What is the process for transitioning from pre-printed to blank check stock?

December 31, 2022 blank check stock 207

If you will be planning to implement Mekorma blank check stock printing solution in the future please consider the following. You will need to consider the make, model and print driver you currently use, along with the network topology you have setup for printing the hard copy checks, e.g. print redirection in Terminal Server, Citrix, Azure, etc. If you utilize any third party print applications in the mix we need to consider third party print solutions that could potentially pose a road block to the process.
 
We may find it necessary to have you swap printers in-house or possibly purchase a new one that we have tested to ensure proper alignment and printing of Mekorma's graphical objects, e.g MICR Line, signatures, logos. The latter may also be affected by print topology and/or use of third party print apps as mentioned above.
 
Mekorma Recommended Printer:
We recommend using a dedicated printer that has at least two trays. The HP M607 series printers combine exceptional performance and energy efficiency with professional-quality documents to use as dedicated check printers. This printer series is fast, having speed rating of 55 ppm. The 2 trays option makes it a perfect choice to print checks on one tray and overflows and remittances on the second. It has a recommended monthly volume of 5,000 to 20,000 pages and Input/output capacity of 650 sheets, 500 sheets.
Mekorma in-house testing has been performed successfully on the HP M607dn model.
Specifications we recommendation when selecting a printer for check printing include:
* Speed of 45 ppm and up
* Two tray capacity
* Recommended monthly printing volume of 5,000 pages and up
* Output capacity of 400 sheets and up
Less robust printers that do not meet above specifications may struggle with thick, perforated check stock and we would not recommend this category.
 
Alignment of the MICR Line region: Alignment of the MICR region that renders in MICR font the check number and corresponding symbols, routing number and symbols and account number and symbols. Alignment on the check portion of the blank page is a critical aspect of printing negotiable checks. We have seen cases of bank rejection. I will go into this subject below.
 
Some blank check stock sold on the market includes a single faint routing symbol at the position where a MICR special character is to be printed. This simple feature eliminates the need for a MICR Gauge for alignment purposes. If you cannot locate this stock or choose a different alignment method, we recommend the MICR line gauge. A MICR gauge is a transparent plastic ruler for checking the placement of the MICR line on the check region of the hard copy. The process for ensuring the correct alignment of the MICR line is to first print a sample check on the check stock. You will line up the vertical dotted line on the right side of the gauge with the edge of the check. Be sure the characters in the MICR line fit squarely within each box in the position stated on the specifications you received from your bank. If you need a gauge let me know and I will see one is shipped to your designated location.
 
Other consideration: When you test for alignment, will you be physically present or will another staff member retrieve the printed document for assessing alignment? We will need to brief and instruct the person in question on how to assess the alignment/accuracy of the MICR region.
 
Color and Color Logos: Include in your stock order to have your company logo pre-printed in color if you require color printing of logos. We have received many inquiries on how to print the company logo in color, currently unsupported due to check printer setup and bank requirements. Use of MICR toner precludes color printing. We have had reports of clients using standard laser jet ink rather than MICR toner, but as scanning varies from bank to bank we cannot guarantee all banks use of optical scanning methods satisfied by ink printng vs. magnetic scanning of checks that require MICR toner.
 
General guideline for alignment of the MICR Line region using the Configurator WYSIWYG editor:
For Horizontal Positioning:
 
If you do not have a MICR gauge, using check stock and a ruler, the right edge of the check to the left border of the Transit Character would measure 4 7/16 inches. This corresponds to space 33 of the MICR fields at the Mekorma Checkbook Setup and/or using a MICR gauge to denote space 33.
 
For Vertical Positioning:
 
To move the MICR Line down 1/4", add -0.24 to the MICR Line Vertical Adjustment value under Properties pane in the Mekorma Configurator. This value is displayed in the Properties window of the Configurator when you click on the check portion of your check stub format.
 
There are eight (8) MICR characters to an inch. For each character you need to move the line to the left you will subtract 0.130 to the existing horizontal value. Similarly, if you wish to move characters to the right on a per character move, you will add 0.130 to the existing horizontal value.
 
If you do not have a MICR gauge, you can adjust based on these principles.
 
*Important consideration for not sending checks to the bank for testing*
Bank rejections:
Once you have confirmed proper setup and printing of Mekorma checks using one of the methods mentioned above, we would encourage you to issue a small number of live checks to ensure payment clearance before proceeding to production volume check processing. In most cases we have seen involving bank rejections of checks, the client has confirmed proper setup, alignment and configuration using one of the alignment methods mentioned above. When our clients submit checks to their bank for testing, we have reason to believe the bank employs testing methods that far exceed the scanning scope and methods the bank applies to live checks. The path of bank clearance via bank testing we have found to be time and labor intensive. Therefore after having setup your blank check stock printing in-house, we encourage standard usage perhaps limited to a small number of payments as a way of testing for clearance by the bank.
 
Finally, we are always on hand to facilitate or respond to questions on this topic.