What is MICR software? (And do you need it to print checks?)

Look at the bottom of any check. That row of odd-looking numbers is the MICR line. MICR stands for magnetic ink character recognition. The line holds the bank’s routing number, your account number and the check number, printed in a font called E-13B that bank sorting machines are built to read.

MICR software is a program that prints that line for you, in the right font, in the right spot, along with everything else on the check: your name and address, the bank name, the date, the payee, the amount in numbers and words, the memo, and your signature. That lets you buy plain blank check stock and print finished checks from your own computer, instead of ordering boxes of pre-printed checks for every account.

A “MICR software solution” is the same thing. The phrase usually shows up on sites that sell large systems to banks and payment departments. For a small business, a landlord or a household, it means a desktop program that prints the line on a printer you already own.

Good MICR software handles four jobs. It prints the routing number, account number and check number in E-13B from the numbers you type in, with the separator symbols in place. It lines the check up with your paper, because the MICR line has to land in the clear band at the bottom edge or a machine may not read it. It moves the check number forward each time you print, so the numbers stay in order. And it keeps a record of what you printed.

That last job is easy to overlook. A check register on your computer lets you look up who you paid, void a check that jammed, and export the list for your bookkeeper. Without it you are back to writing stubs by hand.

This is also the difference between a MICR font and MICR software. You can buy or download an E-13B font and type the numbers in a word processor. The characters will look right. Getting them to line up with the clear band on every sheet, keeping the check numbers in order and building the rest of the check around them is the part that eats an afternoon. Software does that part for you.

MICR software runs from large enterprise systems, often sold with dedicated printers and service contracts for banks and payment departments, down to desktop programs for one computer. Some desktop programs charge a monthly subscription, some charge per check, and some sell a one-time license. For one business or one household, a one-time license usually costs less than a subscription after the first few months.

Count the supplies too. Blank check stock is sold in packs at office supply stores and online, and one pack works for every account you print on. If your bank wants magnetic ink, add the cartridge.