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Quick answer: Checks Unlimited is a mail-order check printer. You submit your bank details online, wait for the order to be produced and shipped, and the checks arrive by mail. OnlineCheckWriter.com is an independent, unaffiliated service that lets you design a check once and print it yourself on blank check stock whenever you need one.
Key Takeaways
What Is Checks Unlimited?
Checks Unlimited is a mail-order retailer that prints personal and business checks and ships them to you. The company has operated since 1986 and is part of Deluxe Corporation, one of the larger check printers in the country. Checks Unlimited is a trademark of its respective owner, used here for identification purposes only, and OnlineCheckWriter.com has no partnership or business relationship with the company. To order, you pick a check design on their site, enter your bank routing and account numbers online, and wait for the batch to be produced and mailed to your address.
Is Checks Unlimited a Legitimate Company?
Yes. It’s a real, decades-old check printer, not a scam operation. That said, its Trustpilot rating sits around 1.4 out of 5 from roughly 70 reviews at the time of writing, with delivery delays and unexpected charges as the most repeated complaints. Being a legitimate, long-running company and having a lot of unhappy customers about the ordering experience aren’t mutually exclusive, and it’s worth weighing both before you place a large order.
How Long Does a Checks Unlimited Order Take to Arrive?
Checks Unlimited states that a typical order takes at least 5 to 7 days to arrive. The company lists three shipping speeds to choose from: a rush option delivered in about two days, standard trackable delivery running up to 7 business days, and standard untrackable delivery running up to 15 business days, with a shipping charge added on top of whichever option you pick. That is time you spend without new checks in hand, whether you’re waiting on a first order or a reorder for an account that’s about to run dry. For the full side-by-side breakdown of delivery, cost, and customization, see the Checks Unlimited alternative comparison; this guide focuses on how to actually make the switch.
Can You Change the Design After a Checks Unlimited Order Ships?
No. Once a Checks Unlimited order is delivered, the design on those checks is set. If you want your logo or a different layout, that customization is available, but at an additional cost on top of the base order, and it still has to go through the same production and shipping timeline before it reaches you.
Is It Risky to Order a Large Batch of Pre-Printed Checks?
Ordering a large batch of checks means a box carrying your routing number, account number, and signature line sits somewhere: a mail carrier’s truck, your porch, or eventually a drawer, until every check in it is used. If that box is lost, stolen, or opened by the wrong person, every check inside it can be misused. Printing one check at a time as you need it keeps far fewer blank checks with your bank details sitting around at any given moment. For a broader look at why growing businesses move away from pre-printed checkbooks, see 6 reasons unlimited checks for business beat pre-printed checkbooks.
How to Switch From Checks Unlimited to Printing Your Own Checks
- Sign up for an OnlineCheckWriter.com account. Have your bank details on hand and setup takes just a few minutes.
- Add and verify the checking account you currently use for Checks Unlimited orders, so the same account funds every check you print.
- Open the check designer, upload your business logo at no extra cost, and choose a font style for the layout.
- Buy blank check stock once if you don’t already keep some on hand. From that point on, you draw from your own supply instead of placing a new vendor order.
- Print the check on a laser printer loaded with MICR (magnetic) toner whenever one is due. That magnetic ink is what makes the routing and account number line at the bottom readable to a bank’s reader-sorter equipment. If you would rather skip paper, send the payment as an eCheck, ACH transfer, wire, or payment link instead.
- Still want a physical check in someone’s hand or mailbox without printing it yourself? Route it through OnlineCheckWriter.com’s FedEx or USPS mailing option instead.
See how printing your own checks on demand compares to ordering a pre-printed batch from Checks Unlimited, then set up your account.
Will My Bank Accept a Check I Print Myself?
A check you print yourself generally clears the same way as a pre-printed one, as long as it carries the standard fields a bank expects, uses compliant check stock, and has an accurate MICR line along the bottom. Funds-availability rules key off deposit type, dollar amount, and account history, not who printed the check, so there’s no separate category for a home-printed one. See the Federal Reserve’s guide to Regulation CC for how those rules work. A bank can still place a longer hold if it has reason to question a specific check, and final acceptance of any printed check is still up to your bank’s own review.
OnlineCheckWriter.com also supports eCheck, ACH, wire transfer, and payment link options in the same account, so a printed check is one of several ways to send money, not the only one. For the fuller picture of using an on-demand supply of checks day to day, see 7 ways to print your own blank-stock checks on demand.
What Does OnlineCheckWriter.com Cost Compared to Ordering From Checks Unlimited?
OnlineCheckWriter.com lists a plan at $5 a month, plus the cost of blank check stock and MICR toner, instead of paying per batch order and per-order shipping charges every time you need more checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OnlineCheckWriter.com affiliated with Checks Unlimited?
No. OnlineCheckWriter.com is an independent company and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Checks Unlimited. It is a separate way to design and print checks yourself.
Should I be worried about ordering from Checks Unlimited?
Yes. Checks Unlimited is a real check printer that has operated since 1986 as part of Deluxe Corporation. It isn’t a scam, but its Trustpilot rating sits around 1.4 out of 5, driven mostly by delivery and billing complaints, which is worth knowing before you place a large order.
Is it safe to share my routing and account number with a check vendor online?
Entering your routing and account number on an established check vendor’s checkout page usually goes through the same kind of encrypted connection your bank uses for online forms. The bigger question isn’t the checkout page, it’s what happens after the checks arrive: a stack sitting in a drawer or an unopened mailer is the part worth paying attention to.
What happens to leftover checks I already ordered from Checks Unlimited?
Nothing about switching makes an existing batch stop working. Any checks you already have from a prior order stay valid until the account closes or you run out of them, so you can finish that stack for occasional use while printing new checks for everything else, as long as you don’t repeat a check number.
Do I need special paper and a special printer to print a check at home?
You need blank check stock made for this purpose, and you need a laser printer that takes MICR toner. MICR toner is magnetic, and that’s what lets a bank’s sorting equipment read the routing and account number line, not just the human eye. A standard inkjet printer, or a laser printer running ordinary non-magnetic toner, cannot produce a bank-compliant MICR line, so confirm your printer and toner support MICR before you print a check you plan to deposit.
How much faster is printing my own check than waiting on a mailed order?
The setup work happens once. After your account, bank link, and check design are in place, printing the next check doesn’t involve a production queue or a shipping carrier, while a new mailed order starts that whole process over.
Can I still get a check mailed if I do not want to print it myself?
Printing your own is optional, not required. OnlineCheckWriter.com can mail a physical check on your behalf through FedEx or USPS for a fee, or deliver it digitally as an eCheck, so you’re not stuck choosing between a home printer and a mail-order wait.
Will switching away from Checks Unlimited affect check numbers I’ve already used?
No. Check numbers track your bank account, not the vendor that printed them. When you set up OnlineCheckWriter.com, you simply tell it the next number in your existing sequence, and it continues from there with no gap and no repeat.
What if I only need checks for one account, not a full business setup?
A single personal or business account works the same way as multiple accounts. You link one account, design one check layout, and print from it, without paying for features built for a larger setup you don’t need.
Test the switch before you rely on it. Print one check, look closely at the MICR line for a clean read, and hand your bank a sample before you cut over completely. Once that check clears without a problem, the only thing left to plan around is restocking blank check stock now and then, not a production date and not a shipping window.
Get the complete side-by-side rundown on delivery time, customization, and cost, then create your account and print your first check today.
OnlineCheckWriter.com – Powered by Zil Money, is a financial technology company and not a bank. Banking services are provided by our partner bank, Member FDIC. FDIC insurance applies only to eligible products associated with those that have funds held in accounts at the partner bank, subject to applicable limits and requirements.