ATB Financial - Business Deposit Accounts

Why has the CPA changed the Canadian cheque specifications?
The new cheque specifications are a key part of an industry-wide plan to modernize Canada’s cheque clearing system through image technology. The new specifications are designed to ensure that high-quality images can be captured from the cheques for use by financial institutions and their customers and to make cheque processing more efficient.
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When do the new specifications come into effect?
The new cheque specifications were published in January 2005 and are in effect now. All businesses ordering new cheques at this point should ensure that they meet the new specifications.

To help business customers make a smooth transition, all Canadian financial institutions are providing a grace period for "old format" cheques until September 2, 2008. This extended transition or "grace period" will allow businesses that are still working on the changes to use up their existing supply of cheques and to make any required modifications to software.

Personal cheques in the new format have been available through financial institutions since April 2005. Customers with a supply of "old format" personal cheques are already "image friendly".
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Where can I obtain the new version of the CPA’s Standard 006?
The new version of Standard 006 is available on the CPA’s web site
(www.cdnpay.ca), and the new “image-friendly” cheque specifications are described in Part A. A summary of changes to the cheque specifications is also available.
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How do the changes affect individuals and companies that use cheques?
All cheques will require some changes.

For customers that order cheques through their financial institution, the new cheque formats have been available since April 2005.

Companies that have custom cheques printed by a supplier will need to ensure that formats are modified to comply with the new standard. Key changes include adoption of the new numeric date field and printing of the date field indicators below, the printing requirements on the reverse of the cheque, and the mandatory serial number in the MICR line.

Companies that use an internal system to generate cheques will likely need to make some system modifications – for example, to reflect the new date format, the standard positions of certain fields, and possibly changes to printing fonts. They will also need to update their cheque stock to reflect the new printing requirements on the reverse of cheques.

Companies that use a financial software package to produce cheques will need to modify it or obtain a new version once the supplier has updated the package to reflect the new cheque specifications, as well as updating their cheque stock to reflect the new printing requirements on the reverse of cheques.
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How can cheque printers, software providers and organizations that produce their own cheques confirm that their new versions meet all of the new specifications?
Cheque printers, software providers and companies that print their own cheques are strongly encouraged to provide pre-production samples to ATB’s quality assurance division to ensure that they meet the requirements of the new standard. These organizations should contact us for more information about the testing process and timelines.
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If a business cheque in the new format fails testing, can a customer use it until the end of the grace period for "old format" cheques (ie September 2, 2008)?
Yes, provided that the cheques meet the requirement of the MICR line and other specifications that were in effect prior to the publication of the new “image friendly” Standard, businesses may continue to use them on an interim basis until the end of the grace period (ie September 2, 2008).
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What will happen if some cheques do not fully comply with the new specifications when the new image-based clearing process is implemented?
In providing an extended transition period since the publication of the new cheque specifications in January 2005, the CPA and its members expect that the vast majority of cheques will comply with Standard 006 by September 2, 2008 when the grace period for "old format" cheques ends.

Adopting the new specifications before then is particularly important for business cheques, as these represent the largest volumes and there are currently significant variations in the formats used. A business that does not adopt the new cheque specifications may risk having cheques that cannot be cleared using the new process. At that time, we will work with customers to resolve any issues.
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Personal cheques in the new format have been available since April 2005. Consumers with a supply of "old format" personal cheques can continue to use them until they need to re-roder, provided that a good image can be captured from them. Based on experience to date, the vast majority of personal cheques are already “image friendly”.
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Do the new specifications have any impact on cheque security features?
The CPA’s new cheque specifications will accommodate a range of features currently in use as well as new approaches that are emerging for the image environment, but the transition to image-based processing may have an impact on some security features. For example, some of the traditional paper-based security features will not be visible on cheque images; however, they may still serve to protect against counterfeiting or alteration of cheques. Any security features used on cheques must not interfere, either before or after imaging, with the MICR line or other areas of interest as defined in Standard 006, Part A. In particular, if a VOID pantograph or other hidden pantograph is used, it must not be visible on images captured from the original cheques. As well, certain techniques such as inverse printing that may interfere with image or data capture will no longer be permitted.
It is recommended that cheque printers and issuers review their use of security features in light of the transition to cheque imaging. Having samples of cheques tested by a financial institution’s Quality Assurance Division will allow clients to verify whether specific security features can be accommodated. In addition, new security features such as encrypted seals and bar codes are being developed for the imaging environment.
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Is the CPA’s new cheque standard compatible with comparable international standards?
Standard 006, Part A includes some requirements that are specific to the Canadian environment, such as the positioning of elements within the MICR line and the minimum size of cheques (6.25 inches). For other aspects such as background screening and reflectance, the CPA has adopted ANSI standards where possible.
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Detailed Specifications

Does magnetic ink still need to be used in the MICR line on cheques that will be processed in the new imaging environment?
Yes, magnetic ink must be used in the MICR line, as automated processing equipment will still rely on magnetic ink to read data from the MICR line. Under the CPA’s current cheque imaging initiative, image technology will supplement MICR processing rather than replace it.
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Does a serial number have to appear in the MICR line?
Yes, a serial number must be MICR-encoded in the Serial Number field on all cheques to serve as a unique identifier for retrieving the item from image databases. For further details, consult section 4.13.4 of CPA Standard 006, Part A.
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Can a printed border appear at the top or bottom of the 1.59 cm (5/8”) MICR band?
Section 4.2 of CPA Standard 006, Part A, states that borders are not permitted within the 1.59 cm (5/8”) MICR band. Thus, if a border is printed it should be slightly above the 1.59 cm (5/8”) mark with sufficient allowance for potential minor variations in positioning during the printing process. A border is not to be printed below the MICR characters. Further, this section also states that no printing, other than the E-13B characters shall appear in the MICR band.
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Can a background appear in the 1.59 cm (5/8”) MICR band?
Section 4.2 of CPA Standard 006, Part A states that it is strongly recommended that the 1.59 cm (5/8”) MICR band remain clear of background screening. However, background screening is permitted in the MICR band provided it has a maximum Print Contrast Signal (PCS) of 0.30.
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Does a cheque number have to appear in the upper right-hand corner of the cheque?
While a serial number in the MICR line is mandatory, a cheque number elsewhere on the cheque is optional. If a cheque number is to appear, it is usually printed in the upper-right corner of the cheque above the date field. However, positioning is flexible, provided that it does not interfere with a data element or its area of interest.
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Do the serial number in the MICR line and the number of the cheque have to match?The mandatory serial number in the MICR line and the optional cheque number located elsewhere on the cheque will normally match, but it is not an absolute requirement.
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What are the requirements for clear areas on cheques?
Section 2.2 of CPA Standard 006, Part A refers to a minimum clear area of 0.64 cm (0.25”) around data elements, but indicates that where space limitations do not permit, a temporary exception allows for the clear area to be reduced as necessary to 0.25 cm (0.1”).
The CPA encourages cheque printers and issuers to provide the full 0.64 cm (0.25") clear area where possible, or as close to it as the layout will permit within the space limitations, so as to maximize the likelihood that Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) software will be able to read the information in these fields during cheque processing.
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How long will the 0.25 cm (0.1”) clear area exception be permitted?
The earliest that the current exception (i.e. a minimum clear area of 0.25 cm (1”)) would be reviewed will be 2009, and thus the current exception will remain in effect until at least then.
If Standard 006 is changed at that time to eliminate the exception (e.g. to require a minimum of 0.64 cm (0.25”) clear area around the data elements), a transition period of at least one year will be provided.
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Which data elements require a clear area?
The following data elements on the front of the cheque require a clear area:

Payee Name Field;
Amount in Figures Field (i.e. around the convenience amount rectangle and the dollar sign);
Amount in Words Field; and
Date Field (i.e. the word “DATE”, the numeric characters of the date (and/or guidance boxes and guidance characters if these are printed) and the mandatory date field indicators).

The following data elements on the back of the cheque require a clear area:

“Teller Stamp Here” Box;
Endorsement Area; and
Verification Phrase (i.e. “BACK/VERSO”; “VERSO/BACK”; “BACK”; “VERSO”; “BACK/ENDOS”; or “ENDOS/BACK”.

In addition, no printing having a Print Contrast Signal (PCS) greater than 0.25 is permitted within the 2.54 cm (1”) area from the bottom edge on the back of the cheque and only E-13B characters are permitted in the 1.59 cm (5/8”) MICR band. Note that these dimensions already include a clear area.
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Is background screening allowed within these clear areas?
Yes, background screening is allowed within these clear areas provided it has a maximum Print Contrast Signal (PCS) of 0.30.
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Is the minimum clear area required between the signature line and printed information (e.g. “Authorized Signature”, “PER” or a title) related to the signature?
No, printed information related to the signature such as “Authorized Signature”, “PER” or a title may be printed close to the signature line without a clear area.
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Is a clear area required between “PAY TO THE ORDER OF” and the payee name field?
No, a clear area is not required between “PAY TO THE ORDER OF” and the payee name field.
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What is an acceptable amount of clear space around a signature line?
As signatures will vary in size, precise dimensions have not been established. The CPA recommends that printers and businesses that print their own cheques use their judgment to leave a reasonable amount of room for the signature.
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What does the term “date field” include?
Item 6 of Section 5.4.1 of Standard 006, Part A states that the date field includes the word “date”, the date characters, the date field indicators, and, where printed, the guidance boxes.
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Are the Date Field Indicators below the date field mandatory?
Yes, Date Field Indicators must be printed below the date field so that it can be determined which of the three permissible numeric date formats is used (i.e. YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY or DDMMYYYY). They are to be printed in a minimum of 6 pt font and a maximum of 8 pt font.

Note that the Standard accommodates a bilingual version of the Date Field Indicators (i.e. Y/A M/M D/J) for cheques using the international date format for those organizations that wish to print a single bilingual cheque format. See Section 5.4.1 and Figures E and E1 for details.
Printers of cheques for business clients should confirm with their clients whether the client wants the Date Field Indicators to be pre-printed, or whether the client will print the indicators at the same time as they print the date.
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What is the required spacing between the date field indicators?
A minimum of 2 pixels of space should appear between each date field indicator.
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Are Guidance Boxes and Guidance Characters required for the date field?
Guidance Boxes are mandatory for cheques on which the date will be written by hand or using a manual process (i.e. a typewriter), whereas Guidance Characters within the boxes are optional. Both the Guidance Boxes and Characters are optional for cheques on which the date will be completed using an automated process. However, as noted above, the Date Field Indicators below the date are mandatory on all cheques. See Section 5.4.1, Figure D, Item 6 for more details.
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Are there specific dimensions for the Guidance Boxes for the date field?
The Standard does not specify exact dimensions for Guidance Boxes. If Guidance Characters are printed within the boxes, a minimum of 10 pt font is recommended. The size of the Guidance Boxes is likely to depend, at least to some extent, on the size of the cheque and the space available. Printers of cheques that will be completed by hand (i.e. personal and some small business cheques) are encouraged to take into account that increasing the size of the boxes to the extent possible will contribute to clients’ ease of use.
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Are spaces, dashes or slashes allowed between the elements making up the date?
Spaces or dashes are allowed between the elements making up the date (e.g. 2005 08 25, or 2005-08-25). However slashes (i.e. “/” ) are not permitted as they may hinder Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) software from capturing the date effectively.
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Where exactly should the date field be printed?
The date field is to be printed towards the upper-right end of the cheque.
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Does the word "DATE" in the date field on a cheque have to be printed in upper case letters?
No, the word “DATE” is not required to be printed in upper case letters. It can appear in lower case or a combination of lower case and upper case letters (i.e. “Date” or “date”).
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Should a border or box be printed around the Convenience Amount Rectangle?
No, no border or box should be printed around the rectangle, as it may interfere with the ability to read the amount using an automated process.
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Does the background for the Convenience Amount Rectangle have to be white (i.e. no screening)?
The rectangle may be printed either in white or with background screening, as long as the technical specifications relating to the Print Contrast Signal and Reflectance are met. See Section 5.4.4 and Table 1 within that section for details.
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Are asterisks permitted in the Convenience Amount Rectangle?
Section 5.3 states that asterisks shall only be printed immediately preceding the amount in figures (e.g. $****45.00 or ****45,00$).
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What are the requirements related to the position of the Convenience Amount Rectangle and the related Clear Area?
See Section 5.4.2 and Figure F for details relating to the position of these elements on personal cheques, and Section 5.4.3 and Figure G for the details relevant to business size cheques.
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How is the clear area applied to the Convenience Amount?
There must be a minimum of 0.64 cm (0.25”) clearance around the Convenience Amount Rectangle and the dollar sign. In relation to the date field above the rectangle, the minimum clear area is to be measured from bottom of the date field indicators to the top of the Convenience Amount.
Note: Where the cheque does not accommodate the standard 0.64 cm (0.25”) clear area due to space limitations, the clear area may be reduced by the minimum amount necessary to accommodate the data elements, but it must be a minimum of 0.25 cm (0.10”) in all cases. This exception is a temporary measure and will be re-assessed as more experience is gained with character recognition software in an image environment.
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What elements must be within the Convenience Amount Scan Area?
The Convenience Amount Rectangle and the related clear area, as well as the dollar sign, must be within the Scan Area.
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Can other information enter the Convenience Amount Scan Area?
Yes, provided that it does not interfere with the 0.64 cm (0.25”) clear area around the Convenience Amount Rectangle and the dollar sign.
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What are the specifications for the font size of the dollar sign?
The dollar sign must be printed in a minimum of 10 point font.
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Are there any requirements for identifying the currency of the funds on cheques?Standard 006, Part A requires “45” to be printed in the transaction code section of the On-Us Field in the MICR line on U.S. dollar cheques drawn on a U.S. dollar account at Canadian financial institutions (i.e. cheques that have a Canadian routing number in the Transit Number Field). Cheque printers and businesses that print their own cheques should contact the Quality Assurance Division of the financial institution to confirm any requirements for the specific position of the code within the transaction code section.
In addition, a currency designation is required on all US Dollar cheques drawn on a domestic branch of a CPA member and encoded with a Canadian transit number. The currency designation is to appear to the right of or below the word “Dollars”, not interfering with any areas of interest. On cheques where the word “Dollars” is integrated into the machine printed Amount in Words, the currency identifier (e.g. U.S. Funds) may be printed below the Convenience Amount Rectangle, leaving a minimum 0.64 cm (1/4”) of clear space between the bottom of the Convenience Amount Rectangle and the currency identifier. A currency identifier is not permitted to be printed beside the Amount in Figures.
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Does the Amount in Words have to be printed on the cheque?
As noted in Section 5.4.1, Item 9, printing the Amount in Words is highly recommended, but it is not an absolute requirement.
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Is it permitted to print a combination of letters and numbers in the Amount in Words?
While it is permitted to print a combination of numbers and letters in the Amount in Words, it is not recommended. As the ICR engine that reads the Amount in Words only reads letters, printing a combination of letters and numbers in that field could reduce its read rate.
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Is it mandatory to print horizontal lines for the Payee Name and the Amount in Words?
The lines for the Payee Name and Amount in Words are required for guidance on cheques where these fields will normally be completed by hand (e.g. personal and some small-business cheques). They are not required on cheques where the Payee Name and the Amount in Words will be printed using an automated process.
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Does the Amount in Words have to end with the word “Dollars”, or can it end with “Cents” (e.g. Four hundred Dollars and Fifty Cents)?
It is acceptable to end the Amount in Words either with the word “Dollars” or with the word “Cents”.
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Can the Amount in Words be printed on more than one line?
The amount in words can appear as a “wrap-around” continuation (i.e. on two or more lines), provided there be a 0.25” of clear space between the text and other data elements printed on the cheque.
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Is it mandatory that the Amount in Words and the Amount in Figures be printed on the same line?
It is not required that the Amount in Words and the Amount in Figures be printed on the same line. There is some flexibility in the positioning of this information.
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Are the Financial Institution’s Name and Address mandatory?
Printing the CPA member financial institution name is mandatory, but the financial institution address is optional. If the address is printed, it must appear below the financial institution name.
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Is there a specific font size for the financial institution information?
Financial institution information must be printed in a minimum of 6 point font.
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For a window envelope cheque, can the financial institution name and address appear below the window?
If a window envelope cheque format is used for a business cheque, the financial institution name and address may appear either above or below the window, as long as it does not interfere with any Areas of Interest.
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Is printing the Payor address mandatory?
While it is strongly recommended that the Payor’s name be printed on cheques, the payor’s address is optional.
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Is there a specified font size for printing the Payor Name and address?
No. The minimum font size previously specified for this element has been removed to provide more flexibility.
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Could you clarify what types of conditional statements are prohibited on cheques?
As noted in Section 5.4.1 of Standard 006, Part A (page 29), "No conditional statements shall appear on paper items." This prohibition reflects the fact that federal legislation (the Bills of Exchange Act) defines a bill of exchange as an unconditional order in writing. Therefore, by definition, cheques and other bills of exchange must not bear conditions.
However, there is some grey area as to the interpretation of what constitutes a conditional statement as opposed to a more general security warning. In essence, the interpretation has been that no statement on the cheque can void it if the condition is not met. (e.g. VOID if over $100 would not be permissible).
It is important to keep in mind that, in and of itself, a statement intended as a general security warning is not likely to create any obligation for a financial institution that holds the account to verify that the condition is met.
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Where can inverse printing be used on the front and back of a cheque?
Inverse printing cannot be used to fill in or print any of the following data elements on the front of the cheque:

Date field (i.e. the word “DATE”, the numeric characters of the date (and/or guidance boxes and guidance characters if these are printed) and the mandatory date field indicators);
Payee Name field;
Amount in Figures field (i.e. the convenience amount rectangle and the dollar sign);
Amount in Words field;
CPA Member Name and Address field
Signature Line area
The 1.59 cm (5/8”) MICR band

Further, inverse printing cannot interfere with any clear areas required for any of the above data elements. It may be used anywhere else on the front of the cheque.
In addition, inverse printing cannot be used to fill in or print any of the following data elements on the back of the cheque:

“Teller Stamp Here” Box;
Endorsement Line and phrase (“Endorsement – Signature or Stamp”)
Verification Phrase (i.e. “BACK/VERSO”; “VERSO/BACK”; “BACK”; “VERSO”; “BACK/ENDOS” or “ENDOS/BACK”.

Further, inverse printing cannot interfere with the clear areas required for the above data elements on the back of the cheque. It cannot appear in the 2.54 cm (1”) area from the bottom edge.
On the back of the cheque, given that inverse printing will appear in a minimum Print Contrast Signal (PCS) of 0.6, the CPA strongly recommends that it appear only in the upper right hand corner– no lower than 1” from the bottom and to the right of the endorsement line and the verification phrase, taking into account the clear areas required for these elements.
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In Standard 006 there are various sections that refer to the use of “dark ink” for printing on the cheque. What is the definition of "dark ink"?
The intention of the use of the words “dark ink” is to ensure that information printed will appear clearly on an image of the cheque. Section 5.3 of the Standard recommends the use of black, blue or dark purple inks when filling in information on the cheque.
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Are the requirements in the Standard for printing on the back of cheques mandatory?
Yes, there are three elements that must be printed on the back of cheques. They include:
1) the teller stamp box with the phrase “Teller Stamp Here”
2) the endorsement line with the phrase “Endorsement – Signature or Stamp” below it
3) the Verification Phrase (“BACK/VERSO”; “VERSO/BACK”; “BACK/ENDOS”; “ENDOS/BACK”; “BACK” or “VERSO”)
For further details regarding the positioning of these elements, consult Section 5.4.5 and Figure H of Standard 006, Part A.
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What Print Contrast Signal (PCS) levels apply to each of the three required elements on the back of a cheque?
The endorsement line with the phrase “Endorsement – Signature or Stamp” as well as the Verification phrase (“BACK/VERSO”; “VERSO/BACK”; “BACK/ENDOS”; “ENDOS/BACK; “BACK” or “VERSO”) must be printed in a minimum PCS of 0.6 with respect to their immediate background. These elements require this PCS level to ensure that they are visible on an image taken of the cheque.
The teller stamp box with the phrase “Teller Stamp Here” must be printed in a maximum PCS of 0.25 with respect to its immediate background. This PCS level ensures that the box and the phrase fade when an image is captured from the cheque.
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Can any information other than the three elements required in the Standard be printed on the back of a cheque?
Additional information may be printed on the back of a cheque. However, it cannot interfere with the three required elements (i.e., the teller stamp, the endorsement line and the Verification Phrase [“BACK/VERSO”; “VERSO/BACK”; “BACK/ENDOS”; “ENDOS/BACK”; “BACK” or VERSO”]).
If the additional information is to be visible on the images captured from the cheques, it should have a minimum Print Contrast Signal (PCS) of 0.6 with respect to its immediate background. If the information is not intended to be visible on images, it should be printed in a maximum PCS of 0.25 with respect to its immediate background.
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Where can printing, such as a reference number in a minimum Print Contrast Signal (PCS) of 0.6 appear on the back of a cheque?
Section 5.4.5 of CPA Standard 006, Part A strongly recommends that any printing in a minimum PCS of 0.6 appear in the upper right hand corner on the back of the cheque – no lower than 1” from the bottom of the cheque and to the right of the endorsement line and verification phrase, taking into account the clear areas required for these elements.
For example, on a maximum size business cheque (i.e. 21.59 cm wide by 9.53 cm high, or 8.5” wide by 3.75” high):

Taking into account that the 2.54 cm (1”) area from the bottom of the back of the cheque cannot have any printing of more than 0.25 Print Contrast Signal (PCS), 6.98 cm (2.75”) vertically would remain for informational printing; and
If the endorsement line is 6.35 cm (2.5”) long and has a clear area of 0.63 cm (0.25”) to its right, there would be 5.71 cm (2.25”) horizontally that would remain for informational printing.

Therefore, in this scenario, the available space for informational printing would be 5.71 cm wide by 6.98 cm high (i.e. 2.25” wide by 2.75” high). Note that these dimensions will vary based on the size of the cheque and the length of the endorsement line. In practical terms, it would be slightly less, as printers and businesses would want to leave some clearance between the informational printing and the edges of the cheque.
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If you're unsure if your cheques meet the new specifications, or you'd like to speak with an ATB representative, please contact your local branch or call 1-877-212-8585. Fore more information about the CPA's new specifications, please visit the CPA's website at www.cdnpay.ca. You may also contact the CPA's Communications and Education Division directly at (613) 238-4173.