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Check Technology

What is MICR?

The key term in check technology is MICR. MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. At the bottom of all North American checks (and most others in the world) you will find a series of numbers printed in the a MICR character set, using a special magnetic ink.

MICR allows inexpensive machines to automatically read the critical information on the check: the check number, the bank's routing number, and the issuer's account number. This automation is the only way banks can process the millions of checks written each day. Merchants that handle a large volume of checks face similar challenges, and equipment is avialable to make their jobs easier as well.