How to print a check draft with a MICR line

What check stock should you use?

Use blank security check paper made for laser printers: the check on top of a letter-size (8.5 × 11 inch) sheet, with security features such as a background pattern that shows copying or erasing. Don't print on plain paper.

DraftPay's check starter kit is 500 blank security check sheets, check on top, for any laser printer, for $49 with shipping included. It's optional: any blank check-on-top stock works.

What is the MICR line?

MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) is the line of numbers along the bottom of every check. In the United States it uses the E-13B character set: the digits 0 to 9 and four symbols that mark where each field starts and ends.

• Routing number: the 9-digit number of your customer's bank, between two transit symbols (⑆).
• Account number: your customer's account, followed by the on-us symbol (⑈).
• Check number: the serial number of the draft.
• Amount field: at the far right, left blank. The bank of first deposit encodes it.

Position matters. The line sits in a clear band along the bottom 5/8 inch of the check, with each character in a fixed position measured from the right edge. Characters printed too high, too low or with the wrong spacing can fail to read.

Do you need magnetic MICR toner?

Most checks are now cleared as images, but magnetic MICR toner is still the standard for the MICR line and some banks require it. Ask your bank whether standard toner is acceptable before you buy a MICR cartridge.

How do you print your first check draft?

1. 1

   Load the check stock

   Put blank check sheets in your laser printer's tray, check on top, the way your printer feeds them.

2. 2

   Print the alignment page

   Print it on plain paper and hold it over a check sheet against the light to see that the fields line up.

3. 3

   Adjust if needed

   Nudge the offsets until the fields and the MICR line sit where they should.

4. 4

   Print the draft

   Print the approved draft at actual size, with no scaling.

5. 5

   Check it before you deposit

   Make sure the MICR line is crisp, straight and inside the clear band.

What else goes on a check draft?

Everything a normal check has: your customer's name and address, their bank, the check number, the date, you as payee, the amount in numbers and in words, and a memo such as the invoice number. In place of the signature, a legend states that the account holder authorized it. DraftPay prints all of this from the approved draft.