[GNC] Creating a paper check for an account

[Stephen M. Butler]

Most US banks will generate and mail the check for you.  This saves the 
cost of postage, envelope, and the paper as the bank picks up those 
costs.  In many cases the bank is able to transfer the funds 
electronically so they save those costs also.  About the only check that 
gets written in this household is by my wife to her hairdresser.  I once 
asked, "Doesn't she have Venmo?"  To which my wife responded, "Ven 
what?"  <<sigh>>


On 8/22/25 14:17, Tommy Trussell wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 19, 2025 at 2:48 PM Tom Browder <tom.browder at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I am ready to create a paper check for my wife's account with Schwab
>> Bank on standard, single-check paper from Office Depot. The Schwab
>> bank representative I talked to said they do not allow checks to be
>> used except from their sources.
>>
>> As far as I know, in the US, at least at one time, a check can be
>> written on almost anything legible.
>>
>> Has anyone had a problem with a bank honoring a check created with GnuCash?
>>
> LEGALLY a check is a very simple instrument, as you note. You can scratch
> the correct phrases and signature on a piece of bark and your payee can
> present it at your bank. If the banker believes the scratched bark is
> authentic, your payee can legally cash the check.
>
> In practice, however, the payee has to trust you, and the bank has to
> overcome whatever skepticism they treat any check that passes over their
> counter. The financial instrument should at the very least usually have all
> the modern "dressing" folks expect a check to have, including routing
> numbers and security features.
>
> More than 20 years ago, I ordered a stack of "Quicken Style" blank check
> forms printed on US Letter paper. They included the appropriate background,
> plus the serialized check numbers, routing number and account number (in
> MICR magnetic ink) across the bottom of the check portion of the paper,
> which in this case was just the top third of the form. I think I used
> Quicken and GnuCash several times to print checks, then I discovered that
> most of the places I thought I would accept such a check strongly preferred
> a payment technique OTHER than a check (due to the prevalence of check
> fraud).
>
> in recent years fewer places want to handle checks, so I don't bother to
> automate the check-writing process. I do keep a book of checks for each of
> my bank accounts to hand-write them, and, ironically, maybe a clearly
> handwritten check increases its verisimilitude in the way the old
> mechanical check register machines used to, before anyone could print
> "perfect" checks from their home printers.
>
> I think if you're hoping to buy blank check paper stock and get GnuCash to
> print everything, from your name and check number at the top, the payees
> name and the amount of the check in the middle, to the MICR routing number,
> account number, and check number across the bottom, you will probably have
> some tricky formatting and coding ahead of you. And then you might find
> your payee suggesting they would rather you use something their bank likes
> better.
>
> NOWADAYS I often contact my bank or brokerage online and have THEM issue a
> check. For some reason the banks don't charge much (or anything in many
> cases) to print and mail a small number of checks on my behalf each month.
>
>
>
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