E-13B
There are two types of characters in the E-13B font, numbers and
symbols.
The
ten numeric characters of the font are 0-9:
The
four symbols used to control the interpretation of the MICR line
include:
It
should be noted that the characters shown here are not a representation
of the actual font type size.
As
shown below, the MICR line (at the bottom of the check) is separated
into distinct parts or units. The beginning and end of each unit
is indicated by using the special symbols. These units are referred
to as code line fields. Due to the principle of MICR being a common
machine language, some of these fields have a fixed format, while
others are open to the individual requirements of different banks.
Reader/Sorters read checks from right to left starting with the
amount field. It is a requirement of the bank of first deposit to
MICR-encode the amount field of the check.
 |
| On-Us
Symbol |
 |
The
On-Us symbol tells the reader/sorter that the next few numbers
identify, among other items, the account number. Since the issuing
institution determines the content of the On-Us field, the bank
branch the check is drawn on may also be indicated. If you look
at the On-Us symbol on your personal check, and the numbers
after it (i.e., to the left of the symbol; the reader/sorter
reads right to left), you will recognize your account number,
your bank's branch number, and probably the check number. The
check serial number is typically to the right of the On-Us symbol.
On larger business size checks, this On-Us
symbol is also used to define a field on the left end of the
check. This field, called the auxillary On-Us field, is optional,
at the bank's choosing, and frequently contains a multiple
digit serial number.
|
| Transit
symbol |
 |
There
are always two transit symbols in a MICR line, one is the opening
of the transit field, the other is the transit fields closing
symbol. They tell the reader/sorter that the numbers between
these symbols identify the institution upon which the check
is drawn (which is where the document should be sent for processing).
Checks are often not processed in branch offices, but in central
processing locations, which ensure that documents take the shortest
route and the shortest processing time in the Federal Reserve
System.
|
| Amount
Symbol |
 |
The
two amount symbols tell the reader/sorter that the numbers between
the symbols are the amount of the check. Generally, this field
will be blank because the amount is normally added later by
the bank. However, some applications may add the amount field
while printing checks.
|
| Dash
Symbol |
 |
The
dash is sometimes used as a separator within the On-Us field,
although reader/sorter manufacturers discourage its use because
of detection problems. Some banks still use the dash to separate
the bank branch number from the account number.
As
mentioned previously, the exact field structure is a function
of the national standards, while the example above is that
of the USA. Field lengths may vary as a function of the national
requirements and even the detail usage of the symbols may
be different. For example, although Australia uses the same
length and bracketing structure for the amount field as is
used in the USA, their "starts" are equivalent to
the routing field with a transit symbol, but they "close"
with an On-Us symbol.
Even
within the national standards there may be opportunities for
some significant level of variation within fields. It is always
best to identify the required field structure through the
use of the bank's MICR Printing Specifications form for a
specific account.
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| Character
design |
|
All
of the E-13B characters are designed on a 7 by 9 matrix of 0.013-inch
squares (see below). The minimum character width is four squares
(or 0.052-inch) for the numbers 1 and 2, while the maximum width
is 0.091-inch for the number 8 and four special symbols. All
characters, except for the On-Us and dash symbols, have a height
of 0.117-inch. This does not correspond to an exact point size
usually specified for fonts, but lies between an 8- and 9-point
type size.
The
height of the On-Us symbol is 0.091-inch, while the dash is
0.052-inch; both still multiples of the basic 0.013-inch unit.
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