A MICR line that looks slightly "off" is one of the most important things to catch before you send a check out, since it's what banks use to process the check automatically. Here's what tends to go wrong.
Common symptoms and causes
- Wrong font — if the numbers at the bottom look like a normal monospace font rather than the slightly blocky E-13B style, your software isn't using genuine MICR encoding, just a visual approximation.
- Numbers cut off or positioned too close to the edge — the MICR line needs clearance within a defined margin from the bottom of the check; printing too close to the edge can cause bank check readers to misread it.
- Faint or low-contrast printing — MICR readers rely on consistent, solid ink coverage. A nearly-empty inkjet cartridge or low toner can produce characters a machine reader struggles with even if they look fine to your eye.
- Incorrect data — double-check the routing number, account number, and check number actually match your account before printing, since a correctly formatted MICR line with wrong data is still a real problem.
How to verify it's correct
Visually compare your printed MICR line against a genuine check from the same bank account — the digits, spacing, and bracket symbols around the routing and account numbers should match in style, even though the actual numbers are the same either way. If you're printing a high volume of checks, it's worth depositing one as an early test before committing to a full batch.
Check Writer 123 generates MICR encoding using the correct E-13B font and standard positioning automatically, rather than approximating it visually — this is specifically the part of check printing that's easiest to get subtly wrong by hand.