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From: eager@ringworld.Eng.Sun.COM (Michael J. Eager)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Computer Readable Font (for acct numbers on Bank Checks) wanted
Message-ID: <12979@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 8 May 91 05:25:19 GMT
References: <1991May2.191802.2778@beaver.cs.washington.edu>
Sender: news@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Lines: 21

In article <1991May2.191802.2778@beaver.cs.washington.edu> dylan@june.cs.washington.edu (Dylan McNamee) writes:
>
>I am just now getting ready to order my next batch of checks for some
>silly amount of money, and realized that I can make them myself in 
>PostScript!  All I need is to get the account/check number in that
>goofy computer readable font they use at the bottom of checks.  Is
>this, or something like it around?  Anyone see any caveats?  


The characters are MICR -- Magnetic Ink Character Recognition.  Laser printer
ink will look the same, but won't run through the check sorters.  Your checks
will always be in the reject basket.

I believe that there is a Federal Reserve Bank requirement that all checks 
which are processed through the FRB
have MICR encoding.  This doesn't mean that your checks won't be valid, it 
only means that they will have take a long time to get to your bank.  If you
are collecting interest, maybe this isn't a bad idea :-).  At least until 
your bank starts to complain.

-- Mike Eager