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A MICR toner cartridge is what is used for the task of printing checks in a manner that deters fraud. How so? The toner, or ink, that the cartridge holds is specially formulated with a magnetic iron oxide. Characters that are printed with this type of ink emit a magnetic signal that is unique. These signals will then be read by a machine that reads, sorts, or both checks or other documents that have characters that have been printed with this kind of ink for security.

MICR is an acronym that stands for the words magnetic ink character recognition. The printing that is done with this kind of ink is an answer to a need for the ensuring of speed in processing, security, and accuracy. The banking industry has a special need for this kind of measure, but has been, and continues to be, used by the airlines, the events ticketing business, and the insurance industry for the purposes of printing receipts.

If the documents and checks are to be read in the correct manner precision in printing is required. Including the exact formulation of the toner in order for the right signal strength to be produced. Other standards that are a consideration are the size of the fonts, the type of font, and where the characters are placed on the page. It must be done in a precise manner in order not to have the document or check rejected by the reading machine. What standards are followed depend on the guidelines set down by the countries the transactions are occurring in.

Placement and size of the individual characters are also important to the speed in which the documents will be processed. If the numbers or other characters that are printed are the wrong size or have been printed in a way that is a little off then the document may be rejected. The reason for this is that the reader could not interpret what was printed in the correct manner. Processing then would be delayed and questions that would arise.

The sheer volume of checks that go through banks yearly is another reason that speed in processing is needed. If a method had not been found for increasing the number of checks that are processed in an hour then it would be almost an impossibility for an individual to have his/her funds available to them in a timely manner. Thus out of the banking industry’s desperate need to automate check processing in order not to drown in them a new technology is created.

Individual account security is enhanced through the printing of MICR characters at the bottom of a check. It is an aid in the stopping of fraudulent checks from being cleared. Number and/or symbols that are printed at the bottom of a check without magnetic properties cannot be read by machine and thus would be rejected.

Certain Troy MICR toners are specially formulated to prevent the chemical alteration of documents as well. If it is attempted then a stain of red, or other colored, ink is spread across the page rendering the document all but useless for what was intended

The invention of MICR toner was an answer for a need of speed, security, and accuracy in the check processing industry as well as in other document processing. The magnetic charge present in the toner is what allows it to be read by a machine specifically designed to accomplish the task. Thus the automation that was desperately needed was introduced to many industries including that of check processing.