Why am I seeing black boxes on printed forms or not getting signatures on checks when printing from Drake Tax?
Microsoft released a Windows update on 3/9/21 that is causing issues for some customers when printing tax forms. Some symptoms include black boxes printing on forms, signatures not printing on checks, state images and barcodes missing from certain forms and logos missing on letters.
Microsoft released update KB5001649 on 3/22/2021 to resolve the printing issue. We recommend that you install all outstanding Windows updates to resolve the issue. Note: You may have to manually search for and install this update on some systems. This update also fixes printing in all prior years of Drake Tax.
It is highly is recommended to install all Windows updates as pausing Windows Updates for an extended period of time can put your computer at more risk for security threats.
Some preparers who had printing issues with state forms not printing (CT, HI, OH for example), must also do the following in Drake20:
- Go to Setup > Printing > Printer Setup > (F7) Options tab.
- Uncheck the box Printing Update(3.18) to address issues related to a Microsoft Windows Update. Use as directed by support.
- Click Save.
- Attempt to print directly to your local or network printer.
- If the print job does not process correctly, you may need to go to Setup > Printing > Printer Setup > (F8) Edit Printer Settings tab and set your printer up again. Select your printer from the drop list.
- If you originally used the PCL option to work around this issue, you will need to uncheck the Use PCL when printing tax forms box, then click Update and Save.