Hewlett Packard magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) makes it possible to print bank quality checks that meet your specific business needs. This technology, which makes it possible to quickly process financial documents, is now available to anyone with hp magnetic ink and a compatible printer. As its name suggests, MICR ink contains magnetized particles that enable machines to read information quickly and accurately. It also means that it is unique from other inks and toner.

As its name suggests, MICR ink contains magnetized particles that enable machines to read information quickly and accurately. It also means that it is unique from other inks and toner and needs to be handled accordingly. Some things to keep in mind when using MICR ink toner are:

1. Use only high quality HP MICR ink.

2. Use a MICR enhanced printer that is compatible with your magnetic ink cartridge.

3. Be sure to meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for paper, MICR ink, and use only the E-13B Font.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use HP MICR ink to ensure quality check printing

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) sets very specific standards for MICR ink and printing. Therefore, only a handful of manufacturers have designed printers and corresponding ink and toner cartridges to meet these standards. Buying HP MICR toner ink or other certified ink, such as Lexmark or Xerox, will ensure the ink used on your checks will survive the rigorous tests it will go through.

I recommend: Rosetta Technologies explains some of the key elements that are important to quality MICR ink. Omega Business Products summarizes some of the standards that MICR ink must meet.

Ensure your magnetic ink is compatible with your HP MICR printer

Though there only a few brands of MICR printer, their cartridges are not necessarily interchangeable. Hewlett Packard MICR printers are the most common on the market and will, therefore, be your best bet for easy compatibility options.

I recommend: TROY Group has a detailed explanation of the MICR printing process and carries a wide range of HP MICR printers and cartridges. Laser Cartridge Plus explains how to ensure your printer and ink compatibility and addresses common MICR printing concerns.

Make sure your magnetic ink character recognition printing meets all ANSI standards

The ANSI sets standards for all aspects of MICR printing. Be aware of these standards to ensure that you are using the correct layout, font, and paper for your checks. This will result in better data tracking and smoother transactions.

I recommend: To obtain full MICR printing standards, visit the American National Standards Institute and purchase them from the eStandards Store. Database Creations offers a software package that includes a license for the E-13B Font.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Some banks are fining companies whose checks do not meet ANSI standards, so be sure to be fully committed to the check printing and educated with MICR process before investing in MICR ink toner and equipment.

Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) is a technology used primarily by the banking industry to process checks. MICR characters must be printed with magnetic ink that contains iron oxide to allow them to be read even when overwritten by non-magnetic ink.

Checks can be ordered with the MICR characters already printed by the production house, but this is more costly in small quantities. MICR characters also may be printed on a blank check with HP magnetic ink when the check is created. In this case, all of the elements of MICR must be verified when printing.

MICR ink toner allows checks to be printed on demand. It is essential that checks be printed with a magnetic ink cartridge because this ink is visually indistinguishable from standard toner. If this error does occur, it may not be discovered until the check is rejected at the clearing center.

Three points to consider about MICR ink cartridges:

1. Buy MICR cartridges the same way you buy regular toner.
2. Buy in bulk to save money.
3. Buy in bulk and resell to add a new product line to your business.
   

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Order HP MICR ink cartridges from online retail outlets

Small business owners can easily buy HP magnetic ink cartridges online. Select the correct HP MICR toner cartridge according to your printer model. Divide the number of printed checks required by the page capacity of the cartridge to determine the number of cartridges required.

I recommend: Find MICR cartridges for all HP printers at HP MICR Cartridge. It offers free shipping on all orders and a 30-day money-back guarantee. PrinterM Datascribe specializes in all MICR accessories, including cartridges.

Buy Hewlett Packard MICR cartridges at a discount

Many sources of HP magnetic ink cartridges offer volume discounts as well as discounts to specific types of customers such as educational, government, military and non-profit.

I recommend: Find several different discounts on HP MICR ink cartridges from Ink Pal, which specializes in orders to large organizations. InkJet Superstore offers new and remanufactured MICR cartridges at a substantial discount.

Resell HP MICR cartridges

MICR ink toner tends to be consumed at a predictable rate so it can be a steady source of income if you already have an established customer base of compatible products.

I recommend: Contact HP directly to become an HP affiliate. Advantage Laser Products actively solicits resellers. You will need to fill out its application form and fax it a copy of your reseller's license.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  An MICR character reader can process about 10,000 characters per second. However, this speed requires precise placement of the magnetic ink character recognition code on the check. The expected non-read rate for checks is less than 1% and the incorrect read rate is less than 1 in 100,000.

As electronic transactions have become more common, and are processed in higher volume, technologies such as magnetic ink character recognition, or MICR, have become necessary. MICR ink toner contains special components that can be magnetized and is used to print specific characters on the bottom of financial documents. This allows financial equipment, such as bank machinery and point of sale equipment, to quickly and accurately read information encoded in these characters and process transactions.

Since this technology is not widespread, a limited number of printers are compatible with this type of ink. HP MICR ink is one of the most commonly used brands. To make the most of your HP magnetic ink, know the basics behind the technology. Some of the HP magnetic ink character recognition basics are:

1. The system using MICR, called E-13B, employs specially shaped characters.
2. These characters provide banks and other institutions with information such as bank account numbers and bank routing numbers.
3. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) creates standards for what types of inks and papers can be used to create the E-13B system characters.
   

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Use the E-13B font developed specifically for magnetic ink character recognition

Printing checks is not just a matter of using the MICR ink toner to make characters on a page. The characters used must be a specific font which has been developed specifically for the MICR process. This E-13B font has specific numbers and characters that MICR readers are programmed to recognize.

I recommend: TROY Group discusses the appearance and development of the E-13B font and its South American and Mediterranean counterpart, the CMC-7 font. IDAutomation offers a software package that includes the E-13B font as well as resources to ensure it's being used correctly.

Know how magnetic ink character recognition encodes financial information

Using quality ink, such as HP magnetic ink cartridges, and the correct font will only go so far if the characters you print are not coded correctly. To be sure that your checks are drawn from the correct bank and the correct account at that bank, the characters must follow a specific format and position. In the case of pre-printed checks, the MICR characters also encode the check amount.

I recommend: InfoPrint Solutions offers a guide for check formatting, including the meaning and positioning of the character data. MICRPRINTERS.COM offers software that ensures the information is encoded correctly on every check you print.

Become familiar with other ANSI guidelines for magnetic ink character recognition

The font and encoding is not the only aspect of your printed checks that need to comply with ANSI standards. Only specific types of magnetic ink cartridge, such as HP MICR toner, and specific security paper will fit these standards. The MICR characters must also pass certain quality standards and be placed in a specific area of the check to be correctly read.

I recommend: Elfring Fonts presents a summary of required and optional guidelines for printing ANSI approved checks. ASAP Checks, Forms & Supplies lists the specific ANSI and American Bank Association (ABA) standards that apply to check printing.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Since MICR is not technology in widespread use, only a handful of brands have developed ink and printers to use it. While HP is only one of these, it is the most commonly used. So, the best bet for easy replacement and compatibility is to HP MICR toner and printers.

The use of magnetic ink character recognition has made processing checks fast and efficient. With today's computer technology, businesses can print their own checks to meet their specific payroll and expense needs. However, there is more involved than simply designing and printing a check. By becoming comfortable with the basic magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) terms, you can ensure your self-made checks are worth more than the paper they're printed on.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)

Magnetic ink character recognition, commonly referred to as MICR, refers to both the font and ink used to create special characters that can be encoded with information and read by special MICR readers. This technology is often used for financial documents, but can also be used for coupons, airline tickets, and more.

I recommend: Elfring Fonts explains the basics of MICR.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

The American National Standards Institute is an organization that sets the standards for printing checks. This includes the design, fonts, paper, and ink used in the process. Checks not made to these standards may not be properly processed.

I recommend: Omega Business Products provide information on the ANSI standards specific to check printing.

E-13B font

The E-13B font is the font specified by the ANSI for use in creating MICR characters for checks. This is a specially created font of the numbers 0 through 9 and four additional MICR characters. This font is the standard for checks in North America, as well as other countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, Colombia, and Turkey.

I recommend: TROY Group provides information on the history, development, and appearance of the E-13B font.

CMC-7 font

The CMC-7 font is a counterpart to the E-13B font. Also used to create MICR characters for printing checks, this font is used in France, Spain, Israel, most of South America, and many Mediterranean nations. This font includes the numbers 0-9 and five other MICR characters.

I recommend: Barcodesoft offers information on the history, usage, and specifications on the four different CMC-7 font sets.

MICR toner

MICR toner is a specially formulated toner that contains magnetic properties. This allows MICR characters to be read by MICR readers. A MICR toner cartridge can be used in a standard laser printer, but many manufacturers recommend using a printer specifically manufactured for printing MICR.

I recommend: ASAP Checks, Forms & Supplies provides a MICR Repository that provides information on using MICR toner.

MICR fields

The MICR line of a check has three standard fields, read from right to left. The amount field is situated on positions one through twelve. The On-Us field signifies which bank the check is drawn on, including the bank account number, and is in positions 14 through 31. The transit field is in positions 33 through 43 and includes the bank routing number.

I recommend: Infoprint Solutions Company offers detailed information and charts on the proper placement of MICR characters in the correct fields.