Changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have stuck around longer than many first thought. People who never saw themselves working from home were expected to do just that — without missing a beat or causing a disaster such as a security breach. Even printing checks at home became a necessary process for some employees.
Now, with remote work being the new normal for many payroll and accounts payable employees, understanding the legality of check printing at home is critical.
If you’re trying to figure out what hardware and security software you need to succeed at printing official checks in a work-from-home environment, this blog is here to help.
As you consider printing official checks from home, you have two options to consider:
- Using a standard printer and pre-printed check stock
- Using a secure MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) printer and blank checks
Pre-Printed Check Stock
Some companies choose to use a standard printer and pre-printed checks with the MICR line already printed along the bottom to avoid purchasing a secure MICR printer. While this solution works, there are many drawbacks to utilizing pre-printed check stock.
To start, pre-printed check stock must be locked in a secure location at all times, which can be difficult at home. In fact, many companies won’t allow employees to take pre-printed check stock home because of the risk of the stock being stolen or misused.
Additionally, any changes to your corporate logo, colors, or address require new checks to be printed, resulting in costly waste.
To continue, when using pre-printed check stock, employees are required to enter the serial number of the check in the accounting system to track the check. Naturally, issues can occur if the wrong serial number is entered into the accounting system by mistake.
Lastly, security is always top-of-mind for most companies when issuing checks, and pre-printed check stock doesn’t offer the level of security features that many companies are looking for. One of the biggest challenges is that pre-printed check stock requires a signature, which can be problematic for work-from-home employees who are not authorized to sign checks.
Secure On-Demand MICR Printing
Secure on-demand MICR printing was developed to address and fix many of the challenges just detailed with pre-printed check stock issuance.
This solution uses blank check stock, which costs significantly less than pre-printed checks. Because the stock doesn’t have the pre-printed MICR line, you also don’t have to secure it in a safe place at home. Many companies are more comfortable with this method because there is no risk if the stock is stolen.
Further, when companies change a logo design or corporate address, these changes can be updated in the accounting system versus having new check stock printed. This eliminates a company having to securely destroy outdated pre-printed check stock and write off that expense.
MICR printing can also drastically reduce errors and check voids. When printing checks on-demand, the accounting or check printing software issues the serial number at the time of printing. As a result, employees are not required to enter the serial number manually in the system.
Finally, one of the most significant advantages of printing on-demand is the ability to store authorized signatures on the printer so they can be applied at the time of printing. Most accounting systems and check printing software provide detailed accounting reports for audit purposes.
There are a lot of different kinds of checks you may want to print from home, including everything from rebate checks, money orders, and general disbursements to payroll checks. Here’s what you’ll need to successfully print official checks from home.
Laser Printer
First and foremost, you’re going to need a printer. If you choose to go the route of using a check printing company to pre-print the MICR code, you can just use a laser printer to add the payee, amount, date, and memos to your checks. However, as we outlined above, this is a risky way to handle the check printing process.
MICR Check Printer
A MICR printer is able to print a quality MICR line and integrate easily with top accounting and banking software solutions.
These special printers can offer secure fonts, password protection, quality guarantees, special jam recovery settings for check printing, and more. Tray locking can also be used to keep check paper securely stored within the printer, avoiding waste or fraud.
Check Paper and Toner Cartridges
Maintaining inventory is a crucial part of printing checks. You will have to ensure all blank checks and toner are well-stocked in a secure location. These items should not be accessible by other family members or people in the home. A locking file cabinet drawer or cupboard may be used to store extra cartridges and reams.
Check Printing Software
Secure cloud-based software makes it easy to access and print checks from home without risking security breaches. This might also enable you to provide secure electronic payments to reduce the amount of printed checks you need to produce. Software specifically designed for printing checks will enable:
- Complex form and document printing control
- Bidirectional printing capabilities
- Digital signatures
- Security and audit features
Secure Network
Conduct a review of your home network’s security to make sure it meets the expectations of your IT team. Printer loopholes are one way that hackers are able to worm their way into a home or company network. A secure and reliable firewall should be used for at-home computers, especially if they are used for work purposes.
Typically, a standard OS is going to come with a firewall and it should be active at all times. However, you may need a specialized firewall for more advanced protection if you are dealing with valuable data for printing checks.
Always keep your computer and printer fully updated so that all security holes are patched as soon as they are caught. The latest versions of firmware will help you avoid commonly known security breach issues.
Restricted Access
Your printer shouldn’t be available to just anyone in your home or office space. Establish restricted access to keep your printer from anyone else living in the home.
Make sure the printer isn’t even accidentally used to print homework or a return printing slip unless it’s approved by your work and through the correct channels. A boss or auditing authorities may not be understanding if unauthorized use occurs, especially if they are looking into a fraudulent check printing mishap.
It’s better to be safe than sorry, even if you feel sure your family or roommates wouldn’t take advantage of the situation. Most workplaces will have policies in place to prevent unexpected situations from occurring.
Monitoring/Auditing Capabilities
While you should only give a remote check printing role to trustworthy employees, you should also have a series of safeguards in place to ensure the process is beyond reproach. Not only will this ensure the check printing is always done above board, but it will also offer security if something goes wrong and the employee needs to show they are not at fault.
All payments should be monitored or tracked, especially if you have multiple printing and working locations. Put clear guidelines in place from the very start so your employees understand what is expected and don’t feel as if their integrity is being questioned.
Training and Employee Education
Before assigning an employee to print from home, you should establish what the requirements are going to be for that process. The employee should go into the job ready to make the changes needed to fulfill the requirements of the print-at-home role.
Part of the monitoring and auditing process is going to depend on the employee being well-versed in what it takes to securely print checks from home. It isn’t fair to the employee if you hold best practice expectations without clearly communicating them.
While a formal education or course may not be needed, the supervisor should go over all expectations with the employee planning to take on the job. Going through the printing process, guidelines, and monitoring procedures will help the employee know what is expected and do their job successfully.
Digitized and Encrypted Signatures and Logos
Rather than needing to coordinate with the right exec for signatures, you can have encrypted and digitized signatures ready to apply to your checks as you print them. Some specialized MICR printers or software will allow you to store those signatures and logos securely so they can be applied to your checks without being a security risk.
Backup Plan
Things can go wrong or change course at any time. If you are supplying your team with the ability to print at home, it’s wise to prepare for potential issues.
Have two to three printing alternatives in case of site problems, with employees rotating to maintain printer functionality. Back up all data in the cloud to prevent delays and ensure timely checks, avoiding disruptions and concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions About Printing Checks From Home
What is MICR?
MICR stands for magnetic ink character recognition. It was developed so both humans and equipment could read the same characters.
Do you need MICR toner to print from home?
MICR toner is a special toner formulation that includes iron oxide, which is magnetized so the check number, account number, and routing number at the bottom of the check can be easily read by specialized banking equipment.
Using MICR toner is required by the Federal Reserve to make processing easier. You will need a MICR laser printer if you want to create your checks at home.
Are there MICR check printing requirements?
In addition to magnetic toner or ink, MICR check printing also requires a specific font, known as E-13B or CMC-7, printed at a precise size; precise positioning at the bottom of the check; and high-quality printing to maintain the readability of MICR characters.
Establish Secure On-Demand Check Printing at Home
Without the right setup, your employees printing checks out of their homes could pose a serious cyber risk to your business. There has been a noticeable increase in cyberattacks on every level and throughout every industry since the start of COVID-19.
Work with Source Technologies to find the right secure MICR check printing solutions for your needs. We can talk you through our available MICR printers, software, cloud-based solutions, check printing supplies, and more. Our secure technology will provide you with the resources you need to get the job done from the comfort of your home.
Our experienced team will go the extra mile to help — book your discovery call now.
