Print & Cheques Now Inc., a Calgary-based cheque printer holding CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 status, has published a guide to Payments Canada's Standard 006, the specification governing cheques drawn on Canadian bank accounts. The guide aims to demystify the technical requirements for MICR encoding, cheque layout, and security features, which are critical for ensuring cheques are processed without rejection.
Standard 006 reserves a 5/8-inch band at the bottom of a cheque for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR). Within this band, only the prescribed E-13B characters—digits and symbols like transit number, on-us, amount, and dash—may appear. The lower 3/16 inch must remain clear, and the area above the encoding line must also be unobstructed. Any printing that intrudes into this zone can interfere with automated processing and cause a cheque to fail testing.
The guide emphasizes that MICR printing requires magnetic ink and must produce a signal within tolerances set by Standard 006. Even if a cheque looks correct to the human eye, it may fail if the magnetic signal is inadequate. Payments Canada recommends that organizations printing their own cheques submit samples to their financial institution for testing before full production.
Print & Cheques Now's designation as CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 means the company attests to producing cheques within Standard 006 tolerances and follows the program's testing requirements. In addition to MICR compliance, their cheques include three confirmed security features: holograms, thermochromic ink, and microprinting. These are placed to avoid interfering with the MICR band or other required fields.
For businesses managing in-house cheque printing, control over the MICR font, magnetic signal, and clear-band dimensions is essential. Changes in printer, toner, or paper can affect compliance. Print & Cheques Now tests its production under the self-accreditation program and backs every order with 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, said, "Most business owners never look at the standard behind a cheque until one gets rejected. The person ordering cheques is usually an accountant or office manager, not a compliance specialist, so we wrote this guide in plain language."
Businesses can review business cheque options or order cheques matched to their financial institution. The guide is part of the company's effort to help customers avoid costly errors and ensure smooth cheque processing.
