Crystal clear record keeping is essential for every business. While credit cards hold digitally available information that can be recorded and processed, checks need information to be recorded through images. Here are some of the features to look for when you want optimal scanning and image records.
What are the most important image-reading features for check-scanning?
- Look for scanners with MICR read heads. MICR, or magnetic ink character recognition, is one of the two best technologies for recording check images. The routing and transit, account, and check numbers on checks are printed with magnetic ink that the scanner amplifies and then reads. The images are translated into characters so the majority of data entry is handled electronically. Not only is this faster than traditional record-keeping, it vastly reduces the chances of error.
- Look for scanners with OCR. Optical character recognition makes the magnetic reading more accurate, especially in turning the scanned images into characters. It’s a secondary method of reading the check that a check scanner uses to verify the information pulled out of the check by the MICR reader so any errors can be addressed at the moment. OCR can also read non-magnetic ink, such as the check amounts.
- Does the machine store images of the check? Just in case the MICR and OCR reading systems both read information incorrectly, you need a backup procedure. Customers take their checks with them, and that can leave you without recourse. But a stored image can be manually or electronically checked in the event of a system error.
Automating data records and digitizing characters are the most important tasks a check scanner has. Look for a machine that has inbuilt verification and superior image quality.
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