What is MICR toner? MICR is an acronym that stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. This is a specialized magnetically charged type of toner or ink formulation that is used to print information at the bottom of a check and other negotiable documents for transferring funds. Using a special font known as E-13B, MICR toner enables the banking industry scanners to read the details of thousands of these documents quickly and efficiently, aiding in processing speed and verifying authenticity. This unique combination of special magnetized characters on negotiable documents also reduces the risk of fraud and is useful in conjunction with other features like watermarking and specialized paper that help to prevent tampering.
If you plan to print your own checks (using blank check paper and printing all the headings, account holder info, bank name and address as well as the special characters at the bottom,) the Federal Reserve and banking regulations require the use of this special magnetic toner. Not using MICR toner can prohibit your checks from being processed automatically, resulting in a service fee for each check rejected by the processing machines. Fortunately, MICR toner is available for several different printer models, making it easy to print your own secure documents without the need of a specialized printer. If you only print checks occasionally, you can simply switch between your regular toner cartridge and a MICR cartridge specifically to print these documents. Many companies, who print checks more regularly, opt to designate a particular printer for the process, eliminating the need to change the toner back and forth, and also preventing printing regular documents with the specialized MICR toner by accident.
One Stop Toner & Inkjet offers a wide variety of MICR toners including Troy brand that can be found on our website here. Having trouble finding your particular MICR toner cartridge, or do you have questions regarding printing with MICR toner or ink? Call us today for any of your MICR toner and ink needs!