How Is Micr Toner Used?

MICR stands for "Magnetic Ink Character Recognition"; MICR laser toner ink is a specialized

type of laserjet ink which contains tiny particles of iron oxide, causing the ink to be magnetic. This ink is used to print secure check data at the bottom of checks, known as the check "MICR line". The MICR line, which contains the check's account, routing and check numbers, is read by bank check processing machines, which quickly authenticate checks according to the banking industry's standards.

Who Uses MICR Toner?

Businesses of all sizes and individuals who choose to print checks in-house rather than purchasing books of checks must use MICR toner in order to print valid checks. Many businesses choose to print checks in-house to cut back on costs, and some individuals prefer the convenience of printing their own checks and deposit slips. Unless the check paper being used to print checks has pre-printed MICR lines, the business or individual printing checks will need to install specialized MICR fonts and MICR toner into a designated printer.

Nearly every standard office and 3 in 1 combination laserjet printer is capable of printing MICR check lines, once equipped with MICR fonts and toner. MICR toner cartridges must be compatible with the specific printer brand and model in which they are being used.

How Do Banks Read MICR Check Lines?

MICR technology relies on a very common concept: magnetization. While magnetic technology is very common, in the banking industry, it has provided an efficient, low-error method of processing checks for the past fifty years. MICR ink, which contains tiny particles of iron oxide, is printed in special characters, known as the E-13B MICR font system, at the very bottom of the check. Bank check processing machines are designed to read the information in the MICR line with extreme accuracy.

Bank check processing machines read MICR characters by sending a charge into the ink, then scanning the line back and reading the routing number, account number and check number listed there by reading the ink's magnetic charge. All of this takes a fraction of a second.

MICR Ink and Fraud Protection

While MICR toner provides the bank industry an excellent solution for mechanized, automated check processing, it also protects against fraud. Checks without MICR lines printed in magnetic MICR ink are considered inauthentic and are rejected. This means that checks must be printed by either the business/individual issuing the check or a company which has been authorized to print checks for the issuer. Checks cannot be defrauded by simply being copied, since bank processors would not be able to read the MICR line printed in standard ink. Combined with additional check stock security features, MICR ink keeps the likelihood of check fraud low.

by: Maggie Segundas

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