# Paper Checks

Manage paper check printing. Create, queue, and batch print paper checks for vendor payments, direct expenses, vendor prepayments, and customer refunds.

## List paper checks

 - [GET /public/v1/paper-checks/](https://docs.dualentry.com/resources/paper-checks/core_api_public_paper_checks_list_paper_checks.md): Retrieve a paginated list of paper checks with filtering options.

Paper checks represent physical checks that can be printed for vendor payments,
direct expenses, vendor prepayments, or customer refunds.

Common use cases:
- List all queued checks ready to print: ?record_status=not_printed
- List checks for a specific vendor: ?vendor_id=123
- List checks within a date range: ?start_date=2024-01-01&end_date=2024-01-31

## Print check immediately

 - [POST /public/v1/paper-checks/print-now/](https://docs.dualentry.com/resources/paper-checks/core_api_public_paper_checks_print_now.md): Create and immediately print a paper check for a transaction.

This endpoint creates a paper check record and generates the PDF in a single operation.
The check is immediately marked as PRINTED.

When to use:
- When you need to print a single check right away
- For on-demand check printing workflows

Alternative: Use POST /print-later/ to queue checks for batch printing.

Supported transaction types:
- Direct expenses
- Vendor payments
- Vendor prepayments
- Customer refunds

Returns: The created paper check details along with the PDF content encoded in base64.

## Queue checks for later printing

 - [POST /public/v1/paper-checks/print-later/](https://docs.dualentry.com/resources/paper-checks/core_api_public_paper_checks_print_later.md): Create paper checks for transactions that will be printed later in a batch.

This endpoint creates paper check records with status NOT_PRINTED. These checks
can then be printed together using the PUT /print-batch/ endpoint.

When to use:
- When you want to accumulate checks before printing
- For batch check printing workflows
- When check numbers need to be assigned in sequence

Alternative: Use POST /print-now/ to print a single check immediately.

Workflow:
1. Queue checks: POST /print-later/ with transaction IDs
2. Review queued checks: GET /paper-checks/?record_status=not_printed
3. Print batch: PUT /print-batch/ with paper check IDs

Returns: List of created paper checks with status 'not_printed'.

## Batch print paper checks

 - [PUT /public/v1/paper-checks/print-batch/](https://docs.dualentry.com/resources/paper-checks/core_api_public_paper_checks_print_batch.md): Print multiple queued paper checks in a batch.

This endpoint prints all specified checks, assigns sequential check numbers,
and returns a merged PDF containing all checks.

Prerequisites:
- All specified checks must have status 'not_printed'
- Use POST /print-later/ to queue checks first

Check number assignment:
Check numbers are assigned sequentially starting from first_check_number.
The order of paper_check_ids in the request determines:
1. The order of checks in the PDF
2. The order of check number assignment

Example:
If first_check_number=1001 and you print 3 checks, they will be numbered 1001, 1002, 1003.

Returns:
- pdf_content: Base64-encoded PDF with all checks
- printed_checks: List showing each check ID and its assigned check number
- total_printed: Count of checks printed

## Get paper check

 - [GET /public/v1/paper-checks/{paper_check_id}/](https://docs.dualentry.com/resources/paper-checks/core_api_public_paper_checks_get_paper_check.md): Retrieve a specific paper check by ID.

Returns the full details of a paper check including the associated transaction
information, payee details, and current status.

## Archive paper check

 - [DELETE /public/v1/paper-checks/{paper_check_id}/](https://docs.dualentry.com/resources/paper-checks/core_api_public_paper_checks_delete_paper_check.md): Archive a paper check by setting its status to ARCHIVED.

Archiving a paper check removes it from active workflows without deleting it.
This allows you to:
- Remove a check from the print queue
- Create a new check for the same transaction
- Maintain audit history

Note: Archived checks can still be retrieved via the list and get endpoints
by filtering with record_status=archived.