Configuring Return Print Sets

Return print sets customize the conditions in which documents print for each tax product, tax authority, and copy type. Return print sets can also determine the order in which documents print and suppress the printing of documents. A firm can assign a return print set as the default for an organizational unit (entire firm, office, business, unit, or region) in Firm > Settings and defaults. Tax is installed with a return print set named Default that is selected for the Firm level organizational unit. A firm can change this selection if other return print sets exist.

Once you assign a return print set to an organizational unit, if there is a print set assigned to a lower-level organizational unit, the lower-level setting overrides the settings of the higher-level organizational unit.

Clients are assigned to an office and a business unit in the client profile. A client who is assigned to an organizational unit with a selected return print set inherits that return print set. When creating tax returns for that client, the inherited return print set is selected and cannot be changed or deleted; however, you can override the print defaults during return print.

Documents that can print in a return are:

  • Forms
  • Statements
  • Reports
  • Correspondence
  • Invoices
  • Separator sheets
  • Federal and state worksheets
  • Federal and state schedules

Prior year print sets are rolled forward to the next year. If there is an existing print set with the same name in the next year as in the prior year, the prior year print set is not carried forward. Print set names must be unique within each tax year.

Warning!: The following selections override form print order and print properties specified in return print sets:

  • Selecting Collate Informational Forms before Fileable Forms in the return configuration set.
  • Selecting 1 for the print order on the General > Return Options > Processing Options Worksheet.

Notes:

  • Changes to a return print set are applied to all returns associated to that return print set when the returns are reopened and recalculated.
  • You can override the print set defaults when doing the following:
    • Printing or previewing an entire return or the federal, state, and city sections of a return.
    • Printing a batch of entire returns or federal, state, and city sections of returns in Batch Manager.
  • Print set configurations do not affect how returns are e-filed.
  • Organizer print sets customize the conditions that Organizer documents print for each Individual and Fiduciary tax product, according to a tax authority and tax year combination. See Managing Organizer Print Sets in Batch Manager Help for more information.

Opening Return Print Sets

To open a return print set, do the following:

  1. Click Application Links on the Dashboard navigation panel.
  2. Click Configure > Return print sets under Tax to open the Return Print Sets window.

The Return Print Sets navigation panel displays the default print set and any custom print sets configured for the firm under each installed tax year. When you select a different tax year or print set, you must save the current print set to retain any unsaved changes.

Reviewing New and Deleted Forms

When a new release or a new tax year is installed, forms may be added or deleted.

  • New forms. New forms display with red text the first time you open a custom print set after a new release or a new tax year is installed. Red highlighting is applied to your first review only. The second time you display the print set, all forms display in the default font color.
  • If you have reordered the form positions in a print set, new forms are added in their correct print position, according to the reordering.

    Note: New forms do not display with red text in the default print set.

  • Deleted forms. Click Deleted Forms on the button bar to display a report of deleted forms from previous releases. The report includes the release number from which each form was deleted, and the return type and tax authority associated with each form. See Reviewing Deleted Tax Forms for more information.

Using Return Print Set Features

The list of documents for the selected tax product and tax authority displays in the Form list. In addition to forms, the list can also include statements, reports, correspondence, invoices, separator sheets, worksheets, and schedules.

Select from the following options to manage print sets:

ClosedAdd a print set.

  1. Click New on the button bar.
  2. If needed, select a different tax year.
  3. Enter a name for your print set. Print set names must be unique within each tax year.
  4. Click Create to add a print set based on the default print set for the selected tax year.
  5. Select another tax product tab, such as Corporation or Partnership, if needed.
  6. Select a tax authority from the list of all supported and installed federal, state, and city tax authorities. A tax authority displays in blue font in the list if a custom print setting is saved for at least one copy type for that tax authority.
  7. Select a Closedcopy type to display the list of form names and form properties that apply for the selected tax product and tax authority. Copy types that are customized for the selected tax authority display in blue font.
  8. You can reorder forms by dragging a selected item to a new location in the list or by using the up or down arrow in the lower-right portion of the window.
  9. Select one or more forms and the print Closedoption that applies. Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple forms. You can also press Ctrl+A to select all forms for the current copy type.
  10. Select another tax product tab, if needed, and repeat the steps for each tax product you want to edit.
  11. Clickon the button bar to save your changes.

ClosedEdit a print set.

  1. Select the custom print set to edit on the navigation panel.
  2. Click Edit on the button bar if you are currently in Side-by-side view.
  3. Select a different tax product tab, such as Corporation or Partnership, if needed.
  4. Select a tax authority from the list of all supported and installed federal, state, and city tax authorities. A tax authority displays in blue font in the list if a custom print setting is saved for at least one copy type for that tax authority. You can reorder forms by dragging a selected item to a new location in the list.
  5. Select a Closedcopy type to display the list of form names and form properties that apply for the selected tax product and tax authority. Copy types that are customized for the selected tax authority display in blue font.
  6. Select one or more forms and the print Closedoption that applies. Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple forms. You can also press Ctrl+A to select all forms for the current copy type.
  7. Select another tax product tab, if needed, and repeat the steps for each tax product you want to edit.
  8. Select an option to save your changes:
    • Click on the button bar to save your changes to a custom print set. The Save option is not available for the default print set.
    • Click on the button bar to save, copy, and rename your changes with a unique print set name for the selected tax year. If you edited the default print set, you must save your changes as a new print set.

ClosedRestore a custom print set to the system default settings.

  1. Select the custom print set to restore on the navigation panel.
  2. Click Restore Default on the button bar.
  3. Click Restore on the confirmation window to restore the selected tax authority and copy type to the system default settings.

Notes:

  • If a copy type is in black font in the Copy type list, the copy type contains all default settings. Tax authorities and copy types with custom print settings display in blue font.
  • Restore Default restores settings for only the selected tax authority and copy type.

ClosedDelete the open print set.

  1. Select the custom print set to delete on the navigation panel.
  2. Click Delete on the button bar,
  3. Click Delete on the confirmation window to delete the open print set.

Note: You cannot delete the default print set.

ClosedSearch for forms.

  1. Click Edit on the button bar if you are currently in Side-by-side view.
  2. Click Form Search on the button bar to locate forms, reports, or letter types in the open print set. The Search window displays.
  3. Enter your search criteria. You can search for standard and special characters. Enter a complete form name to search for a specific form or enter partial information to search for similar matches.
  4. Select one of the following search methods:
    • Contains. Locates list items that include your search criteria anywhere in the form name. Select Contains to search for similar matches. For example, if you search for Form 1040, the system lists Form 1040NR and Form 1040NR-EZ.
    • Exact match. Locates list items that exactly match the criteria you enter. For example, if you search for Form 1040, the system only lists Form 1040 and not Form 1040NR or Form 1040NR-EZ.
  5. Click Find Next to find the next occurrence of your search criteria or click Cancel to close the Search window.

ClosedView copy types side-by-side.

  1. Click Side-by-side on the button bar to display the forms and print properties of each copy type in one view. The forms are applicable for the selected print set, tax product, and tax authority. This allows you to review for consistency or additional changes.
  2. You can do the following:
    • Click the Tax authority box to change the form display for a different authority. A tax authority displays in blue font in the list if a custom print setting is saved for at least one copy type for that tax authority. Copy type headings that are customized for the selected tax authority display in blue font.
    • Select another tax product tab to change the form display for a different product, such as Corporation or Partnership.
    • Click the arrow beside a copy type to expand or collapse the forms list.

ClosedPrint a print set report

  1. Click Edit on the button bar if you are currently in Side-by-side view.
  2. Click above the Forms list to display print options for the following:
    • Selected tax product
    • Selected tax authority
    • All applicable copy types in the selected tax product, regardless if they are customized
  3. Select or enter the number of copies. You can print from one to nine copies if you are printing to the printer, printer and PDF, or printer and TIFF option. You can send only one copy to a document imager, PDF, or TIFF file.
  4. Select the print destination. If you select to print to a printer and PDF or TIFF file type, up to nine copies can be sent to the printer and only one copy can be included in the PDF or TIFF file.
  5. If your output includes a printer or document printer, you can select a print device. The default printer is the previously selected device or the device selected in Printer Setup.
  6. You can select a watermark to display in the print background, diagonally from the lower-left to the upper-right corner of the page.
  7. If you are printing to a PDF or TIFF file, with or without sending to a printer, enter or browse to the location to save the report.
  8. Click Print to print the custom print set report.

ClosedExport a copy of the print set to Excel®.

  1. Click Edit on the button bar if you are currently in Side-by-side view.
  2. Click above the Forms list to display the Save As window.
  3. Accept the default location and file name, or enter different information.
  4. Click Save to export the custom print set report.