Print & Cheques Now Inc., a Calgary-based cheque printer holding CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 status, has released a guide to Standard 006, the Payments Canada specification governing cheques drawn on Canadian accounts. The guide aims to help accountants, controllers, and business owners understand the technical requirements that ensure cheques are processed without issue.
Standard 006 specifies a 5/8-inch band at the bottom of a cheque for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding. Within this band, 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. Any logos, signatures, or borders entering this area can interfere with MICR processing and cause the cheque to fail testing. The MICR line uses E-13B characters, including digits and symbols, which must be printed with magnetic ink and meet signal strength tolerances. A cheque may look correct visually but still produce an inadequate magnetic signal, leading to rejection.
Print & Cheques Now holds self-accreditation through Payments Canada's Cheque Printer Self-Accreditation Program, attesting to compliance with Standard 006. The company's cheques include three confirmed security features: holograms, thermochromic ink, and microprinting. These features are separate from MICR requirements but must be placed to avoid interfering with processing.
For businesses printing cheques in-house, control over MICR font, magnetic signal, and clear-band dimensions is critical. Changes in printer, toner, or paper can affect compliance. Print & Cheques Now tests its production under the self-accreditation program and offers a Bank Acceptance Guarantee: if a Canadian financial institution rejects the cheque, the company will reprint or refund.
Jon Gilchrist, Owner of Print & Cheques Now, noted that most business owners are unaware of the standard until a cheque is rejected. The guide aims to make these technical requirements accessible to non-specialists.
The company, founded in 2006, has served over 46,000 customers and prints personal cheques, manual business cheques, and laser/computer cheques compatible with QuickBooks, Sage 50, Xero, and Simply Accounting. Its cheques are accepted by major banks and credit unions across Canada.
