| "body"> | | | | shoulder late payment charges), and the stress it |
| Everyone wants a bargain. If you could buy your | | | | causes you, you will wish you just bought high-quality |
| checks for cents, why wouldn't you? Personalized | | | | checks. The few dollars you saved just aren't worth |
| bank checks, after all, serve the same purpose no | | | | it. |
| matter what they look like - or do they? The money | | | | Not all cheap checks conform with the American |
| you are saving with inexpensive checks may not | | | | National Standards Institute's (ANSI) criteria for check |
| really be worth it. In fact, you might end up spending | | | | printing and therefore do not have such security |
| more. Read on to see the true costs of inexpensive | | | | features as micro-security print (which makes the |
| checks. | | | | copy break up when photocopied), and multi-stained |
| Low paper quality is one drawback of inexpensive | | | | paper that deters chemical alteration of names and |
| checks. The standard for check printing is at least 24 | | | | amounts, among other features. In the long run, you |
| pound, and checks printed on low-quality types of | | | | may be better off spending a few more dollars on |
| paper are likely to deteriorate during handling in the | | | | checks that are ANSI compliant. These checks have |
| mail. This can be catastrophic if you are sending | | | | special features that make them difficult to copy, |
| checks to long-distance states or to other countries. | | | | such as markings seen only under black light. What's |
| The check may not be readable by the time it | | | | more, all banks accept ANSI-complaint checks. You |
| reaches the recipient, and you may have to write | | | | can be sure that the checks you issue serve their |
| another one. After you calculate the costs of sending | | | | purpose. |
| it again, the costs of the delay (you may have to | | | | |