Print a Check in ANSI Format

Printing checks in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) format aids in the use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for automatically reading and encoding check amounts. Sage 100 complies with the ANSI format by stripping leading asterisks, removing commas in the check amount, and left justifying the amount to the preprinted dollar sign on the check form.

Note To be completely ANSI compliant, you must use ANSI-compliant check stock.

Checks can be printed in ANSI format (graphical or nongraphical) using Check Printing. The following procedure describes the graphical and nongraphical methods for printing ANSI-format checks.

Before You Begin

For information about customizing checks, see Customizing Check Printing.

Use one of the following methods to print a check in ANSI format:

To print a graphical check in ANSI format
To print a nongraphical check in ANSI format

To print a graphical check in ANSI format

Select Payroll Setup menu > Payroll Options.
On the Forms tab, select the Graphical Forms Checks check box. For more information, see Payroll Options - Fields.
Select Payroll Main menu > Check Printing.
In the Check Printing window, select the Print in ANSI Format check box. For more information, see Payroll Check Printing - Fields.
Click Print.

The checks are printed.

To print a nongraphical check in ANSI format

On the Payroll Setup menu, click Payroll Options.
On the Forms tab, clear the Graphical Forms Checks check box. For more information, see Payroll Options - Fields.
On the Main menu, click Check Printing.
In the Check Printing window, click Form.

Note If you have a check form that was created prior to Level 3.70, you can reset the form so that the ANSI Check Amount field appears in the Field Description list on the Detail tab; however, clicking Reset on the Header tab resets all the settings on the form. Print the form layout first in case changes need to be reentered. As an alternative to resetting the form, you can create a new form.

In the Forms Customization window, click the Detail tab. In the Field Description list, locate the Check Amount field and change the Y setting to N in the Print? column. For more information, see Forms Customization - Fields.
Note the line and tab values. Click OK.
In the Field Description list, locate the ANSI Check Amount field and change the N setting to Y in the Print? column. Enter the same line and tab values that were originally entered for the Check Amount field. Click OK.
Click Accept.
Click Print. Be sure to perform an alignment print test to make sure the check amount lines up correctly on the check form. Adjust the tab and line position values, if necessary.

The checks are printed.