Font Still Sucks

>>The font used on the tax returns looks so unprofessional and it is almost embarassing to me to give my clients a copy of their tax returns.<<

I think your complaint is unfair, and your last line is nothing but name-calling. I'm quite satisfied with ProSeries forms; it seems possible to me that your problem is actually with your own printer.

Print output is a relatively small part of what I consider professionalism, but if it is so important to you I recommend you learn to use a spellchecker.

If you have any evidence to support your accusations about Intuit marketing (or indeed the technical issues of getting software approved by taxing authorities), please show your cards.

There is nothing wrong with my printer....compare the output today with the output about 3 or 4 years ago when they changed the fonts on the forms......

Compare the output of a 1040 on lacerte with proseries eith turbotax....proseries uses the same font as turbotax...they certainly could, if they want, make the returns look at professional as those done with lacerte.

Instead they lie and claim they are required to use the font they use. To me, not telling the truth is a form of being a low life.

I would think Mr. NY customers are more concerned with what there tax bill or return is and not much with the Fonts.

...I have Illinois clients too!

Jainen-

If you will look at the archives, you will find a lengthy discussion last year about the font. I, along with many others, prefer the font we had several years ago to the current one. That font was much bolder and, I felt, more professional in appearance. Yes, it is entirely subjective... The point being made, however, is that ProSeries took the line with us last year that the font was "required" by the taxing authorities, yet Lacerte (who is owned by the same people as ProSeries) used a different font. Therefore, their answer could not be correct. Now, while I don't think calling them lying low-lifes is appropriate, the fact is that their answer was wrong.

I have received a response from ProSeries technical support today that states that (and this is directly quoted from their e-mail) "there's no particular reason that ProSeries uses a different font from Lacerte, other than they are different programs. We have submitted a request to our development group to change the font ProSeries uses".

I would be quite content if they simply gave us the option of using the old font. Whatever floats your boat.

I agree that the fonts do not look good and are certainly below where they were 3 years ago. Having the fonts looking good presents a good image to the customers. I did call the IRS last year and they disagreed with Intuit and said Intuit could change the fonts back to where they were in previous years. In my opinion its Intuit's way of not liustening to their customers

What is most troubling about this is that this has been brought to their attention in each of the last 3 years...after the 1st year with this obscene unprofessional font they darkened it somewhat but refused to go back to the original font they had used for many years that even on the $29 turbo tax program produced professional looking returns. Again, their excuse which has proven to be a lie is that the font they are using is required by a couple of states (in fairness they never said the IRS)...but of course have no answer when it is pointed out that their more expensive program uses a much more professional looking font.

Now I am not an expert programmer, but I know it would take about 3 minutes of programming to change the font back to what it was...yet all you get is the nonsense they are putting in a report...when they surveyed me last year at the end of tax season I brought this to their attention so they can't say they are unaware of the problem.

It is for that reason they one can only reach the conclusion that this is one of the ways albeit perhaps a small one they try to make the Lacerte program superior to Pro Series...but certainly there should be some attempt to make Proseries forms look more professional than the one produced by the $29 turbotax.

It is for that reason that I consider their contempt for their pro series customers to mean they are low lifes and I stick by what I said.

>>this obscene unprofessional font<<

I'm not exactly sure what you like to do with your computer, but apparently you really get worked up about type faces. Still, I can't see it as a moral issue; please explain how the size and shape of letters affects the client relationship.

Okay, I asked for a fact about Intuit marketing. I must acknowledge that one of their users TOLD them he didn't like that particular font. I'm sure they noticed that same user feels the issue is not important enough to offset all the professional advantages of renewing anyway.

Dear jainen,

I wonder what prompts your need to be an Intuit apologist?

It seems that whatever reasons they use the quality of font they do in Lacerte would apply to ProSeries as well. The only possible explanation why they don't must be to differentiate the Lacerte product as "better" and leaving the ProSeries user the feeling that they are using a lesser product, more akin to Turbo Tax. A way of making those users fell they're playing in the minor leagues.

I don't consider the font used to be a subtle difference in that it's something you see and print 100's of times on 1000's of printed pages.

Additionally you indicate that you use ProSeries AND Lacerte, really, you pay for each program? I guess money is no object for you.

>>you use ProSeries AND Lacerte<<

I do. I work seasonally in a CPA firm that uses Lacerte. I also have off-season private clients for which I purchase ProSeries.

Lacerte is clearly a more powerful program, but I wouldn't call ProSeries "minor league." In the accounting office tax returns are done all caps, which in my opinion looks cheaper than any issue about a particular font.

It may be as you say, that Intuit simply wants to differentiate their products. But I can't agree that that is the "only possible explanation." Obviously they DO have to get approval, so I take their representation at face value. Nothing I've ever seen about our tax system suggests that taxing authorities apply the same criteria to every program.

Jainen-

Did you even look at my post (#6)? Tech support e-mailed me that there was no reason for the different font other than they are 2 different programs.

It is obvious that if the Lacerte font works for the IRS there is no reason ProSeries could not use the same one.

I just joined this forum. I was also turned off by the namby-pamby courier font that printed with 2006 Proseries, particularly in producing PDF's.

With Proseries not seeming to care in the least about it (it was extremely difficult to even find someone who could speak intelligently about the isue), I spent some time trying to understand how the font printing works and I eventually found a complex workaround that involved changing the PDF driver settings to embed fonts, and then using some tricks in Acrobat to modify the font. In the end I got a good bold courier at the cost of about 20-30 seconds of button-pressing for every PDF I produced.

After all that work with the 2006 program, it seems that they improved matters quite a bit with the 2007 program. It's still not like pre-2006, but it's not horrid like the 2006 font. What do others think about 2007 versus 2006?

I still don't care.

2006 fonts sucked!!! 2007 font is much better.

I'm disappointed with the different type of fonts that appear on the business (1120 and 1120S) corporate return balance sheets. I think the inconsistency of font size/boldness on the same tax return page detracts from an otherwise professional presentation.