Micr Reader; Overview - TransAct Ithaca 90PLUS Series Programmer's Manual

Printer Control Codes

MICR Reader

5.12 MICR Reader
5.12.1

Overview

The MICR reader is an option on the Series 90PLUS Printer. It is attached to the front of the printer and
allows a document having MICR data on it to be read and positioned for print.
MICR is an acronym for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. A MICR reader s function is to read the
information printed on the bottom of a check and transmit that information to the host. The line of
information at the bottom of a check is called MICR because it is printed in magnetic ink. The magnetic ink
contains iron particles, which may be read using MICR technologies.
Check readers are able to recognize the characters using either Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or
magnetic reading technology. Some check readers intended for retail point-of-sale use OCR techniques to
read the MICR information. Because an OCR check reader can be defrauded using a pen or pencil, the
technique has been rejected by the market.
The MICR reader only recognizes magnetic ink. It is not an optical reader. The Series 90PLUS MICR
reader is based on a technique which uses a magnetic read head to pick up a signal from a document
containing magnetic ink. The Series 90PLUS MICR reader recognizes E13-B characters. It does not read
CMC-7 characters. (CMC-7 is used in Latin America and Europe).
For a complete description of the MICR reader's operation and programming, refer to the PcOS Series
90PLUS MICR Programmer's Guide.
The following is a brief list of MICR commands. These commands are not valid unless a MICR reader is
attached.
Note: The MICR reader is not supported in EPSON mode.
Function
ASCII
Hexadecimal
Decimal
IPCL
Return
Description
Page 70
PcOS Series 90PLUS
MICR reader reset
[ESC] mI
1BH 6DH 49H
<27> <109> <73>
&%MQ
[ETB] <l> Status
The [ESC] mI command resets the MICR reader to the initial state. It returns
status as a result. The status is always 0 unless the reader is defective.
Rev Q
Programmer's Guide
11/07/05