Viewing and Printing Returns in Enhanced View

There are several ways to view or print a return:

• Click View or Print from the toolbar of the Home window (without opening a return).

• Press Ctrl+V (to view) or Ctrl+P (to print) from the Home window or from within any data entry screen.

• Click View/Print from the toolbar of any Data Entry Menu within a return.

• Click View/Print from the toolbar from within any data entry screen.

• Right-click from any data entry screen and select View Return or Print Return.

If results are first displayed in Calculation Results, click Continue to proceed.

If you view or print more than one return at time by clicking the View or Print icon from the Home window toolbar and making more than one selection from the Return Selector, a Next icon appears on the toolbar in View/Print mode. Click this Next icon to move from the first return to the next (or press ENTER).

Returns can be viewed in either Enhanced mode or Basic mode. In Enhanced mode, expand the tree view as needed and click the name of a form to view it. In Basic mode, view a form by double-clicking the label in the cascade of forms.

Viewing a Return (Enhanced Mode)

Enhanced mode—the default View/Print mode—consists of five main components, toolbar, viewing tool, category tabs, tree view, and viewing panel:

1. Toolbar — Contains icons for performing actions regarding the return.

2. Viewing Tool — Allows zooming and clicking through the various forms.

3. Category Tabs — Groups documents within a return; select a tab to view all documents within a category.

4. Tree View — Shows all documents in a return; can be expanded or collapsed.

5. Viewing Panel — Displays the selected document.

These five components are described in the following sections.

Toolbar

• Data Entry - Leave View/Print mode and return to data entry.

• Print - Send selected forms to printer, including the Drake PDF printer (includes option to password-protect PDF file); email selected forms; “quick print” only the form open in the viewer. Links to video tutorials are also available.

• Setup - Mask SSNs; set up form properties, color, and order, including drag-and-drop ordering. Access other setup options available in the program. There are also links to Drake Documents, Pricing, Printing, and Sets setup.

• Documents - Click the arrow on the side of the icon to open the taxpayer’s folder in Drake Documents, to archive the open the return, to open the Archive Manager, or to view video tutorials on archiving and printing returns in Drake Documents.

• Portals - Click the arrow next to the Portals icon to open the client’s portal or to upload the selected forms to Drake Portals.

• e-Sign - Use with electronic signature pad to digitally sign tax forms in View/Print mode or from Drake Documents.

• Email - Email the return to the selected recipient. Links to video tutorials are also available.

• e-File Taxpayer - e-File a return directly from View/Print mode by clicking the eFile Taxpayer icon on the View/Print mode toolbar. (All EF Messages must be cleared.) The file is transmitted, and a “P” or “B” “ack” (acknowledgment) is returned.

  NOTE: The check box Allow EF from View/Print must be selected from Setup > Options > EF tab for this icon to be visible.

• Refresh - Update the viewed return to reflect any changes made by another preparer working in the open return.

• Basic View - Switch to the cascade view (the exclusive view used by Drake Software before 2008).

• K-1 Export - Open the K1 Export tool. (This button is visible only for certain business returns.)

• 8615 Export - Open the 8615 Export tool. (This button is visible only for returns with dependents.)

• Help - Access Drake Software’s program help and view several video tutorials dealing with items such as DoubleCheck, LinkBacks, LookBack, and archiving, emailing, and printing to Drake Documents.

• Exit - Exit View/Print mode and return to the Home window of Drake Tax.

Viewing Tool

Use the arrows and zoom icon when viewing in Enhanced mode.

Click the arrows to move forward or backward through the forms; click the magnifying glass icon to zoom in or out.

Category Tabs

Labeled tabs allow you to view sections of the return according to selected categories. For example, if you click the EF tab, only the documents directly related to e-file are displayed in the tree view.

Tab	Items Shown in Tree View
All Forms	Every form generated during production of the return
Sets	Forms as distributed into the printer sets selected in Setup > Printing > Printer Setup > (F6) ‘Sets’ Setup tab
EF	All forms for e-file, in addition to any EF Messages
Federal	All forms for filing the federal tax return
Worksheets	All worksheets produced with the return
Miscellaneous	Such items as W-2 forms, letters, overflow statements, depreciation lists, bill summary, direct deposit summary, notes, etc.
Notes/Messages	Return Notes and EF Messages only (To keep a specific Return Note from being generated whenever you view this return, go to screen HIDE (or HID2 for states), enter the number of the Note to hide, and then recalculate the return.)
State	All forms for filing the [state] tax return
Gift Tax	Form 709 documents, if applicable

Tree View Directory

A tree view directory of all forms, worksheets, and other documents in a return allows you to see all the components of a return. Expand or collapse the tree as necessary for your viewing needs.

Viewing Panel

The viewing panel provides a preview of a selected document within the return. To preview a document, click the document name in tree view.

Troubleshooting

If you have issues when viewing (not printing) your client’s bill or any of the client results letters (listed in View/Print mode as “Result Letter,” “Engagement Letter,” “Customized Letter,” “Privacy Policy,” and “Amended Letter”), such as text that’s too large or running off the page, follow these steps to remedy the problem:

1. Open a return and view it.

2. Select the letter or bill from the document tree on the left side of the screen.

3. In the viewing pane right-click the screen, and from the right-click menu, select Fit Width, Fit Height, or Fit Page.

4. Alternately:

   • Click the magnifying glass at the top-right corner of the viewing pane.

   • Select Fit Width, Fit Height, or Fit Page.

   • Select a sizing percentage from Zoom Percentage until the letter or bill looks the way you want.

If you are using Basic view mode and wish to change the viewing percentage:

1. Double-click a letter or bill in the cascade of forms. (Alternately, right-click the letter or bill and choose View Form from the right-click menu.)

2. Right-click the letter or bill and select Fit Width, Fit Height, or Zoom Percentage. If you choose Zoom Percentage, select a sizing percentage until the letter or bill looks the way you want.