Any good check printing programs?

Gene Heskett gene.heskett at verizon.net
Mon Dec 25 05:17:53 UTC 2006


On Sunday 24 December 2006 23:39, Tom Horsley wrote:
>As an exercise in getting familiar with the Qt 4 toolkit, I'm working
>on a program that seems to be missing from all the linux money
>programs I can discover (gnucash, kmymoney, etc). None of 'em can
>print real physical checks worth spit (or even at all for some).
>
>I figure I can just make this a stand alone program that prints
>checks and generates .qif files at the same time, which I can then
>import into the money program of my choice.
>
>Does this sound remotely useful? Have I missed some program that does
>a good job of check printing (quicken does, of course, but the point
>is to get away from windows).
>
>Is it worth aiming to make this thing release quality, or should
>I just stick with the learning exercise? :-).

I think you are wasting your time unless you just want to fill in the 
blanks of a ready-made, purchased from the bank, check.

The reason?  They are custom imprinted with a magnetic pattern that 
contains the information to route and clear that check, with only the 
amount being required to be read and entered by hand at the clearing 
point.

We don't have the facilities to do that for an otherwise identical looking 
check, and if we did, I imagine the secret service would come to pay a 
visit, probably without knocking other than the door in to gain entrance.
They tend to take a very dim view of counterfeiting, which could easily be 
done with essentially the same printing equipment.

That's the main reason none of the money programs go there.  However, I'd 
imagine that most are capable of printing on the banks checks even if a 
template might have to be built.

But, why bother since most online banking can now be done without you're 
having to write a check at all.  Its the end of the year and I just used 
the last check in that book of 40.  I put it in the carrier of my 
billfold in february.  Everything else has been handled online.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
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Copyright 2006 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved.




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