Content area
Full Text
APACS Recommends 15 Brands & Range of Prices
Security is a major concern for accounts payable managers, and nowhere more so than in the cheque printing process. Here choice of printer is paramount.
Laser printers are a popular choice for most office needs because of their speed and flexibility. Be warned, however, not all are suitable for completing cheque details, still fewer for use if standing features, including magnetic characters, are to be added during the cheque run.
"Use of computers to infill cheques along with laser printers undoubtedly increases the opportunities for fraud, either within the office of issue, or after the cheque has been sent to the intended recipient," warns the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS), which runs the cheque clearing service for UK banks. "Access to machines and cheque stock needs careful control, the base stock needs to be kept in good condition to receive the print."
When using laser printers it is also important to store toner according to manufacturers' instructions and not to use out-of-- date stock. "Toner has a shelf life of approximately one year if stored in the correct environment. However, once printed onto a cheque the life span is in years," laser printer manufacturer Xeikon told MAPe.
Built-in Security Features
Printers themselves offer added security features. Those suitable for cheque printing will fuse toner to paper at a sufficiently high temperature to make erasure of text and figures difficult....