Switching Check Printers: A Migration Guide for Small Businesses

Most businesses stick with their original check printer long after it stops making sense, and the reason is almost always the same: they assume switching is a hassle. It isn't. The actual work takes about 15 minutes spread across your first two orders, and the savings show up the moment your next reorder lands.

Here's how to move from whatever you're using now, your bank, Intuit Market, Deluxe, or anyone else, without disrupting your accounting workflow or how your checks clear at the bank.

Why do most businesses switch check printers?

Price is the obvious one. The same checks run 30 to 70 percent less from an independent printer than from a bank or Intuit Market, and once you're reordering a few times a year, that gap compounds into real money.

Turnaround is the quieter reason. Bank and Intuit Market orders often take 10 to 14 days. Independent printers usually ship in 5 to 7. That difference doesn't matter until you're three days from payroll and realize you're almost out of checks, and then it matters a lot.

There's also service. Smaller printers tend to have support teams who can sort out a QuickBooks alignment problem, a MICR question, or a design issue in one phone call, rather than bouncing you between departments. And some suppliers simply don't carry what you need, whether that's pressure seal stock, a voucher format for less common software, or a particular security tier. Switching opens those options up.

For any business writing more than 100 checks a year, the savings alone make the case. Everything else is a bonus.

What information do you need to migrate?

It's the same handful of details you needed the first time you ordered checks, plus one extra. You'll need your routing number and account number, both of which are on any existing check or in your online banking portal, and your business legal name and address exactly as they appear on the account.

The one new piece is your last check number. The new printer needs to know the highest number you've used so it can pick up the sequence one above it. Grab a recent canceled check or check your accounting software for the highest number issued. That's the only switching-specific thing on the list.

Step 1: Confirm your last check number

Open your accounting software and find the highest check number you've written. In QuickBooks Desktop, that's Banking > Use Register, then sort by check number descending. In QuickBooks Online, run the Check Detail report and sort by number.

Take that highest number, add one, and that's where your new order starts. Say your current stock runs 4501 through 4750 and you've written through 4623. You'd start the new order at 4751 if you plan to finish the old stock first, or at 4624 if you're tossing the rest now.

Most people finish the old stock before switching and then continue the sequence. It avoids skipped numbers, and your bookkeeper will thank you at reconciliation time.

Step 2: Place a smaller initial order

Resist the urge to move your whole annual volume on the first order. Put in a smaller test batch, say 250 checks, and use it to confirm four things: the print quality is what you expected, the turnaround matched the quote, the support team is responsive, and the MICR line reads cleanly at your bank on the first deposit.

Once all four check out, your next order can be the volume you actually buy, whether that's 500, 1,000, or more.

Step 3: Test the first batch before depositing customer checks

When the new checks show up, run two quick tests before you start paying vendors with them.

First, deposit one into an account you control and watch how fast it clears. A properly encoded check clears in one to three business days on a normal bank deposit. If yours drags noticeably longer, the MICR encoding is probably off, and you want to know that before it's on 50 checks.

Second, run a test print through your accounting software. Print one check on plain paper, hold it against a real check, and confirm the payee, date, and amount land where they should. Two minutes here saves you a stack of wasted checks later.

Step 4: Update your accounting software

Good news: most software handles this on its own. You don't have to tell QuickBooks or Peachtree that you've changed printers. Next time you write a check, it picks up from the last number you used.

Two settings are worth a glance, though. If the new checks are a different format than the old ones, voucher instead of wallet, say, update the check style in your printer setup before you print. And run the alignment test the first time through, since every printer's stock sits slightly differently in the tray and you may need a 0.1-inch nudge even if your old checks were perfect.

Step 5: Notify any auto-pay vendors if needed

For almost everyone, this step is nothing. The check looks the same to your vendors, and the bank reads the same routing and account numbers no matter who printed it.

A few situations are worth a heads-up. Vendors that run lockbox processing scan every check, and a different security background or MICR placement can occasionally trip a manual review, though it's rare. Larger vendors that store check images will just update the image on file with your new style. And if a third-party payroll service prints checks for you, then technically they're the ones switching printers, so loop them in. Outside of those, you don't need to tell anyone.

What about the leftover checks from your old printer?

You've got three reasonable ways to handle unused stock.

The cleanest is to simply use it up before switching, which wastes nothing and keeps your check numbers running in one continuous sequence. That's what most businesses do. If your volume is low, you can also run both in parallel, keeping the old checks for the occasional payment while the new stock handles your regular runs. The bank doesn't care which it sees.

The third option is to discard the old stock, which makes sense if the address, name, or design is outdated. If you go that route, shred them carefully since they carry your routing and account numbers, and check whether your bank wants you to formally void them in writing for their records.

How Checkomatic handles new-customer migrations

We've moved a lot of businesses over from other printers, and 90.4% of our clients reorder with us once they've made the switch. Most of them come from Intuit Market, Deluxe, Chase Business Banking, or Bank of America Business.

Three things we handle for you during the move. We verify your routing and account number against the Federal Reserve directory and confirm the bank name matches before anything prints, which catches the typos that wreck a first order. If you've been buying voucher checks for QuickBooks, we ship the same format sized to QuickBooks default templates, so there's no alignment fuss beyond the standard test print. And our first-month follow-up is built around making sure the new checks are deposited cleanly, printed correctly, and cleared at least as fast as your old supplier, so anything odd gets caught early.

Most new customers save 30 to 70 percent on that first order versus their previous supplier, and the time saved on support calls adds up over the year. When you're ready to place a test order, browse our business checks catalog or QuickBooks-compatible checks.

What if you need to switch printers urgently?

Sometimes speed beats process. If your current printer goes out of business, order rush printing from a new supplier, usually one to two business days to print plus overnight shipping, and you'll have checks within three business days. If your routing or account number changes after a bank merger or account switch, your old checks are dead anyway, so place a new order with the updated numbers and rush it if you need to. And if you've had a fraud incident, discard all your unused stock, get a new account and routing number from your bank, and order fresh checks with the new numbers, rush shipping recommended.

Our rush turnaround on most products is 24 to 48 hours to print plus shipping. Overnight delivery runs an extra $25 to $40 and puts checks in your hands within three business days of ordering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my bank reject checks from a different printer? 

No. Banks don't track which printer made a check. They read the MICR line and process it. Any printer using ANSI-certified MICR ink produces checks that clear like any other.

Do I need to tell my bank I'm switching check printers? 

No. The bank doesn't need to know. The routing number, account number, and business name on the check are all that matter.

Can I keep my check number sequence going? 

Yes. Just specify the starting check number when you place the new order, and the new printer continues from where you left off.

What if my new printer's checks come in a different size? 

Confirm the dimensions before ordering. If you're moving from voucher to wallet or the reverse, update the check style in your accounting software. Same routing and account number, different format.

Are there any contracts I need to cancel? 

No. Check supply isn't a subscription. You order when you need checks, and your old supplier needs no cancellation.

The switch takes one test order

If you've been overpaying for checks for years, a 15-minute migration is worth the small effort. Start with our business checks catalog, place a 250-check test order, and confirm the quality and turnaround for yourself. Once you're happy, move your regular reorder volume over.