white isn’t a save option.
- The goal is a .bmp file that the printer and software recognize as a monochrome image, not a color image.
- The fact that your image is displayed and prints as black on white does not confirm that it is a monochrome bitmap. A black-and-white image, saved as a color bit map file, is displayed and prints as black-and-white, but it is treated as a color image and handled differently from a monochrome bitmap image.
- If you intend to save and print a color logo, consider your printer capabilities. You will need to use GDI to print color. See Color Logos below.
- Save the logo inside this folder: \DRAKEYY\CF
- The default logo provided in Drake Software (DrakeYY/CF/logo.bmp) is 209 X 323 pixels (W x H). A .bmp image of a different size may work, but it may be necessary to adjust the image size to fit the letterhead, or the letterhead to fit the image.
- To display the .bmp image as your letterhead logo, go to Setup > Letters and from the Client Communications Editor toolbar, select Setup > Page Layout. Under Letterhead Options, select Use logo on letters. Click the Browse for bitmap logo link to brows to the logo image file. Click OK to confirm the setting and exit the setup screen.
- The letterhead logo is updated from previous years, but the software continues to use the original path you set to the location of the logo. If you put your logo in Drake18\CF, when you update settings to Drake19, the software will continue to look in Drake18\CF.
Color Logos:
A color logo must be printed using GDI on a printer that supports GDI. Starting in Drake17, the default print method will be GDI under Setup > Printing > Printer Setup > (F8) Edit Printer Settings unless you have chosen Laserjet as the Printer Type and checked the box Use PCL when printing tax forms. When you use PCL, a logo must be a black and white.bmp image (monochrome bitmap) or it will not print. If your printer does not support GDI, consider converting the color logo to a monochrome bitmap image so it will print in black and white using PCL.
To see if your printer supports GDI in Drake16 and prior, at Setup > Printing > Printer Setup > (F8) Edit Printer Settings, select the printer and select the option Alternate Print Method (GDI). If the printer is a color printer, the image will print in color; otherwise, if the printer supports it, the image will print in gray scale.
Notes:
- A color logo prints approximately 1/3 smaller than expected, to accommodate printing of logos in PCL.
- Selecting the GDI setting may reducing printing speed and affect other aspects of printer performance.
- If you experience printer issues that you cannot resolve after exhausting printer settings and Drake Tax settings, install the latest printer driver available for your operating system. Check your printer instruction booklet or manual or visit your vendor website for more information.