Best Place to Order Checks: Bank, Check Printer, or Print Them Yourself?

Disclosure: This article was published as part of a paid partnership with OnlineCheckWriter.com, a Zil Money platform. The author is an independent contributor.

The best place to order checks depends on how often you use checks, how quickly you need them, how many accounts you manage, and whether you actually need to order a full box of pre-printed checks.

There are three practical approaches:

order from your bank, use a third-party check printer, or print checks on demand.

Each solves a slightly different problem.

Option 1: Order Checks Through Your Bank

For many people, the bank or credit union is the most familiar option.

The account already exists there, and the institution usually provides a process for ordering replacement checks.

Banks may allow customers to order checks online, through an app, by phone, or through another supported channel.

The exact quantity, design, price, and shipping options depend on the institution and account.

A traditional checkbook can be practical for someone who writes checks regularly and prefers keeping them ready.

Option 2: Use a Third-Party Check Printer

Independent check printers can provide another way to order pre-printed checks.

They may offer different quantities, designs, formats, or pricing.

The payer still needs to provide accurate account and routing information.

Before placing an order, confirm that the provider and check format fit the requirements of the financial institution connected to the account.

A cheaper box of checks is not useful if the information is wrong or the format creates processing problems.

Option 3: Print Checks When You Need Them

A third option is to stop thinking of checks as something that must always be ordered in bulk.

OnlineCheckWriter.com supports creating personal checks from authorized accounts and printing them on demand.

This can be useful for someone who writes checks infrequently, manages several accounts, or needs a check before a new order would arrive.

The user enters the payment information, reviews the check, and prints it using the appropriate setup.

Consider the MICR Requirement

Printing your own checks still requires attention to the MICR line.

The Federal Reserve says that when the payer prints the MICR line, it should be printed using magnetic ink.

If the line is already pre-printed on the stock, other check information can use regular ink.

This is one reason on-demand printing should not be marketed as “any paper, any printer, no requirements.”

The setup still matters.

Compare More Than the Purchase Price

If you are deciding where to get checks, compare:

quantity, shipping, check stock, printer supplies, software cost, account flexibility, delivery time, and how frequently the checks will actually be used.

A box of 500 checks may look inexpensive per check but make little sense for someone who writes four checks a year.

On the other hand, a user who writes checks every week may value the convenience of an existing pre-printed supply.

Multiple Accounts Change the Decision

Pre-printed checks normally belong to a specific checking account.

Someone managing several accounts may therefore need separate check supplies.

With an on-demand system, the correct authorized account information can be selected when the payment is created.

That can reduce the need to store separate pre-printed inventory.

It also increases the importance of selecting the correct account before printing.

There Is No Universal Best Seller

Search results often try to rank the “best” check provider.

That can be misleading.

A bank may be the best fit for a traditional checkbook user.

A reputable check printer may fit someone who wants customized pre-printed checks.

OnlineCheckWriter.com may fit someone who wants to create checks as needed instead of maintaining a large checkbook supply.

The best place to order checks is therefore not always a place where you order them at all.

The better question is whether buying pre-printed checks or creating checks on demand fits the way you actually make payments.

OnlineCheckWriter.com – powered by Zil Money, is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking and money movement services are provided through partner financial institutions and licensed service providers. FDIC insurance coverage applies only to eligible deposit products and accounts, and is subject to applicable terms, conditions, limitations, and requirements. Additional information regarding partner institutions, products, and services is available in the applicable terms and agreements.