E-13B Font and Magnetic Ink Signal Tolerances Explained for Canadian Business Cheques
Calgary, Canada - August 19, 2026 / Print & Cheques Now Inc /
CALGARY, Alberta, 16th August - Print & Cheques Now Inc. has published a plain-language guide to Standard 006, the Payments Canada specification that governs cheques drawn on accounts held at Canadian financial institutions.
The guide is written for accountants, controllers, business owners, and administrative staff who order or approve business cheques. It covers how MICR encoding, cheque layout, magnetic signal strength, and security elements can affect automated payment processing.
A cheque can carry the correct account and transit numbers and still fail testing if its MICR line is incorrectly printed or positioned. The guide is intended to help businesses understand these technical requirements before ordering or printing cheques.
The Clear Band and MICR Line
Standard 006 reserves a 5/8-inch band along the bottom of a cheque for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) encoding. No printing may appear within this band other than the prescribed E-13B characters in the encoding line.
The lower 3/16 inch of the band must remain clear. The encoding line occupies the next 1/4 inch, and the 3/16 inch above it must also remain clear. Logos, signatures, borders, or other printed elements that enter this area may interfere with MICR processing or cause the cheque to fail testing.
E-13B consists of the digits zero through nine and four symbols: the Transit Number, On-Us, Amount, and Dash symbols. Together, these characters identify and separate the information used to route and process the payment.
Why MICR Printing Matters
The MICR line must be printed with magnetic ink and produce a signal within the tolerances established by Standard 006. Testing also evaluates character dimensions, spacing, placement, and the presence of extraneous magnetic ink.
A cheque that appears correct to the human eye may still produce an inadequate or inconsistent magnetic signal. Payments Canada recommends submitting pre-production samples to a financial institution for testing when organizations print their own cheques.
Print & Cheques Now holds the designation CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010 through the Cheque Printer Self-Accreditation Program administered by Payments Canada. Self-accredited printers attest that they produce cheques within the tolerances set by Standard 006 and follow the program's testing requirements.
Security Features Added to Print & Cheques Now Cheques
In addition to meeting Standard 006 specifications, Print & Cheques Now cheques include three confirmed security features:
- Holograms
- Thermochromic, or heat-sensitive, ink
- Microprinting visible under magnification
These features are separate from the MICR encoding requirements. Standard 006 regulates the placement of security elements to ensure they do not interfere with imaging, the MICR band, or required cheque fields.
Ordering Compliant Business Cheques
Managing cheque printing in-house requires control over the MICR font, magnetic signal, character placement, and clear-band dimensions. Changes to the printer, toner, paper, or other components of the printing process may affect whether the finished cheque meets Standard 006.
Print & Cheques Now tests its cheque production under the requirements of the self-accreditation program. Every order is also covered by the company's Bank Acceptance Guarantee. If a Canadian financial institution rejects the cheque, Print & Cheques Now will reprint or refund the order.
Businesses can review business cheque options or order cheques matched to their financial institution.
An Owner's Perspective
"Most business owners never look at the standard behind a cheque until one gets rejected," said Jon Gilchrist, Owner of Print & Cheques Now. "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."
About Print & Cheques Now
Print & Cheques Now Inc. is a family-owned cheque printer based in Calgary, Alberta. Founded in 2006, the company has served more than 46,000 customers across Canada and holds the designation CPA Self-Accredited Printer #1010.
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 RBC, TD, BMO, CIBC, Scotiabank, ATB Financial, Desjardins, National Bank, and more than 200 credit unions across Canada.
Contact Information:
Print & Cheques Now Inc
240007 Frontier Crescent, Unit 11
Calgary, Alberta T1X 0R4
Canada
Jon Gilchrist
+1-866-760-2661
https://chequesnow.ca
