Easy check writer software lets you write a routine check in about 30 seconds: pick a saved payee, type the amount, add a memo and print. The amount in words, check number and date are filled in for you. Ease of use shows up in the daily routine, so judge a tool by how little you have to touch, not by how clean the home screen looks.
A setup guide gets you the first check. This page is about the hundredth check. It describes the entry routine that keeps you fast and accurate, and the checks you should make before pressing Print.
The 30-second routine
A fast entry is a sequence of small, predictable actions. The exact screens differ, but the order works in any good tool.
- Select the bank account if you have more than one. This sets the check number sequence and the saved alignment.
- Choose the payee from your saved list. If the payee is new, add it once and reuse it afterward.
- Type the amount in numbers. Watch the amount in words appear below it.
- Add the date if it should differ from today, such as a post-dated rent check.
- Write a short memo, such as an invoice number or the month of rent.
- Look at the live preview and compare payee, amount and words.
- Press Print. The check is saved to the register at that moment.
Why saved payees are the biggest speed-up
Typing a name and an address is where most of the time and most of the typos go. A saved list of vendors or employees means you spell each one correctly once. If you pay the same landlord, utility and supplier every month, the saved list can bring a month of payments down to a few minutes.
Keep names consistent with how the payee wants to be paid. A business that is known by a trade name but banks under a legal name should be saved under the name that appears on their invoice. If you are unsure, ask them. See how to write a check to a business for the usual conventions.
Templates and defaults that save clicks
- A default bank account, so the tool opens ready for your main account.
- A default check position, such as top, middle or bottom on 3-to-a-page stock, saved once.
- A signature setting you choose one time: image, drawing, typed name, or blank to sign by hand.
- A font style you like, set once and forgotten.
- Check numbers assigned automatically, with a number reused if you delete an unprinted record.
Defaults are where ease comes from. The fewer fields you reconfigure per check, the faster and safer the routine. If you find yourself changing the same setting every time, look for a way to save it.
When you have more than one check to write
Entering checks one at a time is fine for two or three. Beyond that, look for batch entry. In a tool that supports it, you fill a grid of rows with payee, amount and memo, review the batch and print the selected checks together. Pasting invoice lines from a spreadsheet avoids retyping long reference numbers.
Before printing a batch, load enough stock for every check, print one test page first and check the order in which pages emerge. How to print multiple checks at once walks through the process and what to do after a jam.
Check your work before you press Print
Speed without checking is how a wrong amount reaches a bank. Make this a ten-second habit, and do not skip it on a busy day.
| Check | What to look for | Common slip |
|---|---|---|
| Payee | Spelling matches the invoice | A similar name in the saved list |
| Amount in numbers | Decimal point in the right place | 1250.00 typed as 125.00 |
| Amount in words | Matches the number exactly | A stray extra digit |
| Date | Correct day, not post-dated by accident | Left on yesterday's date |
| Account | The right bank account is selected | Personal check from the business account |
| Check number | Next in sequence | Duplicate after a manual edit |
If you want a refresher on how the numbers should look, how to write the amount in numbers on a check has examples. A live preview that updates as you type makes this review quick.
What to do when something goes wrong
Easy software should make mistakes cheap. If the printer jams or smudges a page, the check has been saved already, so you should be able to reprint the same check rather than create a new one. How to reprint a check explains when a reprint is safe and when to void and reissue.
- Printer jam before the check emerged: reprint the saved check.
- Smudged ink: reprint on a fresh sheet and destroy the smudged one.
- Wrong amount discovered after printing: void the check and write a new one with a new number.
- Check sent to the wrong payee: void, record and notify the bank if it was delivered.
Check Writer 123 is made by the publisher of this site. It generates the amount in words, assigns check numbers, offers saved vendors and employees, a live preview, batch entry of up to 25 checks and printing of up to 50, and free reprints of any saved check. A check counts toward your plan when you press Print, and nothing is saved before that, so there are no drafts. It is a web app with no phone app and no accounting sync.
Putting it together
Ease is a habit supported by good defaults: saved payees, a saved account and position, an automatic amount in words and a consistent pre-print look at the preview. Set those up once and each later check takes under a minute. If you are still choosing a tool, best check writer software lists what to test, and simple check printing software shows the first-time setup.