Aren’t there special features to look for? Like the safety paper feature that prevents someone from changing what you wrote?
I always buy my checks from my bank. The ads for econo budget check printing worried me. Although, I guess Walmart would be trust worthy.
If you go to the linked WalMart site, one of the check types they offer are “safety” checks.
My very recent experience with checks. Ordered via the bank’s web site (so I didn’t have to worry about getting the routing number wrong or even typing in name and address). $8 plus shipping. We weren’t quite out so I selected the cheapest shipping. Arrived in less than a week.
Interesting thing about the package. It wasn’t mailed in the obvious “box of checks” form, but in a flat plastic envelope. OTOH, the return label practically screamed “this is a bunch of checks”.
I picked a tame color. But it turns out that the checks come in 4 alternating colors. Grrr. No clue on the web site you were getting a rainbow of checks.
Checks Unlimited has some crazy pricing.
In my current box of checks, there is an offer for two boxes for $21. It came with my old checks so they know that I am a return customer.
If I go to the web site, the same two boxes are $28. It says nothing about it being for first time customers only so what’s to stop you from just ordering them?
I just looked in my recycling and found an offer from them mailed directly to me. Two boxes for $15 (one box for $7.50) plus free address labels and totally free shipping and no sales tax in CA (or OH). Rush service is $6 more.
$65 for two boxes is nuts.
At my credit union, if you direct deposit you get checks free. They’re basic colors, but they do have the carbonless copies.
I have definitely spent way too much time on this but I’ll just add that there was paperwork in my mailer that said that the offer was specifically for returning customers so in my case the best offer was for people who had previously ordered.
I can only conclude that it’s you, sam.
Crap! They probably had caller ID.
I talked live to a real person. She had my info on her computer. Probably 4-5 years since I ordered.
I think that just about all professionally printed checks these days have safety paper that makes it obvious if the check has been altered. If I decided to print checks up myself, on my home printer, I would not feel secure about that, though.
My bank will print out and mail a check for any on-line bill pay recipients who aren’t set up for EFT in their system. I’ve therefore not only eliminated checks from my life, but stamps, too.
On the one or two occasions over the past year when I’ve needed to write an actual paper check in person, I swing by the branch and they print one or two out for me.
Costco is another place that has good prices for check printing – IIRC the last 2 times I needed checks this this was the best deal I could find at the time after shipping. But all the Checks Whatever places had good deals, and they were all better than going through my bank’s website.
For $65 they should promise a lifetime supply. However, most places will charge a lot more for a first order than for reorders.
I’ve used for years a company called Checks in the Mail, which, as you can guess from the name, is mail order only. Quick, reasonable, and have a lot of different designs, so if you wish to inflict Hello Kitty checks on your creditors, they’ll help you. (On that note, there was once and may still be an online firm that specialized in non-cute checks; theirs had skulls and the like. Worth hunting for if you can’t endure the standard offerings of patriotic scenes, cartoon characters, pets, Bible quotes, Thomas Kincade paintings…)
I’m not sure I understand this logic. If you can print checks on your home computer, then so can someone trying to defraud you. They don’t need to modify your special security-featured check, they can just go home and print up a new one with the same number and put whatever they want on it, right?
Presumably even if they have a copy of the cheque, replicating the signature on the new sheet is hard.
It’s a really dumb/desperate person who tries this kind of fraud, though. Depositing/cashing a cheque requires the person presenting the cheque to be IDed, so even the most successful forgery results in ample paper trail back to the person who did it. That fact is probably saving far more people from fraud than complicated cheque designs are.
I just ordered mine through my bank (Wells Fargo) for $21.80 for 4 boxes.
Here’s one.
And here’s some more if you don’t want them quite as scary. Plenty more if you Google ‘personal check ordering skulls’.
Now, can you find us some outright pornographic checks?
I’m unreasonably amused that you can moderate your own threads. 
Thanks for starting this thread, though, as I need to get around to ordering a new box for myself as well.
But now Wal-Mart has your bank account number! And in an online-accessible file somewhere!
dramatic chord!
(Mostly joking; I have no idea what Wal-Mart’s standards and practices are for this aspect of their business.)
When debit cards were really new and I was heavily into writing checks and really really wanted mine personalized, I ordered via a place in Texas. It was nice to have the guy put my first line as “Acct # _____________________” and then my name and address. Plus I had either the logo for my Tai Chi class or a picture of me with a sword up in the left corner by my name.
Unfortunately, the guy just kept taking forever on my re-orders and then the banks were saying he was printing the special coding on the bottom too high up for the standard readers to read them.
Eventually, I just got my own software, check paper, and magnetic ink cartridge (black) to fit my printer. [Try VersaCheck or G7 Industries or a few dozen other similar vendors. Computer stores and Office Supply places will have that kind of thing in stock – plus refills. You’ve obviously got a computer; I suspect you have a printer, as well.] Now I’ve been able to print my own checks in batches, as needed, without any delays (that are someone else’s fault). I’ve printed different graphics on my checks, customizing them for my wife and myself while avoiding the boring themes of seascapes, cars, team sports, flowers, and so on. Some of my wife’s graphics have just been pulled from the Internet or scanned on our flatbed scanner. Mine are pictures of my weapons collection.
With the recent advent of “deposit by phone-camera image” methods becoming increasingly popular, many are predicting that the magnetic ink will no longer be necessary. I did notice, however, that when I cashed a refund check at my branch they still ran it through the standard magnetic reader. I suspect by the time my current cartridge of magnetic ink runs out, I’ll be able to use standard black ink instead.
—G!
I can’t be out of money!
I’ve still got checks left!
I felt your pain:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9860879&postcount=25
My learning: Order from Costco.
Do you have a printer? You can buy your own check printing software for about $25 at Office depot and it comes with 50 checks. When you run out refill checks are like $20 for several hundred blanks.