Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!turpin
From: turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: OCR font, check printing
Summary: It is probably OK.
Message-ID: <8169@cs.utexas.edu>
Date: 19 Mar 90 01:47:31 GMT
References: <1990Mar19.000741.13602@cs.utk.edu>
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 30

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In article <1990Mar19.000741.13602@cs.utk.edu>, battle@cs.utk.edu (David Battle) writes:
> Comments about any legalities concerning printing one's own checks that
> I might not be aware of are also welcome.

It is probably alright.  It used to be that one could write a
check on any piece of paper (or other media), and if it was made
out properly, it would be a legal obligation that your bank would
honor.  (Whether or not one's creditors would take an unprinted
check was another issue.)  

Today, I think there are some rules about check size, location of
endorsements, kind of magnetic ink encodings, etc.  I do not
think these rules are laws -- ie, it would be legal for you to
still write out an unprinted check and your bank to accept it --
as much as they are requirements for all instruments going
through the Federal Reserve clearinghouse.  You should know that
the numbers at the bottom of a check are made with *magnetic* ink,
which means they might not be *optically* scanned.

Most printers will make checks.  As far as I know, they do not
need a special license or any such thing.  It is probably legal
for you to print your own checks, as long as you do not cheat or
attempt to defraud anyone.  (But beware that each state has
different banking laws.)  Now whether or not merchants will take
your home-printed checks is an entirely different issue.  They
are not required to do so.  Most likely, as long as they look
good, they won't notice the difference.

Russell