Not always. MICR toner is magnetic toner that lets old check-sorting machines read the numbers along the bottom of a check. Many banks now read checks as images, so ordinary ink often works for low volume. The only way to be sure is to ask your bank and deposit one test check. For large volumes, or if your bank or a vendor insists, MICR toner is the safest choice.
What MICR toner does
MICR stands for magnetic ink character recognition. The routing number, account number and check number printed along the bottom edge of a check use a special font called E-13B. MICR toner contains magnetic particles so a machine can read those characters by sound and magnetism as well as by sight. See what MICR is and why it is used.
Why many banks no longer depend on it
Since the Check 21 Act, banks can process a check by scanning an image of it. That means the digits must be clear, correctly placed and legible to the scanner, but not necessarily magnetic. Practice varies by bank and by how you deposit, which is why Check 21 and substitute checks is worth a read.
When MICR toner is the better choice
- You print many checks a month and send them to many different banks.
- Your bank, a vendor or a landlord has told you they need magnetic ink.
- You print on a laser printer that can take MICR toner and want the lowest risk of a rejected check.
When ordinary ink can be enough
- You write a few checks a month.
- The recipient deposits them by mobile deposit or an image-based process.
- Your bank has told you that image-based processing is fine for your account.
A five-minute test before you buy toner
- Print a Test Print on plain paper and hold it against a real check to confirm the numbers sit in the right place.
- Ask your bank, in writing if you can, what it accepts for checks you print yourself.
- Print one real check on blank check stock to a trusted payee, and ask them to deposit it.
- Only then decide whether MICR toner is worth buying.
Check Writer 123 prints the bank number line in an E-13B style font on your own printer, with a free Test Print so you can check alignment before real stock. Whether your bank needs magnetic ink is a question for your bank. See also printing checks with a laser printer and our MICR printer and toner guide.