Is it cheaper for a small business to print its own checks?

It depends on how many checks you write and what you pay for stock, software and supplies. Divide each method's total monthly cost by your number of checks to get a cost per check, then compare. Printing also saves reorder time and fees when your details change.

Will my bank accept checks I print myself?

Many banks accept them when the routing number, account number and check number are printed accurately and legibly, but acceptance is up to each bank and the payee's bank. Magnetic ink is the safest choice for high volume. Test with a few checks and ask your bank.

How do I prevent check fraud when printing my own checks?

Lock up blank stock and count it, never sign blank checks, split approval and reconciliation between people where you can, reconcile the bank statement monthly, and shred spoiled checks. Ask your bank about fraud protection services available for business accounts.

Do I need special paper to print business checks?

Most businesses use blank check stock, which is usually 3-to-a-page paper with perforations and sometimes security features. Plain paper can work for some uses but is less accepted. See your bank's guidance before relying on plain paper for payments to others.

How many checks can I print before it makes sense?

There is no fixed number. If you write only a handful of checks a year, ordering may cost less. If you write checks regularly, change details sometimes or use more than one account, printing in-house usually becomes more convenient. Run the cost per check calculation with your own quotes.

How Small Businesses Can Print Their Own Checks

A small business can print its own checks by buying blank check stock, using a regular printer, and entering each payment into check printing software or a template. You pay for paper and software instead of reordering printed checks, and you can change a payee, logo or bank account any time. The trade-off is that you become responsible for stock security, accuracy and bank acceptance.

Why do small businesses print their own checks?

Most owners start because of a practical annoyance. They ran out of checks the day a bill was due, they changed their address and now have a box of checks that are wrong, or they opened a second account and do not want to wait for a new order. Printing in-house solves all three.

No waiting. You print a check when you need it, rather than waiting days for a reorder.
Easier changes. A new address, logo or bank account is a settings change, not a new order and a pile of obsolete checks.
Fewer wasted checks. With blank stock, one kind of paper covers every account you have.
More information on the check. A printed stub can carry invoice numbers and notes that a hand-written check cannot.
Cleaner records. Every check is entered on screen, so the register is built as you go.

How do you compare the cost of printing checks yourself?

Prices change, and every business writes a different number of checks, so the useful question is not what a method costs but how to compare two methods fairly. Work out a cost per check for each option using your own quotes.

Cost item	Ordering printed checks	Printing in-house
Paper	Included in the price of each order	Cost of blank stock divided by the checks you get from it
Software or template	None	Subscription or one-time cost divided by checks per month
Printer, ink or toner	None	Usually a printer you already own; add supplies per check
Reorders and changes	Fee or new order each time details change	None; edit and print
Time	Reorder time and delay	A few minutes per run, plus recordkeeping
Spoilage	Rare	Allow for a few spoiled sheets while you learn

Here is a simple, hypothetical example so you can see the method. Suppose you write 30 checks a month. If your supplier sells a pack of blank stock that works out to a certain amount per check and your software costs a flat monthly fee, add the two, divide by 30, and compare that number with your bank's per-check price. Replace the placeholders with real quotes from both sides. If you write very few checks, a flat monthly software fee may dominate the cost. If you write many, the stock cost matters more.

A fuller comparison, including speed and bank acceptance, is in check printing software vs ordering checks from a bank.

What do you need to get started?

A printer you trust to feed paper straight. Laser and inkjet printers are both used for this; MICR toner exists for laser printers if you want magnetic ink.
Blank check stock, usually 3-to-a-page sheets with perforations. See business check stock explained for how to choose.
Your account's routing number and account number, and the next check number to use.
Check printing software or a carefully built template.
A locked place to keep stock.

Is it safe to print your own business checks?

It can be, with discipline. Printed checks are not riskier than ordered checks by nature, but because you hold blank stock and the signature, the controls are in your hands. These are the ones that matter most:

Lock up blank stock and count it. Record the sheets you take out and the sheets you use, and investigate any gap.
Never sign a blank check. Sign only after the payee, date and amount are filled in.
Split duties where you can. The person who approves a bill should not also be the only person who reconciles the account.
Require a second approval for large amounts. Pick a dollar level that makes sense for your business and stick to it.
Reconcile the bank statement every month, looking at each cleared check rather than just the total.
Shred spoiled checks and old stock you will not use, and do not leave check images or exported files in shared folders.
Talk to your bank about fraud protection services and ask what they recommend for printed checks.

Also keep your signature file private. If you use an image of a signature, store it only in the tool you print from and limit who has access to your login.

What does a simple monthly routine look like?

Small businesses fall behind on paperwork when there is no routine. This one takes about an hour a month once it is a habit.

Week one: pay bills in a single run. Approve, enter, test print, print and sign.
Same day: record each check in your register and file the invoice marked paid, with the check number written on it.
Mid-month: if you pay on a second cycle, repeat the run rather than printing checks ad hoc.
Month end: count the blank stock left and compare it with what your register says you used.
When the bank statement arrives: reconcile it against the register and list the checks that have not cleared.
Follow up on old uncleared checks. If a payee says a check never arrived, void it and reissue under a new number.

For ideas on what to keep and where, see how to keep a digital record of printed checks.

When is ordering checks from your bank the better choice?

Printing your own checks does not suit everyone. Ordering from your bank or a check supplier may be better when:

Your bank, lender or a counterparty requires pre-printed checks with magnetic ink for a particular account.
You write a few checks a year and a flat monthly software fee would cost more than reordering.
You have no reliable printer or no secure place to keep blank stock.
You write a very high volume of checks and want magnetic ink on every one, which means MICR toner or a professional printer.

You do not have to choose one approach for everything. Some owners keep a small box of ordered checks for the bank-mandated account and print the rest.

Check Writer 123 is made by the publisher of this site, so weigh that when comparing options. It is a web tool that prints on blank stock, pre-printed stock or plain paper from any printer, with a 14-day free trial that does not need a card. It does not move money or connect to your bank.

Next steps

Start small. Order a pack of blank check stock, print two or three checks to yourself or to a vendor who will tell you whether they clear, and confirm with your bank that it accepts them. Once the first batch clears, you can move more payments over. The wider decision guide is in check printing for small businesses.