Quick Summary
- Computer checks software falls into two groups: accounting programs with check printing built in, and dedicated check printing programs that do nothing else.
- Most businesses already own what they need. If you run QuickBooks, Quicken, Sage 50, Xero, MYOB, Deltek, or Yardi, check printing is already included.
- What your software needs from your paper depends on one thing: whether your bank details are pre-printed or generated at print time.
- Pre-printed computer checks work with any of this software and need no special toner. Your program prints only the variable data.
- Blank check stock requires software that can generate a MICR line, plus MICR toner and a compatible laser printer.
- The most common failure is not software choice. It is a layout mismatch between the software and the check format ordered.
You want to stop hand-writing checks and start printing them. The question that comes up first is what computer checks software you need, and whether you have to buy something new.
For most businesses the answer is no. The software is probably already on your machine. What matters more is understanding what your program expects from the paper you feed it, because that is where orders go wrong.
What Computer Checks Software Actually Does
Computer checks software prints payment data onto check paper. That is the whole job.
Depending on the setup, it prints either a little or a lot. On pre-printed computer checks, your bank details and MICR line are already on the paper, so the software prints only the payee, date, amount, memo, and stub detail.
On blank check stock, the software prints everything, including your bank name, routing number, account number, and the MICR line itself.
That difference drives every other decision on this page.
The Two Categories of Computer Checks Software
Accounting software with check printing built in
This is what most businesses use, and it is usually the right answer because the check is generated from a bill or payroll record you have already entered. No double entry, and the payment posts to your books automatically.
Programs in this category include QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online, Quicken, Sage 50, Xero, MYOB, Deltek, and Yardi. We stock formats cut for each of them:
If you already run one of these, you do not need to buy additional software. You need check stock cut to the layout your program expects.
Dedicated check printing software
This category does one thing: it produces checks. It does not track bills, run payroll, or reconcile accounts.
It exists for two situations. First, businesses that need to print on blank check stock and whose accounting program cannot generate a MICR line. Second, businesses that write checks from a bank account their accounting software does not track, such as a separate trust or escrow account.
If your accounting program already prints checks and you use pre-printed stock, this category is usually unnecessary.
How to Tell Which Setup You Have
Work through this in order and you will land on the right answer in about two minutes.
| Question | If Yes | If No |
|---|---|---|
| Do you already use accounting software? | Check whether it has a print checks function. It probably does | You will need dedicated check printing software |
| Does it list a check style or check layout setting? | That setting tells you which format to order | Look for a printer setup or check alignment menu |
| Do you want your bank details pre-printed? | Order pre-printed computer checks. No special toner needed | Order blank stock and confirm your software can generate MICR |
| Do you have a laser printer? | You are set for either option | Pre-printed checks are the safer route |
What Your Software Needs From the Paper
This is the part that causes the most wasted orders, so it is worth being precise.
Layout position
Every program expects the check body in a specific place on the sheet. The four standard positions are check on top with two stubs below, check in the middle with a stub above and below, check on the bottom with two stubs above, and three checks per page with no stubs.
Your software's check style setting corresponds directly to one of these. Order a different position and the printed data lands in the wrong place on the page. The check is unusable and the whole batch is wasted.
Our guide to the types of business checks covers what each position is designed for.
Sheet size and feed direction
Standard check sheets are letter size and feed through a laser printer like ordinary paper. What differs is which edge leads. Getting this backward prints everything upside down relative to the perforations, which is an easy mistake and an obvious one once you run a test sheet.
MICR requirements
The MICR line is the row of characters along the bottom edge that bank machines read. It encodes your routing number, account number, and check number in magnetic ink.
On pre-printed checks the MICR line is already applied at the factory using magnetic ink, so your printer and toner do not matter for that part.
On blank stock the MICR line is printed by you, which means two things must be true. Your software must be able to generate a proper MICR line with correct character spacing, and you must load MICR toner rather than standard toner. Standard toner produces characters that look identical to the eye and fail at the bank, because there is no magnetic signal to read.
Do You Need to Buy Software at All?
Usually not. Run this check before you go looking for a new program.
Open your accounting program and look for a payment or banking menu. If you find an option to print checks, write checks, or pay bills by check, you already have computer checks software. Everything else is a paper decision.
The cases where you genuinely need to buy something are narrower than most people expect. You have no accounting software at all. Your accounting software tracks the account but cannot print to it. You need to print on blank stock and your program cannot produce a MICR line. Or you are printing from a bank account you deliberately keep outside your books.
Outside those situations, adding check printing software adds a step rather than removing one.
Pre-Printed vs Blank Stock: The Software Angle
| Factor | Pre-Printed Computer Checks | Blank Check Stock |
|---|---|---|
| Software requirement | Any program that prints checks | Must generate a MICR line |
| Toner | Standard toner | MICR toner required |
| Printer | Laser or inkjet, depending on layout | Laser printer |
| Bank details | Printed at the factory | Printed by you at print time |
| Setup effort | Low. Align and print | Higher. Configure MICR, verify output |
| Multiple accounts | Separate stock per account | One stock, switch accounts in software |
| Bank change | Reorder needed | Update a field |
The pattern is straightforward. Pre-printed stock moves the complexity to the supplier. Blank stock moves it to your software and printer, and returns flexibility if you manage several accounts. Our guide to blank check stock covers that setup in detail.
Printer Requirements Most Guides Skip
Your software can be configured perfectly and still produce unusable checks if the printer is wrong for the job.
Laser is the default. Laser output resists water and smearing far better than inkjet, which matters on a document that passes through mail, hands, and bank equipment.
MICR toner is a separate cartridge. It is not a setting. If you print blank stock, you buy magnetic toner and install it. Some businesses keep a dedicated printer loaded with MICR toner purely for check runs.
Duplex must be off. Automatic two-sided printing on a check sheet is a wasted sheet every time.
Scaling must be set to actual size. Any fit to page or shrink to printable area setting shifts the MICR line out of tolerance. The characters have to sit within a defined band along the bottom edge, and scaling moves them.
The Alignment Test That Saves Whole Boxes
Do this once, the day your checks arrive, and never on the morning payroll is due.
- Load plain paper, not check stock.
- Print a single check from your software.
- Hold the printout against a real check sheet up to a light.
- Confirm the payee line, amount, date, and stub fields all land inside their boxes.
- Adjust the alignment setting in your software if anything is off, then repeat.
- Only once it lines up, load real stock and print one live check.
For QuickBooks specifically, our walkthrough on ordering and printing checks in QuickBooks Online covers the alignment menu step by step, and the QuickBooks check compatibility guide confirms which format to order before you get that far.
Common Computer Checks Software Problems
Everything prints slightly off. Almost always a scaling setting. Set print at actual size and disable fit to page.
The bank rejected a check that looked fine. On blank stock, this points to standard toner instead of MICR toner, or a scaled MICR line sitting outside tolerance.
Data lands on the stub instead of the check. The check style in your software does not match the position you ordered. Change the software setting if the stock is correct, or reorder if it is not.
Check numbers do not match your register. Set the starting number in your software to continue from your last issued check rather than restarting. Duplicate numbers break reconciliation.
Only the first check on the sheet prints. Common on three-per-page stock when the software is set to a voucher layout. Those are different formats and are not interchangeable.
Matching Your Software to the Right Check Format
If you are unsure which format your program expects, the fastest route is to check the layout setting inside the software itself, since that is the authoritative answer for your specific version.
For a format-by-format breakdown across the major accounting programs, see our guide to which computer checks work with QuickBooks, Quicken, and Sage 50.
If you are still deciding whether printed checks make sense at your volume, our comparison of computer checks vs manual checks covers where the math flips. For occasional hand-written payments, manual business checks remain the simpler option.
What to Have Ready Before You Order
- The name and version of your accounting or check printing software
- The check style or layout setting from inside that program
- Your routing number and account number from a current statement
- Your next starting check number
- Your printer type, and whether you have MICR toner if ordering blank stock
- Business name and address exactly as you want them printed
If security is a priority, our high-security business checks guide covers which paper features stop which type of fraud. For payroll runs specifically, see payroll business checks.
The Bottom Line on Computer Checks Software
Computer checks software is rarely the thing you are missing. If you run accounting software, you almost certainly have it already.
What decides whether your checks work is the match between your software's layout setting and the check format you order, plus MICR toner if you print on blank stock. Confirm the layout setting before ordering, run the alignment test on plain paper, and the rest is routine.
Not sure which format your setup needs? Contact us with your software name and we will point you to the right layout before you order.About the Author