If you’re a frequent check user, you may consider getting a check printer.
Printing checks on your own is a more economical option than having to buy a bulk amount every month. Not to mention that a check printing printer allows you to customize the checks according to your needs.
If you’ve been searching for the best check printers but still unsure which printer you should get, worry no more.
To make things easier for you, we’ve crafted a list of some of the best printers for printing checks you can find on the market today!
Comparison Table:
| Model | Price | Numbers of checks/toner | Speed | Monthly duty cycle |
Brother HL-L2350DW | – | 700 – 3000 | 32 ppm | 15000 |
| Renewable Toner Laserjet Pro M404n MICR Printer Bundle | Check Price | 1500 | 38 ppm | 80000 |
| VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MX, MICR All-In-One Printer | Check Price | 300 | 8 ppm | 1000 |
| Renewable Toner Canon ImageCLASS LBP6030W MICR Check Printer Bundle | Check Price | 4800 | 19 ppm | 5000 |
Canon PIXMA MG3620 | – | 180 – 600 | 9.9 ppm | 10000 |
The 5 Best Printers for Printing Checks in 2022
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top-rated check-printing printers to help you choose the one that best suits your needs.
1. Brother HL-L2350DW – Best Overall Pick
Now, let’s speak of the more individual options that we have, and the first one that pops into our heads has to be the Brother HL-L2350DW.
That is because in contrast to the standard huge design of MICR printers, that can be an eyesore, this compact printer comes in a sleek professional design, allowing it to fit in small corners, and to be transferred from one spot to the other whenever needed.
Nevertheless, it’s not just the outer design that is beyond-bar. The Brother HL-L2350DW is highly economical with a “Save-Toner” option, which saves even more of your resources, all while producing sharp, monochromatic output.
There are also several design programs that allow you to make your checks stand out by using countless fonts and symbols. Let us not forget the auto-duplex function, along with the overall flexibility and versatility with the input given to this printer.
The Brother HL-L2350DW accepts almost all types of papers and sizes; A4, A5, envelopes, cardstock, checks, etc.
Plus, it can do all that without you hovering over it, as it works very well with Alexa and supports wireless printing from your mobile device, let that be Apple or Android.
Finally, the Brother HL-L2350DW is eligible for the Amazon Dash replenishment program, which allows you to never run out of toner.
What We Like:
- Economical
- Compact
- Sleep, professional design
- Wide range of compatible toners
- Auto-Duplex
- Connection versatility
- Portable
- Mobile/wireless printing
- 250-sheet tray capacity
What We Don’t Like:
- Only black
- Comes with only starter toner
Bottom Line
Long story short, the Brother HL-L2350DW is the ultimate option for small businesses that need to print a lot of checks on a daily basis, but not a ton of them. If you have a small space, and are not concerned with the multi chromatic checks, then it’s the choice for you.
2. Renewable Toner HP Laserjet Pro M404n MICR Printer Bundle – Fastest Check Printer
The HP Laserjet Pro M404n is one of the fastest printers that print checks out there. You can print up to 38 pages or 114 checks per minute, making it a good choice for bulk check-printing. Furthermore, the toner provides you with a total yield of 1500 pages or 4500 checks.
The monthly duty cycle is a whopping 80000 pages per month, which means that you can print up to 240000 checks with this printer, making it an excellent choice for volume printing. The paper tray can take up to 350 sheets. You can also buy an optional 550-sheet tray to get a total paper capacity of 900 sheets.
When it comes to connectivity, the HP Laserjet Pro M404n supports USB and wireless printing. It also supports printing over cloud services like Google Cloud Print and Apple AirPrint.
What We Like:
- High monthly duty cycle
- Decent yield/toner
- Fast print speed
- High paper tray capacity
- Supports Wi-Fi
- Supports cloud printing
What We Don’t Like:
- Print quality not on par with other laser printers
Bottom Line
If you want a fast check printer, the HP Laserjet Pro M404n would be a good choice for you with its 38 ppm print speed.
3. VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MX, MICR All-In-One Printer
What makes the VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MX stand out from the crowd is that it’s an all-in-one printer. In addition to check printing, you can also copy and scan them.
Furthermore, the VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MX is quite compact. It’s also pretty lightweight, weighing just 5.1 lbs. You can easily move this printer around your home or office with minimal effort.
Unlike the other printers on our list, the VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MX is an inkjet printer, not a laser one. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time, depending on your needs.
Inkjet check printers provide a better print quality, but they’re slower and their running costs are higher than laser ones. On the other hand, laser printers are faster than inkjet print and they cost less to run.
The paper tray can hold up to 60 sheets, which is somewhat lower than average. Having to re-feed the input tray frequently can be a bit annoying, but it shouldn’t be a problem if you don’t print a huge amount of checks.
The toner’s total yield is 300 checks and the printer’s monthly duty cycle is 1000 pages or 3000 checks, making this printer good for low volume check printing.
As for connectivity, the VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MX supports USB and Wi-Fi. You can also print using Wi-Fi Direct.
What We Like:
- Great print quality
- Can copy and scan checks
- Compact and lightweight
- Supports Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct
- Low initial costs
What We Don’t Like:
- Slow print speed
- Limited toner yield
- High running costs
Bottom Line
The VersaCheck HP Deskjet 3755MXs is a versatile all-in-one check printer that won’t cost you a fortune to buy. We especially like its excellent print quality and how you can copy and scan checks with it.
4. Renewable Toner ImageCLASS LBP6030W MICR Check Printer Bundle – Best Value for Money
One notable feature of the Canon ImageCLASS LB6030W is its high output capacity. You can print up to 1600 pages per toner, or in other words, 4800 checks.
Moreover, the printer’s monthly duty cycle is 5000 pages per month, which means that you can print up to 15000 checks per month. The paper tray’s maximum capacity is 150 sheets, which is good enough for volume printing. You can print up to 450 checks without having to fill the tray again, considering that it was full at the beginning.
When it comes to connectivity, the Canon ImageCLASS LB6030W supports both USB and Wi-Fi. You can even use Wi-Fi Direct to wirelessly print directly from your mobile device without having to connect it to the internet.
What We Like:
- High yield per toner
- Decent monthly duty cycle
- Supports Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct
- Affordable
What We Don’t Like:
- A bit slower than the competition
Bottom Line
The Canon ImageCLASS LB6030W is an affordable check printing printer that’s capable of giving you a high yield per toner.
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5. Canon PIXMA MG3620 – Best Budget Pick
The Canon PIXMA MG3620 is affordable, flexible, and it’ll surprise you in terms of output quality. This printer can work with incredible resolution providing you with high contrast output, while still maintaining useful options such as borderless printing, auto-duplex, and input flexibility.
Just like its older cousin the, , this printer accepts various types and sizes of input. It can also print from any device plus a number of programs starting with Canon Print, all the way to Morpia.
Additionally, let’s not forget its compatibility with Alexa, which makes mobile printing even better.
As for the scanner, although it scans with respectable resolution, you do have to manually feed the printer. The same goes for the auto document feeder, as we have to make-do without it.
Finally, the hybrid ink system is the key behind the stunning quality of the output, alas, it doesn’t allow the ink cartridges to last much, which would require frequent replacement.
What We Like:
- All-in-one
- Sharp, highly detailed output
- Auto-Duplex
- Wireless printing
- Compact
- Can print from any device/program
- Alexa compatible
- Input flexibility
- Hybrid ink system
- Borderless printing
What We Don’t Like:
- No ADF
- Ink cartridges don’t last
- Slow
- Manual scanner
Bottom Line
To wrap-up, the Canon PIXMA MG3620 is an incredibly powerful printer wrapped in a small inkjet body. If you can go without the ADF, and tolerate the relatively slower PPM, then you won’t regret investing in it.
Tips to Help You Pick the Best Printer for Checks
Before deciding on a check printing printer, there are a few factors that you need to consider to ensure that the printer lives up to your expectations.
Security
Checks are sensitive pieces of information, so you’d want to get a printer that keeps check-printing as secure as possible. This means that no one other than you should be able to use the printer to print checks.
Software Compatibility
There are special software packages that are dedicated to check printing, but not all of them are compatible with all types of printers. If you know which software package you’re going to use, make sure that it’s compatible with the printer you’re going to buy.
Ink Type
You can print checks using regular ink, but we don’t recommend doing that. Instead, you should get a printer with a MICR toner. MICR ink is a special type of ink that’s used to print checks, and it minimizes the possibility that your check would get rejected.
Speed + Duty Cycle
By knowing the speed and duty cycle of a check printing printer before buying, you can calculate how many checks you can print per day and whether that would be sufficient for your needs. After all, you don’t want the printer to fail after a few months of buying it.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why Do I Need a Dedicated Printer for Printing Checks?
You might be wondering why you may need a special check printing printer; the answer is simply because check printing printers use the “official” ink that’s used in printing checks.
Not to mention that they’re compatible with check printing software that allows you to select from the available preset check formats instead of having to design it on your own.
What Is a MICR Toner?
MICR is a type of toner that’s explicitly used in printing checks. It’s the acronym for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition.
Sometimes, checks that are printed using regular ink may get rejected because the Federal Reserves requires that all checks must be printed using magnetic ink to prevent check fraud.
While you can easily print checks using regular ink, you also increase the chances of your check getting refused.
What Do I Need to Print My Own Checks?
If you have the right tools and resources, printing your own checks will be an easy task. Here’s everything you could need to start printing checks:
- A MICR toner
- Check-printing software
- A printer that’s compatible with MICR ink
- Stock check paper
- Magnetic ink
- A USB cable or internet connection (for wireless printers)
- A power source
Once you’ve got everything you need, you can start printing your own checks. Just set up the printer, load it with paper, and connect it to your computer.
Is Printing Checks Illegal?
No, printing your own checks isn’t illegal. In fact, all of the software programs that are used to print checks are legal and licensed for consumer use. However, it’s illegal to print checks for fraud purposes, like taking funds that don’t exist in the account’s balance. But these problems are generic and aren’t tied to check-printing specifically.
Final Thoughts
There’s no straightforward fit-for-all winner on our list; it all depends on your personal needs and your budget.
If we had to pick a winner, it’d be the Samsung M2020w. It provides a high yield/toner, versatile connectivity choices, and a high monthly duty cycle. It also comes at a great price, making it hard not to recommend this printer. It’s arguably one of the best printers for printing checks you can find on the market today.
Do you want a check-printing printer with a huge paper tray capacity? Consider getting the HP Laserjet Pro M404n. It has a massive 350-sheet input paper tray and you can optionally install another tray to increase the overall paper capacity to 900 sheets.
If you’re on a budget, take a look at the Canon ImageCLASS LB6030W. It offers a high yield per toner and you can use Wi-Fi Direct to print directly from any of your devices conveniently. It’s one of the cheapest printers that print checks.