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Using the Print screen

Learn how to view, download and reprint previously generated reports and background-processed documents.

Updated over 3 months ago

The Print screen stores a history of all reports and background-generated documents exactly as they were produced at the time. This includes reports run manually, collated pay reports, and documents generated automatically during system processes. Because these files preserve their original state, they are essential for auditing, compliance, and verifying past payroll activity.


What the Print screen is for

The Print screen provides access to:

  • Reports manually generated through the Reports menu

  • Reports collated through the Pay reports menu

  • Reports and documents automatically created in the background during processing

  • Any large multi-part reports that the system queues and generates asynchronously

All items are stored as-at-generation, meaning they do not update when payroll data changes.


Accessing the Print screen

  1. Navigate to the Print screen from the main navigation bar.

  2. A chronological list of past reports will display, showing:

    • Report name

    • Date and time generated

    • User (where applicable)


How the Print screen preserves report state

Reports in the Print screen represent a snapshot of information at the time they were generated.

For example:

  • You run a report for the current pay

  • Make additional edits to transactions

  • Run the report again

Both versions will appear separately in the Print screen, each showing the original values from when they were created.

Re-running a report from the Reports menu will always use the current data, not the prior version.

This makes the Print screen ideal for:

  • Audit trails

  • Verifying historical payrun outputs

  • Investigating changes or corrections

  • Confirming what was submitted or reviewed on a specific date


Viewing and downloading reports

Select any report from the list to:

  • View - brings up the report using the SmoothPay's internal PDF viewer

  • Print PDF - Downloads a PDF of the selected report

  • Export - Downloads a spreadsheet version of the selected report

Reports remain available until manually deleted.


What you may find in the Print screen

You will find every report that has been produced dated and maintained in it's original state. You will also find, any background reports that are produced when completing other processes. e.g. a Payroll Posting Summary is produced automatically with each completed pay cycle.


When to use the Print screen

Use this screen when you need to:

  • Retrieve a report exactly as it was originally produced

  • Confirm what was generated for a specific payrun or period

  • Compare multiple versions of a report run at different times

  • Access background reports that are produced from other processes.

If you need a new report based on current data, use the Reports menu or Pay reports menu instead.

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