Print & Cheques Now Inc., a Calgary-based cheque printer holding CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 status, has published a plain-language guide to Standard 006, the Payments Canada specification governing cheques drawn on Canadian financial institutions. The guide aims to help accountants, controllers, business owners, and administrative staff who order or approve business cheques understand the technical requirements that can affect automated processing.
The guide details how MICR encoding, cheque layout, magnetic signal strength, and security elements impact processing. A cheque may contain correct account and transit numbers yet fail testing if its MICR line is incorrectly printed or positioned. Standard 006 reserves a 5/8-inch band along the bottom of a cheque for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding, with specific clear zones: the lower 3/16 inch must remain clear, the encoding line occupies the next 1/4 inch, and the 3/16 inch above it must also be unobstructed. Logos, signatures, borders, or other printed elements entering this area may interfere with MICR processing or cause the cheque to fail testing.
The E-13B font, used in MICR, includes digits zero through nine and four symbols: Transit Number, On-Us, Amount, and Dash. These characters identify and separate payment information. The MICR line must be printed with magnetic ink and produce a signal within tolerances set by Standard 006. Testing evaluates character dimensions, spacing, placement, and the absence of extraneous magnetic ink. A cheque that appears correct to the human eye may still produce an inadequate magnetic signal, so Payments Canada recommends that organizations printing their own cheques submit pre-production samples to a financial institution for testing.
Print & Cheques Now holds CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 through the Cheque Printer Self-Accreditation Program administered by Payments Canada. Self-accredited printers attest that they produce cheques 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 to ensure they do not interfere with imaging, the MICR band, or required cheque fields.
Managing cheque printing in-house requires control over MICR font, magnetic signal, character placement, and clear-band dimensions. Changes to printer, toner, paper, or other components may affect whether the finished cheque meets Standard 006. Print & Cheques Now tests its cheque production under the self-accreditation program, and every order is covered by its 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, said, "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."
Businesses can review business cheque options or order cheques matched to their financial institution. The guide is part of the company's effort to educate customers on compliance, highlighting the importance of adhering to Standard 006 to avoid processing delays and rejections.
