The best pen for writing checks: why gel ink matters

Why does the pen you use matter on a check?

Check washing works by dissolving ink. A thief covers the signature, soaks or brushes the payee and amount fields with a solvent, and writes new details on the clean paper. If your ink dissolves easily, the check comes out looking blank. If the ink stays put, the thief either gives up or leaves obvious damage.

The Postal Inspection Service describes washing as altering payee names and dollar amounts on stolen checks. FinCEN's 2023 alert tied a surge in check fraud reports to mail theft, with more than 680,000 bank reports in 2022. A good pen costs a few dollars and removes the easiest version of the attack.

What is the difference between pigment ink and dye ink?

Most everyday ink falls into two groups. Dye inks are colorants dissolved in liquid, and they soak into paper and can be pulled back out by the right solvent. Pigment inks carry tiny solid particles that get trapped between paper fibers, which makes them much harder to lift.

The key point is that gel alone is not enough. Look for pigmented ink specifically.

What does testing show about gel pens and check washing?

There is no government lab standard that certifies check pens, so be wary of claims that one brand is proven. What exists are manufacturer claims and informal tests. The maker of one widely sold pigmented gel pen says its ink bonds with paper fibers to help protect against check washing, water and fading.

An informal test reported by OrboGraph, a check processing technology company, compared that pigmented gel pen with a popular standard gel pen and a basic ballpoint using four solutions. The pigmented pen did not budge; the standard gel pen washed out under one solution and faded under another; the ballpoint faded under two. OrboGraph also warns that thieves scrub as well as soak, so resistant ink raises the bar rather than guaranteeing safety.

Which pens should you never use on a check?

• Erasable pens of any kind, including heat erasable gel pens
• Pencil, for any field
• Felt tips and markers that bleed through or smear
• Light colors, such as pink or pale green, that may not image well
• Nearly empty pens that skip and leave gaps

Heat erasable ink is the clearest case. The maker of one popular erasable gel pen line states plainly that the pens must not be used for cheques and official documents, because friction or heat makes the ink invisible.

How should you write a check so the ink protects it?

A good pen only helps if you leave nothing blank. Start the payee name at the far left edge of the line. Write the numeric amount tight against the dollar sign. Start the written amount at the left edge and draw a line through the remaining space. Press firmly enough that the ink sinks into the paper rather than sitting on the surface.

Sign last, after every other field is complete. Never presign a check, even for a trusted employee. For every field in order with worked examples, see our step by step guide on how to write a check.

Does ink color matter on a check?

Use black or dark blue. Banks process most checks as images, and dark ink gives the cleanest capture of the amount and signature. Blue is popular because it makes an original easier to tell from a black photocopy, but either works for deposit. Avoid red, which some imaging systems drop out, and bright novelty colors.

Keep the same pen for the whole check. Switching pens partway through can look like an alteration to a teller or reviewer.

A practical setup for a business: buy a box of the same pigmented gel pen, keep one with each checkbook and one at the desk where checks are signed, and throw away any pen that starts to skip. Store pens capped or retracted so the tips do not dry out. When a pen runs low, replace it before it leaves faint or broken lines that are easier to alter.

What can a pen not protect against?

A pen does nothing against counterfeit checks, which are new checks printed with your routing and account numbers, and it cannot stop a thief who deposits the stolen original unchanged. It also cannot help if the check is stolen before you write it. For those risks, the other layers matter more:

Our guides to how check washing works, our overview of check security features and our guide on whether it is safe to mail a check cover each of those layers.

Which check format works best with a good pen?

Handwritten checks are where pen choice matters most. Wallet checks, 6 by 2.75 inches, are the classic handwritten format and come in single or duplicate versions, so you keep a carbon record of what you wrote. Voqado wallet checks start at $11.99 for 100 at the time of writing, and business owners who write many handwritten checks can also consider three to a page checks with side stubs. Whichever you choose, keep a fraud resistant pen with the checkbook so it is the one you reach for.