Print & Cheques Now Inc., a Calgary-based cheque printer, has published a plain-language guide to Standard 006, the Payments Canada specification that governs cheques drawn on accounts at Canadian financial institutions. The guide aims to help accountants, controllers, business owners, and administrative staff understand the technical requirements for cheque design and printing, particularly the MICR encoding line, which is critical for automated processing.
Standard 006 reserves a 5/8-inch band along the bottom of a cheque for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding. The lower 3/16 inch of the band must remain clear, with the encoding line occupying the next 1/4 inch and an additional 3/16 inch above it also unobstructed. Any logos, signatures, borders, or other printed elements that enter this area may interfere with MICR processing or cause the cheque to fail testing. The guide explains that the E-13B font, comprising digits zero through nine and four symbols (Transit Number, On-Us, Amount, and Dash), must be printed with magnetic ink and produce a signal within the tolerances established by Standard 006. Testing also evaluates character dimensions, spacing, placement, and the presence of extraneous magnetic ink.
The importance of these specifications is underscored by the fact that a cheque may appear correct to the human eye but still fail to process due to an inadequate magnetic signal. Payments Canada recommends that organizations printing their own cheques submit pre-production samples to a financial institution for testing. Print & Cheques Now holds the designation CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 through the Cheque Printer Self-Accreditation Program administered by Payments Canada, attesting that its cheques are produced within Standard 006 tolerances and follow the program's testing requirements.
In addition to meeting Standard 006, Print & Cheques Now cheques include three confirmed security features: holograms, thermochromic (heat-sensitive) ink, and microprinting visible under magnification. These features are separate from MICR requirements but are regulated by Standard 006 to ensure they do not interfere with imaging or the MICR band.
The guide also addresses the challenges of in-house cheque printing, emphasizing that control over MICR font, magnetic signal, character placement, and clear-band dimensions is essential. Changes to printer, toner, paper, or other components can affect whether the finished cheque meets Standard 006. Print & Cheques Now tests its production under the self-accreditation program and offers a Bank Acceptance Guarantee: if a Canadian financial institution rejects a cheque, the company will reprint or refund the order.
Jon Gilchrist, Owner of Print & Cheques Now, explained the motivation behind the guide: "Most business owners never look at the standard behind a cheque until one gets rejected. The person ordering cheques for a company is usually an accountant or an office manager, not a compliance specialist, so we wrote this guide in plain language instead of leaving that standard buried in a technical document only a printer would read."
This announcement is significant for businesses that print their own cheques or order from suppliers, as non-compliance with Standard 006 can lead to rejected payments, processing delays, and additional costs. By clarifying the technical requirements and security features, the guide aims to reduce such risks. For those interested, Print & Cheques Now offers a range of products, including personal cheques, manual business cheques, and laser and computer cheques compatible with popular accounting software. The company's cheques are accepted by major Canadian banks and over 200 credit unions.
