Xerox 6100BD - Phaser Color Laser Printer, Fundamentals

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Overview
1-2 Generic MICR Fundamentals Guide
A brief history
Originally, checks were processed manually. However, by the
mid-1940s the banking system became inundated with paper as
society grew more mobile and affluent. Finding a means of
handling the growing number of paper documents became vital
to bankers. The banking and electronics industries searched for
a standard process that could be used in all banks throughout
the country.
In the mid-1950s, the first automated processing of checks was
initiated. The system that is now known as MICR was developed
by the Stanford Research Institute, using equipment designed by
the General Electric Computer Laboratory. The E13B MICR font
was also developed.
The specifications for producing the E13B font using magnetic
ink were accepted as a standard by the American Bankers
Association (ABA) in 1958. In April 1959, the ABA issued
Publication 147, The Common Machine Language for
Mechanized Check Handling.
Deluxe Check Printers had the task of translating the
specifications into a working process. By the end of 1959,
Deluxe successfully produced checks using magnetic ink.
In countries throughout the world there are groups that set
standards and dictate the design specifications for document
encoding, processing equipment, and quality criteria for MICR
printing. Some of these are:
• American Banking Association (ABA)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• United Kingdom—Association for Payment Clearing Services
(APACS)
• Canadian Payments Association (CPA)
• Australian Bankers Association (ABA)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• France—L'Association Francaise de Normalisation