If a document is inserted a few millimeters out of true, part of the MICR text will likely pass above the top of the read head, creating a cant-read error. If your first character is the amount character, it's a business check. When this happens, the result can be a magnetic signal that is unrecognizable as a standard character, as in the example at right. Magnetic ink character recognition code, known in short as MICR code, is a character recognition technology used mainly by the banking industry to streamline the processing and clearance of cheques and other documents. But and this is a big BUT if something happens that throws off the optical recognition engine, you run the risk of having a serious error like an incorrect account number if you just send the check through. Is something really different the second or third time you pass a check through a desktop check scanner? Check for any stray writing or other markings in the MICR line that could prevent Mobile Deposit from clearly reading the numbers. One of the benefits of the magnetic ink character recognition line is its ability to facilitate the use of a routing number to process checks and deduct the payment amounts. Thus, MICR makes it difficult to alter checks. Before the mid-1940s, cheques were processed manually using the Sort-A-Matic or Top Tab Key method. MICR technology has been adopted in many countries, with some variations. That caused the scanner to only pick up part of the account information, generating a "can't-read" error. MICR lines are printed in two special fonts that can be read by machines as well as people, and are used worldwide to enable machines to read checks and reduce check fraud. MICR Ink Detection by Scanners - RemoteDepositCapture.com Symbol and Serial Check Digit Numbers: The four-digit symbol number and the eight-digit serial number are printed on . Why does the magnetic MICR printing on checks use such a weird font? Upon receipt, the banks perform another MICR sort to determine which customer's account is charged and to which branch the cheque should be sent on its way back to the customer. The MICR line is a group of three numbers, which are the check number, account number, and bank routing number. Sending or receiving money internationally. Banks and financial institutions use MICR technology to facilitate the processing of checks. Relyco. Built for a bank, great for high-speed RDC, Modern and efficient teller capture scanner, Network adapter with onboard intelligence (for TellerScan and CheXpress models), Teller receipt printer for SmartSource Elite, Expert Elite, and TellerScan TS500 scanners, Teller receipt printer for TellerScan TS240, SmartSource Professional, and SmartSource Expert scanners, Mechanical assistance for straightening large stacks of documents, For all Digital Check and SmartSource scanners, Digital Checks software subsidiary makes cash automation and check processing easy at the bank branch or at a retail business, Cash automation software with universal cash recycler suport, Large-Scale Combined Check and Cash Processing for the Back Office, Cash Automation System for Retail Businesses, Check processing and electronic deposit for retail businesses, Real-time monitoring of cash processes for your whole company, High-volume lockbox processing using the Quantum DS transport. A magnetic ink character recognition line (MICR) is a line of characters on a check printed with a unique ink that allows the characters to be read by a reader-sorter machine. Glossary of Check Capture and Image-Related Terms, Over 60 years of manufacturing innovation, How we build our scanners to be the most reliable in the business, Scanner Maintenance: Cleaning vs. The MICR line is a set of digital numbers that represent the bank routing number, account number, and check number. She is a FINRA Series 7, 63, and 66 license holder. Whenever you receive a self-printed check, remember: It might have been printed with in-spec MICR toner (rarely); it might have come from a regular laser printer and have faint magnetism; or it might have been printed with ordinary inkjet ink, and have no magnetism at all.