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1st in MICR Toner
1.
What is MICR?
2. How does MICR Technology
work?
3. What are MICR specifications?
4. How is MICR Toner different
from Laser Toner?
5. Why print your own MICR
checks?
6. What equipment and materials
are needed to print your own
checks?
7. What type of Check Stock
paper do I need to printer MICR
checks?
8. Why can’t I find MICR ink for
my inkjet printer?
9. Why is MICR toner mostly
available on HP Laser Printers?
10. Why do I need a bank check
specification sheet?
11. How does the MICR clear band
area affect my printing from a
laser printer?
12. Will my bank accept the MICR
checks I print?
13. Can I print my company logo
on the check?
14. What items are legally
required to be on a check?
15. What is a MICR OEM toner
cartridge?
16. What is a compatible MICR
toner cartridge?
17. What is a remanufactured
cartridge?
18. Will compatible or
remanufactured MICR toner
cartridges last as long as OEM?
19. How should a MICR
Toner Cartridge be
remanufactured?
20. Will a remanufactured or
compatible MICR cartridge void
my machine's warranty?
21. Why should I recycle my MICR
toner cartridges?
22. Can I really save money by
using a compatible or
remanufactured MICR toner
cartridge?
23. Who is the best supplier of
MICR toner?
1.
What is MICR?
MICR stands for Magnetic Ink
Character Recognition.
It is normally pronounced my-ker.
With the advent of computers,
MICR technology was
developed by the banking
industry to use magnetic ink and
special fonts so that check
account numbers could be read
and sorted by machine rather
than by hand.
MICR Toner
is primarily used to print the
account and bank route numbers
at the bottom of checks. MICR
toner is the primary component
of MICR printing.
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2. How does MICR Technology
work?
MICR technology uses a special
font and iron oxide additive to
print the bank account
information at the bottom of
each check. The font consists of
14 characters consisting of
numbers 0-9 and four special
symbols. The bank information
printed on the bottom line of
the check is read and sorted by
special magnetic or OCR readers.
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3. What are MICR specifications?
MICR specifications include the
physical characteristics of the
MICR font characters and their
proper placement on checks and
documents. These guidelines
ensure proper compliance so that
the magnetic characters are
correctly read by bank reader
and sorter equipment.
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4. How is MICR Toner different
from Laser Toner?
MICR
toner contains iron oxide. The
iron oxide can be magnetized
thus allowing magnetic readers
to decode the bank account and
routing numbers. MICR toner
contains fifty percent or more
iron oxide additives, which is
required to meet ANSI
readability standards and
specifications.
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5. Why print your own MICR
checks?
Most users agree there are four
reasons to print your own checks
using MICR printing:
a.
Printing checks using MICR
lasers increases the level of
security and decreases the
probability of fraud.
b. The cost is less plus there
is no inventory or need to
secure preprinted checks.
c. You can create an entire
check in one step. The MICR
check includes payee data,
logos, bank information,
signatures and MICR bank codes
at the bottom of the check.
d. It is much more flexible
because a business can add,
change or delete bank accounts
as needed.
Note: If you operate a
payroll service for multiple
clients, you would not need
separate checks for each
company.
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6. What equipment and materials
are needed to print your own
checks?
To print your own
MICR checks
you will need:
a. Your own computer
b. Software to print your checks
c. A quality laser printer
d. An MICR Toner cartridge
e. A high quality check stock
paper
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7. What type of Check Stock
paper do I need to printer MICR
checks?
You should use a high quality,
usually 24 lb bond, paper that
utilizes toner grip (rougher
surfaces so the toner can fuse
with the paper). This
maximum-security paper will help
the MICR toner to print properly
on the paper and reduce the
possibility of check fraud.
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8. Why can’t I find MICR ink for
my inkjet printer?
MICR technology requires that
checks be processed at a very
high speed. An MICR reader uses
magnetic properties to read the
bank information printed at the
bottom of your checks. Because
inks are liquid, and iron oxide
materials that could be added to
produce a magnetic property
would settle to the bottom of
the ink making it difficult at
best to use the MICR technology.
Note: The only possible
exception would be if your bank
uses an OCR check reader rather
than a magnetic reader. Consult
your bank for additional
information.
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9. Why is MICR toner mostly
available on HP Laser Printers?
Each laser printer is unique.
The MICR toner used in laser
printers must be designed for
that specific laser printer
engine. Because MICR toner is
not a major toner product, it
can be a costly and questionable
investment. HP currently has the
largest market share; hence,
MICR toner is available for most
HP laser printers. MICR toner is
available for other laser
printers. You’ll need search the
Internet for other laser printer
MICR toner cartridges.
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10. Why do I need a bank check
specification sheet?
MICR technology was developed so
that the banking institutions
could rapidly process (sort and
batch) checks by account number.
The success of this process is
dependent upon the quality of
the MICR coding printed at the
bottom of each check. The guide
to proper placement and content
of the codes on the MICR line at
the bottom of each check is
outlined in a bank specification
sheet. You can get a copy of
this sheet at your bank.
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11. How does the MICR clear band
area affect my printing from a
laser printer?
The MICR account and bank code
information are written at the
bottom of each check. The MICR
clear band area covers the
entire bottom of the check and
is measured 5/8ths of an inch
from the bottom of the check.
Only the MICR magnetic bank
account and bank code characters
may be printed in this area. If
other magnetic characters are
printed in this area the
magnetic readers will not sort
and group checks properly. This
could result in a bank charge of
up to $3 per incident. Be very
careful not to have digitized
signatures or other information
print into the clear band area.
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12. Will my bank accept the MICR
checks I print?
The quick answer
is “yes”. However, it is highly
recommended that you send
samples of your checks to your
bank for testing. Most high
quality laser printers (HP,
Canon, Lexmark) print acceptable
MICR checks. If you’re having a
problem, it could be the MICR
toner cartridge. The MICR
cartridge should have at least
40% or more iron oxide added to
the toner. Most reputable MICR
toner cartridge merchants will
guarantee their cartridges will
meet the MICR specifications.
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13. Can I print my
company logo on the check?
Most
MICR check software will
allow you to print of bitmap
graphics up to 3 inches square
on your check. Normally, a
5/8-inch bitmap graphic is
sufficient for your company
logo.
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14. What items are legally
required to be on a check?
By law, five
items are required to be on your
check:
a. The date the check is
written.
b. The amount of the check.
c. The name of the payee (person
receiving the check).
d. The authorized signature of
the payor.
e. The authorized name of the
payor’s financial institution.
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15. What is a MICR OEM toner
cartridge?
OEM stands for Original
Equipment Manufacturer.
An OEM company produces its own
product and sells it under its
own name. For example, HP and
IBM manufacture and sell MICR
toner cartridges under their own
name.
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16. What is a compatible MICR
toner cartridge?
A
compatible MICR toner cartridge
is a cartridge that is not an
original. A third party company
usually manufactures these toner
cartridges to the same
specifications as the original
MICR toner cartridge. Most of
the time compatible MICR toner
cartridges are made from all new
parts. However, some companies
mix new and recycled components
in producing their compatible
MICR toner cartridges.
Note: Any company worth
doing business with will give
you a money back guarantee that
their compatible MICR toner
cartridges are as good or better
than the original MICR toner
cartridge.
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17. What is a remanufactured
cartridge?
A remanufactured cartridge is a
cartridge that has been
manufactured from new and
recycled components. It has been
"rebuilt" to match the exact
specifications of the
"original". In many cases, OEM
cartridges actually contain
"recycled" or "recovered"
materials (it's usually listed
in fine print on the packaging
in an inconspicuous place). In
addition, some OEMs even sell
their own brand of
remanufactured cartridges.
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18. Will compatible or
remanufactured MICR toner
cartridges last as long as OEM?
If you purchase a compatible or
remanufactured MICR toner
cartridge from a reputable toner
merchant, they will last at
least as long as the OEM toner
cartridge. In some cases,
compatible MICR toner cartridges
may print as many as fifty
percent more pages than the
original toner cartridge.
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19. How should a MICR
Toner Cartridge be
remanufactured?
A reputable MICR toner cartridge
company will do a quality check
of the toner cartridge. All old
or worn out parts will be
replaced. The toner cartridge
will be thoroughly cleaned. New
quality MICR toner will be
placed in the cartridge. It will
then be tested to insure that it
performs as good as the original
MICR toner cartridge.
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20. Will a remanufactured or
compatible MICR cartridge void
my machine's warranty?
By law, an OEM manufacturer
cannot void your printer
warranty for using an MICR toner
cartridge from another company.
If you have a service contract
with your OEM printer company,
it may void that agreement.
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21. Why should I recycle my MICR
toner cartridges?
The simple answer is that it
helps the environment. Each
laser toner cartridge you
discard adds four pounds of
non-biodegradable waste to your
nearest landfill. However,
several companies do a great job
of remanufacturing these toner
cartridges. When they do, you
gain two things. First, you
reduce the amount of waste in
the environment. Second, you get
a quality toner cartridge at a
substantially lower cost.
Note:
Check out
RecycleEmpties.com. You can
print free shipping labels
directly from their site and
they will send you recycle boxes
to send your empties back to
them.
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22. Can I really save money by
using a compatible or
remanufactured MICR toner
cartridge?
You can expect to save from
30-65% when you purchase quality
compatible MICR toner
cartridges. This savings can
make a real dent in your
printing budget. Just remember…
always
buy your MICR toner cartridges
from a reliable company.
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23. Who is the Best Supplier of
MICR Toner?
Choosing the best supplier is
not an easy task. Our editors
rigorously checked multiple
companies that sell MICR toner
cartridges. There are many
reputable and reliable MICR
toner companies. However, we did
choose one outstanding company.
Read our special report "Ten
Reasons Why
All-Ink.com
is the best supplier of
MICR Toner Cartridges".
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Best Supplier of MICR Toner Cartridges
-
110% Money-Back Guarantee
-
2 Year Exchange Guarantee
- Free Priority Same Day Shipping on
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