Learn
Resources
Practical guidance on printing your own checks: what MICR is and why magnetic toner or ink matters, which blank check stock to buy, how to calibrate a printer, and what to do when a print lands wrong.
Browse by topic
Featured guides
- Welcome to Diversified Check Studio
A short tour of the workspace and the order we recommend for your first setup.
- Understand the MICR line
What each part of the bottom line means and how to get it accepted by your bank.
- What you need before you print a check
The short list of supplies and information to gather before your first check run.
- How routing numbers are validated
The ABA checksum, the routing reference directory, and what a warning actually means.
- Magnetic toner and printers
Why MICR toner or ink matters and how to pick a cartridge.
- Check Designer basics
The one-screen designer, the live preview, and what you can move.
- Print a check run
What the print wizard asks for and what it produces.
- Print at actual size
Why scaling breaks a check and how to turn it off.
Supplies: toner, ink, and check stock
- A laser printer with MICR toner is the recommended setup. MICR ink does exist for some inkjet printers, so check with your manufacturer for MICR ink or a compatible source. A laser printer is still highly suggested.
- When you are not printing checks, remove the MICR cartridge and put your regular black cartridge back in. MICR supplies cost more, and there is no need to spend them on everyday documents.
- Magnetic ink is what lets automated bank equipment read the band. Some banks no longer require it, so if yours says it is optional, confirm that other banks receiving your checks will not reject them. When in doubt, stay with MICR.
Diversified Check Studio does not sell supplies. Another division of the company, buyblankchecks.com, does sell business size check stock in check on top voucher and three on a page formats, in a range of colors and in quantities from 25 to 200 for businesses that no longer buy 500 or 1000 at a time.
Research tools inside your workspace
Signed-in customers get the Resource Finder, a catalog of blank check stock, MICR toner and ink, and printers with filters for what actually works together.
- Filter check stock by format, size, and the checks-per-page layout you print.
- Find MICR toner or ink that matches a specific printer model.
- Check printer compatibility before you buy, and see why a printer is or is not a good fit.
- Save anything you find so your team buys the same supplies next time.