ISO 1004-2:2013

Overview

ISO 1004-2:2013 - Information processing - Magnetic ink character recognition - Part 2: Print specifications for CMC7 - defines the printed form requirements for the CMC7 magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) font. The standard specifies the shapes, dimensions and tolerances for the 10 digits (0–9), five symbols and 26 letters when printed in magnetic ink for reliable automatic recognition. It also covers permitted printing defects, signal-level measurement and related printing considerations.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 1004-2:2013 provides detailed, technical print specifications and measurement rules, including:

• Character configuration and coding

  • CMC7 characters are formed from seven strokes and six intervals (combinations of “long” and “short” intervals determine each character).
  • Full alphanumeric set and symbol drawings are included for four font heights (3.20 mm, 3.00 mm, 2.85 mm and 2.70 mm).

• Dimensions, tolerances and alignment

  • Exact definitions for stroke width, stroke interval, segment height and character height.
  • Segment end zones limited to a maximum of 0.22 mm.
  • Character pitch (B) and minimum inter-character distances (examples in the standard: Dm = 0.67 mm for certain codes; Dm2 = 0.50 mm for others).
  • Rules for horizontal and vertical print location relative to document reference edges (e.g., printing band 6.4 mm high; bottom of band located 4.8 mm above bottom reference edge; right-hand margin guidance such as at least 6.0 mm from the right edge).

• Print quality, defects and tolerances

  • Definitions and allowed tolerances for voids, extraneous ink (spots front/back), uniformity of ink, debossment and vertical misalignment.
  • Requirements for paper and MICR ink permanence.

• Signal level and sensing

  • Specifications for magnetic sensing, signal level definitions (nominal and residual signal levels), allowable signal level range and methods to measure signal output from printed characters.

• Clear band

  • A 16 mm clear band measured from the bottom edge must be free of magnetic ink other than the CMC7 line; CMC7 and E13B fonts cannot share the same clear band.

Practical applications and who uses this standard

ISO 1004-2:2013 is primarily aimed at:

• Banks and financial institutions (cheque and check processing)
• MICR ink and cheque printers
• Document production and print bureaus
• MICR reader/manufacturer engineers and test labs
• Quality assurance teams, compliance auditors and systems integrators involved in automatic document handling

Use cases include high-volume automated check processing, secure document design, equipment calibration, production quality control and interoperability between MICR readers and printed documents.

Related standards

• ISO 1004-1:2013 - Part 1: Print specifications for E13B (the other widely used MICR font)
• Other ISO/IEC directives referenced for measurement and editorial rules

Keywords: ISO 1004-2:2013, CMC7, MICR, magnetic ink character recognition, print specifications, signal level, cheque processing, character tolerances.