Check Printing Software

[[email protected]]

I figured I'd post here since maybe some of you that use or service any of the MICR capable printers would know or remember anything to answer my question.

My question is what software do commercial printers use to print blank checks? I know there has to be a production software out there. I've seen some templates to include the bank information and symbols but nothing that would provide streamlined printing or automatically increase the check number, e.g., customer wants check to start at #250 and wants 100 checks, the software should print all the check variations with the numbers 250-350.

I'm looking more at something to print quickbooks/quicken letter size checks where the customer can then run them through their own laser printer if they use something like quickbooks.

 

[MailGuru]

Is the ink, or, toner you are using on your digital printer MICR (Magnetic Image Character Reader) compatible?

 

[[email protected]]

Is the ink, or, toner you are using on your digital printer MICR (Magnetic Image Character Reader) compatible?

Yes using MICR toner.

Actually you may find this interesting. I was reading where MICR ink and toner is not required by the federal reserve anymore because banks did away with magnetic reading and use OCR (optical character recognition). Also, you don't even have to physically present checks anymore either. You can send a photo or scan to present as payment, even without a signature, and then the receiver of payment just destroys the checks.

My credit union's ATM scans the information of checks when doing a check deposit and then destroys the paper copy of the checks. Heck I even took a picture of my check deposit on my smartphone and deposited a check that way. Had the money in a day.

I think MICR is obsolete and out the door already.

Another odd little story, I read years ago that legally you can handwrite a "check" on something ridiculous like a napkin and present it as a "check" for payment and it is considered a legal "check" you don't need fancy checks printed, special inks, or even any of those security features, of course you'd want them.

 

[MailGuru]

Oh yeah. Pardon me, I'm an old dinosaur and totally forgot that MICR has gone by the way of Fat Sam years ago and that everything was switched over to OCR.


So basically you're just looking for software to print an 8 1/2 x 11 check (check over stub, or, stub over check) with the check number pre-printed on the check & stub. Doesn't Quickbooks/Quicken print the check number on the fly on to a blank check template? I'm not sure. I know, back in the day when we used continuous feed check forms with pre-printed check numbers, it was very easy to destroy a handful of checks if they ever got one number off. We had to void the whole run and start over -- what a PITA!

 

[[email protected]]

I know what you mean. I remember using early applications of OCR and it was terrible, but like most things it has come a long way. Ironically OCR might be going out the door to with all these new ways to pay like samsung pay, google wallet, etc. One of the banks here was test rolling out a phone app where if the recipient of funds had the app too you could instantly pay them, but they got bought out and I think the project died. Everytime you think something will die out, it sticks around. I have a few vendors that REQUIRE to be paid by checks. I can't blame them, with the risk of doing chargebacks on credit/debit cards and the high transactional fees to accept credit cards plus the bogus monthly fees for "billing" and other BS I'm tempted to go all cash too.

Yeah basically I would buy offset press printed check stock of various designs and colors and run them through my printer for my end user customers, printing the lines, check numbers, and all the template items, MICR routing and account info. Then my customer would print the actual amounts and the pay to person using quicken, quickbooks, or peachtree.

The only thing I found so far was something called Versacheck print factory. I'm curious what large check printing companies use like Deluxe Checks.

 

[MailGuru]

I'm sure the big guys use their own proprietary software that allows them to gang-run hundreds of check printing runs, probably on some type of web press with variable b&w ink jet heads mounted at the end of the color web run just before it goes in to some type of automated bindery process that cuts & binds.

Years ago, we used to do a lot of work for John Harland Corp (then, a competitor to Deluxe, but, I think they've since merged). The check printing business isn't as lucrative as it used to be. Last I heard (about 10 years ago), Harland was putting in iGens. Not sure if it was for printing checks though. Harland also did a lot of promotional Direct Mail for banks (hey, when consumers stopped buying checks, they had to adapt their business model).

Me, I'm an old dinosaur, like I said. I still pay my bills with checks, and, put them in the mail.

 

[[email protected]]

MailGuru Thanks for the input. I've pondered whether they used some proprietary software or a modified setup.

I did earlier this year have a situation where the fact that I had duplicate checks was helpful. My bank got bought out, yet again, so I get a letter one day that you only have a few weeks to go online and save your statements and transaction history. The part where banks really fail, is they want to go paperless, but then they only give you a few months worth of transaction history. Fortunately the duplicate carbons last forever so I have those as a record.

Of course the bank couldn't just import the transaction history either, it just disappears and then one day you're on their new system until they get bought out again. I remember as a kid seeing these big filing cabinet setups where each drawer was only the size of what a check would be. Then you'd file every cleared check (I think this was before carbons) into those filing cabinets and that was your record if you ever needed to prove you paid for something or got a tax audit.

I guess I was born in the crossover from Dinosaur times and the new way of doing things. I like to keep computer backups of things but I still hang on to my paper copies because I've had my share of hard drive failures and crap where years worth of things get lost forever.

 

[MailGuru]

Reminds me of a dialog I saw in a movie or series over the weekend. I wish I could remember the name of it. Anyway, an older detective and a younger trainee detective are investigating a crime. The older detective immediately takes out his pocket top-spiral-bound memo pad, pulls out a pen, and starts taking some notes. The younger detective pulls out his Andriod and starts typing in his notes. He looks at the older detective and says "I can't believe you still use a pen and paper to log notes". The older guy looks back at the younger guy and kind of smugly replies "Yeah, but, what are you going to do if that thing breaks? You'll lose all your notes." The younger guy says "Don't worry, it's also being transmitted up to the cloud." The older guy looks up in the sky and says "Cloud? What cloud?"

 

[DYP]

I think MICR is obsolete and out the door already.

Not according to the Federal Reserve.

https://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/regcc-faq-check21.htm

 

[onlinecheckwriter]

Try https://onlinecheckwriter.com Hope it will solve your problem.

 

[PrintIT]

How's that old Monty Python song go? Something about Spam, spam spam....

 

[WillSmith1]

Hi! I am using this blank check printing software called Online CheckWriter. It's a same professional check design and they do offer pre-made check templates on a high quality blank check. It supports importing from my excel file and convenient for me to not having reordering those on my bank's pre-printed checks. It can print routing number and account number with or withour MICR ink. Anyway they have a lot of features and other option if you want just check out their website.

Hope this helps!