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Many new business owners think that in the age of electronic payments, checks have lost their significance. The use of personal checks has indeed declined in recent times. However, business checks are still one of the essential components of a successful organization. Business checks are necessary for a company for several reasons. They improve the credit portfolio of an organization. They are also helpful in promoting a professional image for a company.

Checks have several other advantages for business owners. Using checks that cannot get digitally converted ensures that there is a gap between the date of issue and the money getting debited from your business account. You can post-date the payment with a business check. Checks are a universally accepted payment by every industry in America. 

Most business owners prefer buying checks online, rather than with their bank. There are several advantages to doing that. However, there are certain factors that you must consider before you order your business checks online. 

Cost

Many people do not realize it, but ordering business checks online is less expensive than ordering them from the bank. The reason behind this is that banks do not print the checks themselves. They use third-party vendors to print their checks. These third-party vendors also take independent orders to print business checks. So when you order your checks directly from them, you cut the middleman out of the transaction, which means you pay less for them. 

Customization and Time

Ordering checks directly from printing services not only means that you pay less for them, but it also gives you the freedom to customize your checks. If you order them from the bank, they will come with the bank’s logo and branding. Whereas, if you order them online, you can get them printed according to your preferences.

You can include your brand’s logo and any other information that you wish to provide on the check. Customizing your business checks helps you to turn them into a powerful marketing tool by making them look professional. You can also choose the security features that you wish to add to your checks. 

Using third party vendors also lengthen the time required by banks to process your order of checks. Ordering checks online shortens the time significantly. Several companies can have business checks delivered tomorrow if you place your order with them today. It can be useful when you have an urgent requirement for business checks.

Reputable Company

When you order business checks online, make sure you order them from a reputable source. You can check the reviews online on Google or on their website to read about the experience of other customers. Make sure that the company you choose is a member of the Check Payment Systems Association (CPSA). It is an organization of certified check printers that set the industry standards.

Since you would need to provide your bank details, make sure that their website is a secure one. You can check the SSL certificate of their website, along with any other security measures that may be present on the website. 

Information You Need to Provide

When you order your business checks through a bank, they forward your merchant checking account details to the printer. However, when you choose to get business checks printed online, you will need to provide your account details. The companies usually keep a record of these details, so you would only need to provide them once. The information that these companies ask for are:

• Checking account number
• Routing number
• Company’s name and address
• Names of signatories
• The starting check number

Some check printing companies may ask you to upload the image of a canceled check on their website. It is perfectly safe to do so as long as the printer is reputable, and you have checked the security of their website. Printing companies do not ask for personal information, such as the social security number or passport number. Sometimes check printing companies will deposit a small amount in your checking account to ensure that they have got the details right.

Format

Unlike personal checks, business checks can come in different formats. The decision to choose a format will depend on the accounting software you use to maintain your business finances. For example, QuickBooks supports the top-of-page format of checks. If you are unsure of the format of your accounting software supports, You can ask the check printing company. Their experts are aware of the formats used by different accounting software and will be able to advise you accordingly. 

Reputable check printing companies will replace your order or refund you for anything that goes wrong with printing your checks. Make sure that you go through the terms and conditions of a company before you place your first order.

 

Disclaimer: This content does not necessarily represent the views of IWB.