Source Technologies provides the most comprehensive secure MICR print technology delivered in a broad family of printers, toner, software, and accessories which meet the American National Standards Institute X9.
More information on MICR can be found:
The Federal Reserve and all banks require that checks be printed with MICR toner for ease of processing. As a check travels through the check clearing system, it passes through reader-sorters which send a magnetic charge to the check, allowing the machine to read the information contained within the MICR line. If a check or other negotiable document is printed with regular non-MICR toner, the reader/sorter will reject the check, resulting in a bank fee for the company that printed the document.
MICR is an acronym for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition; it refers to the specialized fonts and toner used to print the font at the bottom of checks and other negotiable documents.
The best way to deter check fraud is through a combination of efforts, including quality blank check stock, secure fonts used, employee education, positive pay and a secure MICR printer solution. Blank check stock is useless to criminals, unlike pre-printed checks which can easily be manipulated and used. Source Technologies MICR printers offer unparalleled security features to prevent unauthorized printing or reproduction of checks. With Source Technologies solution, the printer hardware, check stock, fonts and data stream are secured.
From AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey:
Payments fraud, both actual and attempted, were experienced by 61% of surveyed organizations. Of those organizations, 87% reported that checks were targeted. Payments fraud represents a $20 billion per year problem.
To protect our customers from both internal and external fraud, multiple security features are embedded into our secure MICR printers, including:
We protect our customers from external fraud by integrating advanced security features into our check design that makes it nearly impossible for criminals to circumvent. Our patented Secure Numeric Font makes it impossible for the dollar amount to be changed, and our MicroPrint font is not legible with the naked eye, making it nearly impossible to replicate.
Yes. A poor quality paper interferes with the adhesion of toner and can lead to lower quality MICR documents.
The following are paper guidelines we recommend to our customers:
MICR toner contains iron oxide which over time can eat away at toner cartridge components. If a cartridge is recycled, and the proper parts are not replaced, you run the risk of printer damage and print quality problems. Unfortunately, most vendors use inferior toner formulations and poor quality cartridges that could damage your printer and the quality of your MICR documents.
A remanufactured MICR toner cartridge starts as a regular toner cartridge which is emptied, disassembled, cleaned, reassembled and refilled with MICR toner. This toner is not held to the same quality standards as originally manufactured toner and this can lead to poor reliability, and printer damage.
Source Technologies offers only originally manufactured MICR toner cartridges, supported by a MICR Guarantee that ensures the quality of the documents printed when used with our MICR printers. This guarantee cannot be found with remanufactured MICR toner. In addition, Source Technologies toner cartridges typically offer twice the yield of remanufactured MICR toner cartridges, and a significantly lower cost-per-page, which is the true measure of a consumable cost.
No. Using a remanufactured or “drop-in” toner solution can cause premature failure of the fuser and other costly printer components and inferior MICR print quality. The use of re-manufactured toner automatically voids the warranty on the printer itself and our MICR guarantee.
No. By ensuring that our MICR toner cartridges are being used only in a quality Source Technologies branded MICR solution, our customers are assured that they will avoid these problems:
The main differences between the two versions of printers is the inclusion of the OEM MICR toner cartridge, imager and Source Technologies MICR security features. Engineering teams from both companies work closely together on product development:
Source Technologies has an exclusive partnership with Lexmark International to provide the MICR system. Through this partnership, Source Technologies MICR technology is integrated into Lexmark’s standard laser printers, creating the MICR system.
A complete MICR printing solution utilizing Source Technologies secure MICR printers and MICR toner can virtually eliminate the expenses associated with purchasing, storing, distributing and tracking pre-printed check stock. A laser MICR printer solution utilizes blank check stock, offering immediate, significant savings on paper costs alone.
For every $100 spent on pre-printed check stock, an organization wastes approximately $15 and spends an additional $18 to distribute documents once printed. So that $100 worth of check stock really costs $133.
The same amount of BLANK check stock will cost just $22 with no waste and approximately $2 in distribution, for a savings of 82% on check stock.
In addition, secure MICR printer solutions from Source Technologies virtually eradicate the risk of official check fraud – and its associated $17,100 loss per successful attempt – as well as alleviate costs associated with maintenance on outdated equipment such as dot matrix printers. Our secure MICR printing solutions significantly reduce voids, missing checks and paid-unadvised charges.
