Frequently Asked Questions
What makes this CF325X different from the regular one?
The toner inside. MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition: this cartridge is filled with a magnetic toner formulation so the code line along the bottom of a check — the routing and account numbers — can be read by bank sorting equipment. It is built on the same CF325X cartridge for the Enterprise M806dn family and carries the same 34,500-page rating; only the toner type is specialized.
Will my bank accept checks printed with it?
No toner seller can promise that, and you should be wary of one who does. Acceptance depends on your bank's reader-sorter equipment, the check stock, the printer's condition and how cleanly the code line prints. The right procedure is to print a small test batch first and have your bank verify it — most banks will run a sample sheet through their reader for you — before you run payroll or vendor checks through it.
What should the test batch check for?
Print ten to twenty checks on the actual stock you will use and inspect the code line closely: characters should be sharp, fully formed and evenly dark, with no voids, smearing or toner scatter around them. Then let the bank's equipment read them. If the sample passes their reader, keep the same stock and settings for production runs; changing check paper afterward means testing again.
Can I print ordinary documents with a MICR cartridge installed?
It will print them — the output is normal black text — but it is poor economics. MICR toner costs more because of its magnetic formulation, so offices that print checks usually dedicate one printer or swap cartridges: MICR in for the check run, standard cartridge back in for reports and statements. The M806 makes that swap a two-minute job, and the cartridge you remove can go back in later.
Does it yield the same number of pages as the standard cartridge?
Yes, the rating is the same 34,500 pages at standard test coverage. Check runs are usually short documents with modest coverage, so a MICR cartridge in a payroll or accounts-payable role tends to last a long time in calendar terms. Store the spare sealed, flat and out of sunlight, and rotate by purchase date like any other cartridge.
What coverage and help come with it?
The cartridge is covered by a 1-year warranty, and the shipping and returns policy allows 1-year free returns if it arrives damaged or prints badly from the start. Orders ship from warehouses in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia and California, and our HP supplies support team is available Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM CST — including for questions about getting your first test batch right.
About This CF325X MICR Cartridge
Printing checks in-house on a high-volume enterprise printer is mostly a control decision: no pre-printed check stock to guard, no waiting on a print shop, and account details that never leave the building. The MICR version of the CF325X is the piece that makes it possible on the M806 line — the same cartridge body and 34,500-page rating, filled with magnetic toner.
It is $282.38, priced by the specialized toner rather than the hardware. Buy it for the check printer, run the bank test batch before your first live run, and keep the standard cartridge for everything else the department prints.
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