99 terms,
explained plainly.

The ninth digit of a routing number, set so that 3 times the sum of digits 1, 4 and 7, plus 7 times the sum of digits 2, 5 and 8, plus the sum of digits 3, 6 and 9 is a multiple of 10. The rule catches any single mistyped digit.

The nine digit number that identifies the bank a check is drawn on. The first four digits are the Federal Reserve routing symbol, the next four identify the institution and the ninth is a check digit.

The number that identifies your specific account at the bank. On a check it prints in the on us field of the MICR line, to the right of the routing number, and it should be kept private.

The leftmost MICR field, allowed only on checks longer than 6 inches and usually used for the check serial number. It is why business checks often show the check number before the routing number.

The weight in pounds of 500 sheets of a paper at its basic sheet size. Because the basic size differs between text, cover and bond papers, pound weights only compare within one family.

Check paper with security features but no bank or account details, which software prints with the payer block and MICR line. It needs MICR toner and a correctly aligned printer.

Extra artwork that extends past the trim line, commonly 0.125 inch on each side, so color and images run cleanly to the edge after cutting.

The thickness of a sheet of paper, usually stated in points or in thousandths of an inch.

The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, effective October 28, 2004, which lets banks process checks as electronic images instead of moving the paper. It is the legal basis for image exchange and mobile deposit.

The running record of every check, deposit and withdrawal on an account, with a balance after each entry. Reconciling it against the bank statement catches errors and fraud early.

A fraud in which a thief uses solvents to lift the ink from a signed check, then writes in a new payee and amount. Most washed checks are stolen from the mail.

Check paper that stains, spots or shows VOID when bleach, acetone or similar solvents touch it, leaving visible evidence of an attempted wash.

The strip at least 5/8 inch high along the bottom of a check that is reserved for MICR printing. Signatures, logos, stub text and background patterns must stay out of it.

A MICR font used in France, Spain and much of South America in place of E-13B. US checks do not use it.

Cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black), the four process inks used for most full color printing. Colors are built from tiny dots of these inks on paper.

Paper with a smooth surface layer, such as gloss, silk or matte, that holds ink on the surface for sharper images and richer color.

The amount written in numerals in the box beside the payee line. It is there for quick reading; the amount in words is the legal amount.

Heavier, stiffer paper used for business cards, postcards and booklet covers. It is also called cardstock.

The way inner pages of a thick saddle stitched booklet push outward past the outer pages, which needs extra margin near the outer edge.

Thin lines outside the page area that show where to cut. Many online printers do not need them, so follow the upload instructions for your product.

Cutting a custom shape or hole with a shaped blade. For stickers it means cutting through both the sticker material and its backing, so each sticker comes out as a separate piece.

Printing straight from the file with no plates. It suits short runs, fast turnaround and personalized pieces.

An envelope with two clear openings that show the sender address and the payee address printed on a folded laser check, so no separate addressing is needed.

Dots per inch, a measure of a printer's output resolution. It is often used loosely to mean PPI, the resolution of the image file.

Checks with a carbonless copy beneath each one that records what you wrote as you write it. They suit people who forget to fill in a register.

The MICR typeface used on checks in the United States. It has fourteen characters: the ten digits plus the transit, on us, amount and dash symbols.

Every Door Direct Mail, a USPS service that delivers a mailpiece to every address on the carrier routes you choose, without names or addresses. Pieces must meet USPS size rules for flats, so confirm eligibility before printing.

Pressing a design into paper from behind so it stands raised on the front. Debossing presses it into the front instead.

The payee's signature or instruction on the back of a check that allows it to be deposited or transferred. A restrictive endorsement such as For deposit only limits what can be done with the check.

Applying metallic or colored foil to paper with heat and pressure, so the design reflects light in a way ink cannot.

Including the fonts used in a document inside the PDF so it prints with the intended typefaces on any system.

An older way of writing a bank's routing information as a small fraction near the check number. It predates magnetic reading, and Regulation CC recognizes the routing number in either fractional or nine digit form.

A design in which color or images run all the way to every edge of the finished piece. It requires bleed in the file because the sheet is trimmed after printing.

Printing several jobs together on one large sheet so they share setup cost, which keeps prices down on standard products.

A shiny surface that makes photos and saturated colors look vivid but can reflect glare and resist writing.

The direction in which paper fibers line up. Folding along the grain gives a cleaner fold than folding against it.

Grams per square meter, the metric measure of paper weight. It uses the same scale for every paper family, so it is the easiest way to compare stocks, though it measures weight rather than thickness.

A physical printed proof, the most reliable way to judge color, paper and finish before a full run.

Ink that fades when warmed by a finger or breath and returns as it cools, giving a quick authenticity test without tools.

Arranging pages or pieces on a press sheet so they come out in the right order and position after printing, folding and cutting.

Cutting through a sticker's top layer but not its backing, so the sticker peels away while the backing stays whole.

A thin plastic film bonded to printed paper to add durability, stiffness and resistance to moisture and scuffing.

A business check printed on letter size sheets that run through a laser printer, usually from accounting software. Common layouts put the check on the top, middle or bottom of the sheet with stubs for the rest.

The amount written out in words on the line below the payee. Under UCC 3-114, words prevail when they disagree with the numerals.

A low sheen surface that reduces glare and reads well under bright light. Colors look slightly softer than on gloss.

An optional line at the lower left of a check for a note such as an invoice or customer number. It helps the payee apply the payment and helps you reconcile, but it should never hold sensitive details.

Magnetic ink character recognition: printing characters in magnetic ink or toner so bank reader sorters can read them by their magnetic signal. It is how the routing, account and check numbers on a check are processed automatically.

The row of E-13B characters along the bottom edge of a check that carries the routing number, account number and check number. The bank adds the amount to the same line after deposit.

Laser toner that contains magnetic particles so bank readers can detect the printed characters. Regular toner lacks those particles, so a MICR line printed with it may fail magnetic reading.

A line of very small text, often forming the signature line, that looks solid to the eye and reads as words under magnification. On a copy or scan it blurs into a broken line.

Depositing a paper check by photographing its front and back in your bank's app. Banks set their own limits, holds and endorsement wording, and you should keep the paper until the deposit has fully posted.

A card with a small chip and antenna that sends a web link to a phone when tapped. Pair it with a printed QR code, because taps do not work on every phone.

A process that transfers ink from metal plates to a rubber blanket and then to paper. Setup costs more, but the cost per piece drops on large runs.

The MICR field that holds the account number and, on most personal checks, the check number. It sits between the routing field and the amount field.

Text converted to vector shapes so it no longer depends on a font file. The trade off is that it can no longer be edited as text.

A certification mark of the Check Payment Systems Association, tied to the ANSI X9.100-170 standard, that signals a check has at least three security features. The back of the check lists them.

Color applied to the cut edges of thick cards so a contrasting line shows around the card.

The best known spot color matching system, with numbered swatches that designers and printers use to specify an exact ink color.

The person or business named on the Pay to the order of line, who receives the money. Write the name starting at the far left and draw a line through any unused space.

A form of positive pay that also compares the payee name, so it catches a check whose name was changed while the number and amount stayed the same.

A family of ISO standards for print ready PDF files that requires fonts to be embedded and color to be defined for output.

A binding in which pages are glued into a wraparound cover, giving a squared spine that can carry printed text.

A line of small cuts that lets part of a piece tear away cleanly, such as a ticket stub or a reply card.

A thickness unit equal to one thousandth of an inch, so a 14 pt card is 0.014 inch thick. It describes caliper, not weight.

A bank fraud service that compares each check presented against the list of checks you issued. Any check number or amount that does not match is flagged as an exception for you to pay or return.

For USPS First Class postcard prices, a rectangular card must be at least 3.5 by 5 inches and no larger than 4.25 by 6 inches, and between 0.007 and 0.016 inch thick. Larger cards pay letter prices.

Pixels per inch, the resolution of an image at its printed size. About 300 PPI at the final size is the common target for sharp photos.

A check of a print file before production for problems such as missing bleed, low resolution images, RGB color or missing fonts.

A preview of the job for your approval before it prints. Approving a proof usually means accepting what it shows, so read every line.

The clear margin a QR code needs around it to scan reliably. Standard QR codes need four modules of empty space on every side.

An image made of a fixed grid of pixels, such as a photo or screenshot. It softens or pixelates when enlarged past its resolution.

The high speed bank machine that reads the MICR line magnetically and routes each check. A check that fails the MICR specification can be rejected and handled manually, often for a fee.

How precisely the separate ink colors line up on the sheet. Poor registration shows as colored halos or fuzzy edges.

Red, green and blue light, the color model of screens and cameras. Some bright RGB colors cannot be reproduced with CMYK inks and print duller.

Black built from black ink plus some cyan, magenta and yellow, which prints deeper than black alone on large areas. It is not recommended for small text, where slight misregistration shows.

A binding in which folded sheets are nested and stapled through the center fold. Page counts must be a multiple of four.

The zone inside the trim, commonly 0.125 inch in from each edge, where text and logos should stay so small cutting shifts never clip them.

Pressing a crease into heavier paper so it folds cleanly without cracking along the fold.

A digital proof reviewed on screen. It confirms layout and content but cannot show exactly how color will look on paper.

A matte laminate or coating with a velvety feel. Order a sample first, because the effect is hard to judge on screen.

A premixed ink printed as a single solid color instead of being built from CMYK dots. It is used for exact, consistent brand color matching.

A clear glossy coating applied only to selected areas, such as a logo, and cured with ultraviolet light to create contrast with the surrounding surface.

An uncertified check presented more than six months after its date. Under UCC 4-404 the bank is not obliged to pay it, though it may still pay in good faith.

An instruction asking your bank not to pay a specific check that has not yet cleared. It is the usual first step when a check is lost, stolen or needs to be reissued.

A paper reproduction of the front and back of an original check, created under Check 21, that is the legal equivalent of the original. It must carry a MICR line with the information from the original check's MICR line.

Handwritten business checks printed three to a sheet, each with a record stub, and kept in a ring binder. You tear the check along the perforation and keep the stub as your record.

A coating on laser check paper that bonds toner tightly to the sheet, so the printed payee and amount cannot be scraped or lifted with tape.

The E-13B symbol printed on both sides of the nine digit routing number in the MICR line. It tells reader sorters where the routing field starts and ends.

The final size of a printed piece after cutting, such as 3.5 by 2 inches for a standard US business card.

The production time from proof approval to shipping. Transit time is added on top.

Paper without a surface coating. It has a natural feel, softer color and is easy to write on with most pens.

Tags added to a web link that tell your analytics tool which campaign, source and medium sent a visitor, so printed QR codes and short links can be measured.

Printing different content, such as names, numbers or codes, on each piece within one run.

Artwork built from mathematical paths rather than pixels, as most logos should be. It stays sharp at any printed size.

A printed legend such as Void after 90 days that states how long the writer intends a check to be valid. Bank handling varies and automated processing may not read it, so a stop payment is the reliable way to block an old check.

A hidden background pattern on check paper that stays subtle to the eye but makes the word VOID appear on a photocopy or scan.

A check marked VOID so it cannot be cashed, often used to share account details for direct deposit or to cancel a mistake. Record its number in your register so the sequence stays complete.

A business check printed one per 8.5 by 11 inch sheet with one or two detachable stubs that explain the payment, such as invoice numbers or payroll earnings.

A personal size check, typically about 6 by 2.75 inches, bound in a checkbook with a register or carbon copies. It is written by hand rather than printed from software.