As of now, I consider what you got from the KB to be the "correct" method.

There is a prompt to increment the year once all of your 1099s are printed.

Linda,
Wasn't that prior to the use of Aatrix to print the 1099's?

Wish I could post a screenshot but upon exiting the Aatrix efiling for 1099s in 2017 and all versions that I can remember you do get the prompt "Do you want to increment the Default 1099 Calendar Year field in the Accounts Payable Options window to the next calendar year? Yes/No

I will take your word for it. I don't remember that from last year, but I'm sure I will be seeing it soon.

Thanks Linda! Happy New Year.

Did someone actually get an answer to this question? Do you answer yes or no?

You would answer yes when you are done printing 1099's. Strangely the prompt pops up before you are done printing. However keep in mind it is just the default year - it's not as big of a deal as it was in older versions. 1099 payments are still tracked in the correct year no matter what the default year is.