Business Checks that Save Money

Checks have long been part of the financial landscape and are likely to continue to be. While banks sometimes charge high prices for printed checks, it’s perfectly legal to print your own checks as long as you follow the rules. Here are some important concerns.

 

Partial or Full Print

The first choice you will have to make when printing your own checks is whether you want to do a partial print or a full print. Partially printed checks are printed by a specialty company with machine-readable numbers already on them; you only need to add the specific information that pertains to your account. Fully printed checks, on the other hand, are checks that you print in entirety. You’ll need to be sure you have access to the proper equipment before you handle the whole thing yourself, including a high-quality printer and appropriate software.

Software Choice

In order to print a check of high enough quality to be accepted by your bank, you’ll need to acquire the right software. Check design isn’t a simple task that can be done in a commercial graphics program without the right add-ons. Instead, you might seek out some appropriate enterprise or financial software with purpose-built check-printing capabilities. A contemporary program of this nature will have user-friendly controls and a help system to make sure you understand the process and know how to use your tools properly.

The Right Ink

Now we come to a distinction that’s perhaps not apparent to most check users. Checks are not printed entirely with normal ink of the kind you would use for other documents. Instead, checks have traditionally been printed, at least on the account info lines, with magnetic ink. This enables magnetic scanners to quickly verify the information on the instrument, speeding the process up for everyone. Increasingly, vendors are moving to optical scanners to verify checks, as internet connections make it easier than ever to verify account information and available funds, but there is not yet a universal adoption of the new technology. Magnetic ink is a necessary cost until that time comes.

The Paper

You can print a check onto almost any paper you want, though some businesses will look askew at unusual choices. But you’re well-advised to do what most banks do and stick with safety paper. Safety paper, or security paper, is a kind of paper that features fibers that make alterations more apparent and watermarks to allow for quick verification. While you might be able to print a check quickly using regular printer paper that you have around the house or office, standard paper can allow for easy changes by unscrupulous parties, leading to a need to contest a charge.

Checks continue to be a popular way to pay for goods and services and exchange money. Printing your own checks opens up creative possibilities, not to mention financial savings. As long as you follow all the right steps, you should find printing your own checks easy and fun to do.