What Is a MICR Reader?
A check is a type of money exchange in the form of a written order of payment.
MICR, or Magnetic Ink Character Recognition, is a technology that facilitates check processing.
Other People Are Reading
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Character Recognition Technology
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MICR readers use character recognition technology to enable banking facilities to deposit or cash checks automatically. Character recognition technology enables computer systems to read account numbers and other relevant data off of check documents, without the need for humans to manually input the information into a computer system.
MICR Characters
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Checks that contain MICR reader characters are printed with magnetic iron oxide ink or toner. The reader first magnetizes the characters on the check paper. Each character on the check produces a waveform as it passes through the MICR read head, which is interpreted by the system as text.
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Error Rate
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MICR printing enables the magnetized text to be dependably read despite overprinting or other elements that may obscure it. The "can't read" rate for MICR scanned text is typically less than one percent. The misread rate for MICR scanned documents is approximately one character per 100,000 characters scanned.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit check book image by Rob Hill from Fotolia.com
