MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) is a process by which documents are
printed using magnetic ink and special fonts to create machine readable
information for quick document processing.
Although traditionally MICR has been used to print accounting and routing
information on bank checks and other negotiable documents, the magnetic
encoding lends itself to any form of document processing.
One of the MICR character sets that are used worldwide is called E13-B or
E-13B. MICR E13-B is mainly used in USA, Canada, Bermuda, Mexico, Panama,
Colombia, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and
Thailand.
The MICR E13-B characters consist of ten specially designed numbers (0 through
9) and four special symbols (Transit, Amount, On-Us, and Dash).
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Transit symbol
The Transit symbol tells the reader sorter that the numerals between these
symbols are the routing number that identifies the institution on which the
check is drawn and where the document should be sent for processing. Checks are
not processed in branch offices, but in central processing locations, which
ensures that documents take the shortest route and the shortest processing
time.
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Amount symbol
The Amount symbol tells the reader sorter that the numbers between the symbols
are the amount of the check in cents. You seldom see this symbol or the Amount
field when you are developing an application, printing a MICR job, or servicing
the MICR printer. The amount is normally added later by the bank. However, some
customer applications may add the Amount field while printing checks.
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On-Us symbol
The On-Us symbol tells the reader sorter that the next few numbers identify the
account. Because the issuing institution determines the content of the On-Us
field, the bank branch on which the check is drawn may also be indicated. On
larger business size checks, the On-Us symbol is also used to define a field on
the left end of the check. This optional field, called the Auxiliary On-Us
field, frequently contains a multiple digit serial number.
-
Dash symbol
The Dash symbol is sometimes used as a separator within the On-Us Field,
although reader sorter manufacturers discourage its use because of detection
problems. Some banks use the Dash symbol to separate the bank branch number
from the account number.
Barcode Professional products
draw MICR E13-B characters using
.NET Framework drawing engine i.e. our product DOES NOT use Fonts.
Because Barcode Professional leverages .NET drawing engine, each MICR E13-B
characters is produced in high quality symbols strictly matching the IS0
1004:1995(E) standard.
Encoding MICR E13-B characters with Barcode Professional
For encoding MICR E13-B characters you must use the following "mapping":
-
For digits 0 through 9, use the corresponding numeric character i.e. 0, 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9
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For Transit Symbol, use one of the following characters: A or [ or ]
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For Amount Symbol, use one of the following characters: B or # or $
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For On-Us Symbol, use one of the following characters: C or @
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For Dash Symbol, use one of the following characters: D or –
MICR E13-B characters size
All of the MICR E13-B characters are designed on a 7 by 9 matrix of 0.013 inch
(0.33 mm) squares. The minimum character width is four squares (or 0.052 inch
(1.3 mm)) for the numbers 1 and 2. The maximum width is 0.091 inch (2.3 mm) for
the number 8, 0, and four special symbols. All characters except the On-Us and
Dash symbols have a height of 0.117 inch (3 mm). The height of the On-Us symbol
is 0.091 inch (2.3 mm), and the dash is 0.052 inch (1.3 mm).
Barcode Professional will render these character sizes by default
although you could use the MICRCharWidths, MICRCharHeight and MICRCharSpacing
properties if needed for customizing the MICR E13-B characters' sizes.
Note: Please refer to the Class
Reference documentation for more information about the properties and methods
stated in this document.
In order to get MICR E13-B characters image, please follow
these steps:
-
Set the Symbology property to MICRE13B
-
Set the Code
property with the value to encode based on the character "mapping" described
above.
-
If needed, change the character size by using MICRCharWidths, MICRCharHeight
and MICRCharSpacing properties.
Note: Please refer to the Class
Reference documentation for more information about the properties and methods
stated in this document.
In order to get MICR E13-B characters image, please follow
these steps:
-
Set the Symbology property to MICRE13B
-
Set the Code
property with the value to encode based on the character "mapping" described
above.
-
If needed, change the character size by using MICRCharWidths, MICRCharHeight
and MICRCharSpacing properties.