Print & Cheques Now Inc., a Calgary-based cheque printer, has released a plain-language guide to Standard 006, the Payments Canada specification governing cheques drawn on Canadian bank accounts. The guide, aimed at accountants, controllers, business owners, and administrative staff, clarifies technical requirements such as MICR encoding, cheque layout, magnetic signal strength, and security elements that affect automated processing at financial institutions.
Standard 006 reserves a 5/8-inch band along the bottom of a cheque for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding. Within this band, no printing other than the prescribed E-13B characters is allowed. 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 elements entering this area may cause the cheque to fail testing.
The E-13B font includes digits zero through nine and four symbols: Transit Number, On-Us, Amount, and Dash. These characters must be printed with magnetic ink and produce a signal within tolerances set by Standard 006. Testing also evaluates character dimensions, spacing, placement, and the presence of extraneous magnetic ink. A cheque that looks correct to the human eye may still produce an inadequate magnetic signal, leading to rejection.
Payments Canada recommends that organizations printing their own cheques submit pre-production samples to a financial institution for testing. However, many businesses are unaware of these technical nuances until a cheque is rejected. The guide aims to bridge that knowledge gap.
Print & Cheques Now holds the designation CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 through the Cheque Printer Self-Accreditation Program administered by Payments Canada. This status attests that the company produces cheques within Standard 006 tolerances and follows the program's testing requirements. Additionally, every order is covered by the company's Bank Acceptance Guarantee: if a Canadian financial institution rejects a cheque, Print & Cheques Now will reprint or refund the order.
Beyond MICR compliance, 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.
For businesses managing cheque printing in-house, control over MICR font, magnetic signal, character placement, and clear-band dimensions is crucial. Changes to printers, toner, paper, or other components can affect compliance. The guide underscores that even a minor deviation can lead to rejection, causing delays and administrative headaches.
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."
Founded in 2006, Print & Cheques Now has served more than 46,000 customers across Canada. The company prints personal cheques, manual business cheques, and laser and computer cheques compatible with QuickBooks, Sage 50, Xero, and Simply Accounting. Its cheques are accepted by major banks including RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank, ATB Financial, Desjardins, National Bank, and more than 200 credit unions.
The guide is now available for businesses to review their business cheque options or order cheques matched to their financial institution. By demystifying Standard 006, Print & Cheques Now aims to reduce cheque rejections and streamline payment processing for Canadian businesses.
