To print checks online, open a web-based check printing tool, enter your bank account details, fill in the payee, amount, date and memo, check the preview, and print on blank check stock, pre-printed check stock or plain paper using your own printer. Run a Test Print on plain paper first so you know the page lines up. No special program needs to be installed.
A fair note on the word free: Check Writer 123 has a free plan that never expires, with up to 5 printed checks a month and 1 bank account, and no card is needed. More checks or bank accounts need a paid plan from $5.99 a month, which comes with a 14-day trial. The Test Print on plain paper and the free tools are free too.
What you need before you start
- A computer with a web browser: Windows, Mac or Chromebook all work.
- A printer. An ordinary inkjet or laser printer is enough to begin.
- Check paper. Choose blank check stock, pre-printed check stock or plain letter paper.
- Your bank account details: the name and address on the account, the routing number and the account number.
- A few sheets of plain paper for a Test Print.
Step 1: Pick the paper you will print on
Your paper decides how the check is laid out. Blank check stock is a good choice because the software prints the whole check, including the MICR line along the bottom, and the stock carries the security features. Pre-printed check stock already has your bank details, so only the variable fields are printed. Plain letter paper gives one complete check at the top of the sheet, which suits deposits you make yourself. If you are unsure, read what kind of paper you need to print checks.
Step 2: Set up your bank account once
Enter the account holder name and address, the routing number and the account number. A good tool checks the routing number as you type. You can add a logo and a signature image, or leave the signature blank and sign each check by hand. You only do this once per bank account.
Step 3: Fill in the check and read the preview
Type the payee, the amount, the date and an optional memo. The amount in words should fill in automatically, which prevents the most common handwriting mistake: a number that disagrees with the words. Read the live preview once before you print. If you are not sure what to put in the memo, see what to write on the memo line.
Step 4: Run a Test Print on plain paper
In your browser's print window, choose your printer, set the paper size to Letter, set the scale to 100% (or Default) and turn headers and footers off. Print the Test Print on plain paper, then hold it against a real check or a sheet of your stock in front of a light. If something sits a little off, nudge the alignment and print another. The most common problems are covered in how to fix check printing alignment.
Step 5: Print the real check and keep the record
Load your check stock the way your printer needs it, press Print and sign the check if you left the signature blank. The check should be saved to a register with its number, so you can search it later and match it to your bank statement.
How to print checks online with Check Writer 123
- Start the 14-day free trial. No card is needed.
- Add your bank account and, if you like, a logo and a signature.
- Choose your paper: blank stock, pre-printed stock or plain paper.
- Write the check and read the live preview.
- Print the free Test Print, adjust the alignment if needed, then print the real check.
For a full look at features, plans and who it suits, see check printing software, or use the page for your computer: Windows, Mac or Chromebook.
Things people get wrong the first time
- Printing with scaling on. Fit to page shrinks the check and moves everything. Use 100%.
- Leaving headers and footers on, which adds text in the margins.
- Skipping the Test Print and wasting a real check on a misaligned page.
- Using glossy or very thin paper that the printer feeds badly.
- Using glossy photo paper, which smears and will not take a pen. Use bright white matte paper (see plain paper check printing tips).