Print checks on regular paper?

swbsam

Platinum Member
Dec 29, 2007
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I never use personal checks and a company requires that I pay via one. I don't really want to pay for a money order or cashiers check and wonder if I can just print a personal check onto regular paper, since this is a one time thing.

Is this ok?
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
It is legally valid, but likely prohibited by your bank because it doesn't have the account number and routing number printed with magnetic ink.

Also the recipient would probably assume it's invalid.
 
Nov 5, 2001
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Originally posted by: mugs
It is legally valid, but likely prohibited by your bank because it doesn't have the account number and routing number printed with magnetic ink.

Also the recipient would probably assume it's invalid.

MICR ink is not required.
 

ViviTheMage

Lifer
Dec 12, 2002
36,189
87
91
madgenius.com
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: SN4p
Not sure, but a money order is <$1..

Weird, my back charges $7 or $8.

Walmart's a great idea by the way, didn't even realize they sold checks

Yeah, I got a bunch of Marvel comic book chara check books, pretty neato...cheap too.

I barely use checks though, but I did need them.
 

swbsam

Platinum Member
Dec 29, 2007
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Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
Originally posted by: swbsam
Originally posted by: TallBill
Originally posted by: SN4p
Not sure, but a money order is <$1..

Weird, my back charges $7 or $8.

Walmart's a great idea by the way, didn't even realize they sold checks

Yeah, I got a bunch of Marvel comic book chara check books, pretty neato...cheap too.

I barely use checks though, but I did need them.

How long does it take them to make the checks?

Thanks!
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
Well, since you never use personal checks, their policy is an inconvenience to you. Why won't they take debit or credit cards? Why does it have to be a personal check? If this is a company that you want to continue having a good relationship with, then I'd go out of my way to get checks. But, if it's just some bill that you owe, and they're being asses about it (the check requirement), then I'd make the check inconvenient to them. Get the software for printing your own checks, print it to an image file, rotate it 45 degrees, and print it out on a legal sized piece of paper or other weird size of paper as convenient to you. Let them cut it out so that their bank can deal with it. You could probably have it printed out long before you got back from a trip to the post office.

Years ago, when I worked at the pizza shop, we had a customer who would wait until the delivery guy got to his door, then print out a check for the pizza. Seemed a little sketchy that he did it that way, but we knew the guy. He always explained to the delivery guy how wonderful his software was & how it tracked everything he purchased & kept track of his budget & balance, etc.
 

xSauronx

Lifer
Jul 14, 2000
19,582
4
81
does your bank not have billpay or do you need a check immediately?

else money order is cheap, certified checks less so but either would work
 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,230
701
126
Originally posted by: mugs
It is legally valid, but likely prohibited by your bank because it doesn't have the account number and routing number printed with magnetic ink.

Also the recipient would probably assume it's invalid.

This.

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats

MICR ink is not required.

Really? Since when? It was when I was working at Kroger as we had to encode the checks with the amount using a magnetic ink writer so that the bank could process them (and we saved bank fees by doing so)...but that was nearly 17 years ago so I'm not sure now.

Edit: Looks like you "should" do it in magnetic ink but not required??!??

Source.
 

keird

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2002
3,714
9
81
Originally posted by: mugs
It is legally valid, but likely prohibited by your bank because it doesn't have the account number and routing number printed with magnetic ink.

Also the recipient would probably assume it's invalid.

Magnetic crayons.

Use different colored crayons, scan an image of the check and post the jpeg to ATOT for approval.

 

mb

Lifer
Jun 27, 2004
10,233
2
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Originally posted by: xSauronx
does your bank not have billpay or do you need a check immediately?

else money order is cheap, certified checks less so but either would work

Yeah if they don't mind waiting a few days use your banks bill pay if they have it. With Bank of America you can pay anyone for free. You fill out the info online and BofA send them the check.
 

Pepsei

Lifer
Dec 14, 2001
12,895
1
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Originally posted by: mugs
It is legally valid, but likely prohibited by your bank because it doesn't have the account number and routing number printed with magnetic ink.

Also the recipient would probably assume it's invalid.

yea... to make it fancy, you need to buy some MICR magnetic ink. which costs more than regular ink. and your printer needs a special MICR enable fonts which costs even more.
 

SammySnood

Member
Aug 27, 2008
52
0
0
I would do an MS Paint check and send it to them.

Oh wait. I can't do that. I use Debian. Wonder if MS Paint will run under WINE.

Screw that. A GIMP check?
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,103
9,535
126
Originally posted by: SammySnood
I would do an MS Paint check and send it to them.

Oh wait. I can't do that. I use Debian. Wonder if MS Paint will run under WINE.

Screw that. A GIMP check?

Tux Paint FTW!!
 

Modelworks

Lifer
Feb 22, 2007
16,240
7
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Technically you could write it out on a piece of paper in your handwriting, but good luck getting someone to accept it. Your bank has to take it though, there was a court case where a college finance professor wanted to prove the point that you could write it out in hand on a scrap of paper, he won :)
 

masterxfob

Diamond Member
May 20, 2001
7,366
5
81
Originally posted by: Modelworks
Technically you could write it out on a piece of paper in your handwriting, but good luck getting someone to accept it. Your bank has to take it though, there was a court case where a college finance professor wanted to prove the point that you could write it out in hand on a scrap of paper, he won :)

heard that from someone and have always wanted to try that.
 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
27,111
926
126
Actually, if someone were to write me a check on toilet paper, assuming all the proper information was on the check and it was signed, I could walk into their bank and it could be cashed, legally. Whether bank policy would allow this is another matter.