Everyone wants a bargain. If you could buy your checks for cents, why wouldn’t you? Personalized bank checks, after all, serve the same purpose no matter what they look like – or do they? The money you are saving with inexpensive checks may not really be worth it. In fact, you might end up spending more. Read on to see the true costs of inexpensive checks.

Low paper quality is one drawback of inexpensive checks. The standard for check printing is at least 24 pound, and checks printed on low-quality types of paper are likely to deteriorate during handling in the mail. This can be catastrophic if you are sending checks to long-distance states or to other countries. The check may not be readable by the time it reaches the recipient, and you may have to write another one. After you calculate the costs of sending it again, the costs of the delay (you may have to shoulder late payment charges), and the stress it causes you, you will wish you just bought high-quality checks. The few dollars you saved just aren’t worth it.

Not all cheap checks conform with the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) criteria for check printing and therefore do not have such security features as micro-security print (which makes the copy break up when photocopied), and multi-stained paper that deters chemical alteration of names and amounts, among other features. In the long run, you may be better off spending a few more dollars on checks that are ANSI compliant. These checks have special features that make them difficult to copy, such as markings seen only under black light. What’s more, all banks accept ANSI-complaint checks. You can be sure that the checks you issue serve their purpose.