Tools FAQ: Common Questions and Answers

This article covers the most frequently asked questions about AccuArk's Tools module. If you cannot find the answer to your question here, check the dedicated guide for the specific tool you are using or contact AccuArk support.

I do not see the Tools menu after logging in. How do I get access?

The Tools menu is permission-gated. It only appears when your user role has at least one tool permission assigned. If the Tools menu is missing from your menu bar, contact your administrator and ask them to grant the appropriate permission for the tool you need:

• TOOL_USE_PRINTERS — Grants access to the general-purpose printers: Barcode Printer, Label Maker, Price Tag Printer, Envelope Printer, and Card Printer. This is the most common permission and is assigned to the Employee role by default.
• TOOL_CHECK_PRINTER — Grants access to the Check Printer. This permission requires Manager level or above because check printing involves financial instruments.
• TOOL_PAYSTUB_PRINTER — Grants access to the Paystub Printer. This permission also requires Manager level or above because paystubs contain sensitive payroll data.
• TOOL_TEST_PRICING — Grants access to the Test Promotional Pricing tool for simulating discount scenarios.

Your administrator can assign these permissions through Employees > Manage Roles by editing the role and checking the desired tool permissions. Once the permission is saved, log out and log back in for the menu to appear.

My template did not save. What went wrong?

Templates require a name to save. If the name field is empty or contains only spaces, the save operation will not proceed and no error message may appear. Here are the common reasons a template save can fail:

• Empty name field — Enter a descriptive name before clicking Save Template. Names like “Shelf Tags 2x1” or “Employee Badge Front” help you identify the template later.
• Special characters — Avoid using special characters in the template name that could cause database issues. Stick to letters, numbers, spaces, and hyphens.
• Duplicate name conflict — If a template with the same name already exists, you will be prompted to confirm the overwrite. If you decline the overwrite prompt, the save is cancelled and the template retains its previous settings. To save without overwriting, use a different name.
• Database connection — Templates are stored in the AccuArk database. If the database connection is interrupted at the moment you click Save, the operation may fail silently. Check your network connection and try again.

To verify a template saved successfully, open the Load Template dropdown and confirm the template appears in the list with the name you entered.

The preview panel is blank or shows nothing.

The preview panel renders a visual representation of your output based on the current form data. If the preview appears blank, check the following:

• Empty data fields — The preview requires content in the form fields to render. If all text fields (name, address, barcode value, etc.) are empty, there is nothing to display. Enter at least some sample text and the preview will populate.
• Force a refresh — Press F5 to force the preview to regenerate. In some cases the preview may not auto-update after rapid field changes.
• Invalid dimensions — Check the layout section for zero or negative dimension values. If the tag width, label height, or card dimensions are set to zero, the preview produces an empty area because there is no space to render content.
• Window size — If the application window is very small, the preview panel may be collapsed or hidden. Try maximizing the window or resizing the form to give the preview panel more space.

If the preview still does not appear after checking all of the above, close the tool and reopen it. This reinitializes the preview rendering engine.

My barcode will not generate or shows an error.

Barcode generation requires input that matches the rules of the selected barcode format. Each format has specific requirements:

• UPC_A — Requires exactly 12 digits (0-9 only). No letters or special characters are allowed.
• EAN_13 — Requires exactly 13 digits.
• EAN_8 — Requires exactly 8 digits.
• UPC_E — Requires 6 to 8 digits.
• CODE_128 — Accepts alphanumeric text and most ASCII characters. This is a versatile format suitable for general-purpose use.
• CODE_39 — Accepts uppercase letters A-Z, digits 0-9, and a limited set of special characters (space, hyphen, period, dollar sign, forward slash, plus, percent). Lowercase letters are not supported.
• QR_CODE — Accepts any text including URLs, email addresses, and Unicode characters. This is the most flexible format.

If your input does not match the format requirements, the barcode engine cannot generate the image and an error appears. The easiest fix is to switch to CODE_128 for general-purpose alphanumeric barcodes or QR_CODE for maximum flexibility with any text input. If you need a specific retail barcode format like UPC or EAN, verify the digit count and ensure no non-numeric characters are present.

The photo does not appear on my card.

The Card Printer loads photos from a file path on your computer. If the photo is not displaying, check these items:

• File path — Verify the image file still exists at the path shown in the Photo Path field. If the file was moved, renamed, or deleted after you originally selected it, the photo cannot load. Click the Browse button to select the file again.
• Supported formats — The Card Printer supports PNG, JPG (JPEG), GIF, and BMP image formats. Other formats such as TIFF, WebP, or SVG are not supported. Convert your image to one of the supported formats if necessary.
• Show Photo toggle — Ensure the Show Photo checkbox is enabled in the layout section. If this toggle is unchecked, the photo is intentionally hidden even if a valid image is loaded.
• Photo zone dimensions — If the photo zone width or height is set to zero, the photo will not be visible even when loaded. Set the photo zone to a reasonable size (for example, 1 inch by 1.25 inches for a standard ID photo).
• Large file size — Very large image files (over 10 MB) may take a moment to load. If the photo appears after a brief delay, the file size is the cause. Resize the image to a smaller resolution before loading for better performance.

The MICR line is missing from my check.

The Check Printer uses the embedded GnuMICR font to render the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) line at the bottom of checks. If the MICR line is not appearing, check the following:

• Font availability — The GnuMICR font is embedded within AccuArk. If the font resource is unavailable or failed to load, AccuArk displays a warning message and disables the MICR printing option. Restart the application to reload the font resources.
• Pre-Printed Stock checkbox — If you have enabled the Pre-Printed Stock option, MICR printing is automatically disabled. Pre-printed check stock already has the MICR line printed by the check stock manufacturer, so AccuArk skips it to avoid double-printing. Uncheck Pre-Printed Stock if your stock does not include a pre-printed MICR line.
• Missing routing or account numbers — The MICR line is composed of the bank routing number, account number, and check number. If the routing number or account number fields are empty, the MICR line cannot be generated because it would be incomplete. Enter all required banking values.
• Check number — Verify that a check number is entered. While some MICR formats can omit the check number, most standard formats require it.

The paystub shows zero amounts or missing data.

The Paystub Printer is designed to work with finalized salary records from AccuArk's payroll system. If amounts show as zero or data is missing, here are the common causes:

• Manual opening — If you opened the Paystub Printer directly from the Tools menu (rather than from a salary record), all fields start empty with zero amounts. The tool expects to be loaded with data from an existing salary record. Navigate to the employee's salary record and use the Print Paystub option from there.
• No line items — Zero amounts typically mean the salary record has no line items attached. Check the salary record in the Employee module and ensure that earnings (regular pay, overtime, bonuses), deductions (taxes, insurance, retirement), and employer-paid benefits are properly configured.
• Unfinalized record — If the salary record has not been finalized, some calculated fields (like net pay or total deductions) may not be computed yet. Finalize the salary record before printing the paystub.
• Manual entry — If you need to create a paystub without a linked salary record, you can enter amounts manually in each field. This is useful for creating paystub copies when the original salary record is from a legacy system.

Can I use the tools on multiple computers?

Yes. All AccuArk printing tools store their templates in the AccuArk database, not on the local machine. This means:

• Any template saved on one computer is available when loading templates on any other computer connected to the same AccuArk database.
• Your login credentials and role permissions determine which tools you can access. If you can access the Barcode Printer on Computer A, you can also access it on Computer B (assuming the same user account and permissions).
• Print settings such as the selected printer and paper tray are local to each computer because they depend on the printers installed on that specific machine. You may need to select the correct printer from the print dialog on each computer.
• Template data including layout measurements, font sizes, toggle settings, and saved text values all synchronize through the database automatically.

How do I print on both sides of a card?

The Card Printer supports designing both a front side and a back side for ID cards, membership cards, and business cards. To print double-sided cards:

1. Design the front side of the card with all desired elements (name, photo, barcode, logo, etc.).
2. Switch to the back side tab and design the back (additional info, terms, magnetic stripe area, etc.).
3. Open the print dialog with Ctrl+P.
4. If your printer supports automatic duplex (double-sided) printing, select the duplex option in the printer properties and print. Both sides will print in a single pass.
5. If your printer does not support automatic duplex, print the front side first. Then flip the card stock according to your printer's feed direction (check your printer manual for the correct orientation) and print the back side on a second pass.

Always do a test print on plain paper before using actual card stock. Card stock is expensive, and verifying the alignment on plain paper first avoids wasting materials. Hold the test print up to the card stock to confirm both sides align correctly.

Can I export the output instead of printing?

Export capabilities vary by tool:

• Barcode Printer — Supports exporting the generated barcode as a PNG or JPG image file. You can also copy the barcode image to the clipboard for pasting into other applications like Word, PowerPoint, or graphic design software.
• Other printing tools (Label Maker, Price Tag Printer, Envelope Printer, Card Printer, Check Printer, Paystub Printer) — These tools are designed primarily for direct printing and do not have a built-in image export option.

As a workaround for any tool, you can use the Windows print dialog to “print” to a PDF printer. Microsoft Print to PDF is built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. When you press Ctrl+P and select Microsoft Print to PDF as your printer, the output is saved as a PDF file instead of being sent to a physical printer. This PDF can then be emailed, archived, or printed later from any PDF viewer. This approach works with every AccuArk printing tool.