How a Cheque Writer Works: NRB Cheque Rules and Which Machine to Buy in Nepal 2026

How does a cheque writer work?

A cheque writer is a desk machine that prints the amount on a cheque and presses it into the paper in one stroke. You set the amount on the machine, line the cheque up under the print head, and pull a lever or press a button to print.

A cheque writer prints the amount in figures. MAX’s EC-70, for example, prints digits and symbols only, so the payee, date, signature and amount in words still go in by hand. If you want those printed too, you need cheque-printing software and a printer, covered below.

People search for a “check writer” or a “cheque writer machine”, but it’s the same device; “cheque” is the spelling Nepal Rastra Bank and Nepali banks use. It sits on the cash or accounts desk next to the note counting machine.

The King Life LC-101-NP we sell is a rotary model. Our listing describes clear printing and deep embossing, and special currency symbols can be ordered.

How does a cheque writer stop amount fraud?

The fraud a cheque writer targets is “raising” the amount: turning Rs 5,000 into Rs 50,000 by squeezing in a digit. It fights back in two ways.

• Embossing: the print head presses the figures into the paper over a bed with matching indentations, so the amount is pushed into the fibres rather than sitting on top. MAX USA, which sells cheque writers, says embossed printing reduces the risk of alteration.
• Symbols before and after the amount: cheque writers typically print the figures between a prefix and a suffix, so there’s no space left to add a digit.

It works on top of the security already built into Nepali cheques. Nepal Rastra Bank requires chemically sensitised, UV-dull watermarked paper with “NEPAL” in the watermark, a pantograph with a hidden “VOID”, micro-printed bank names and “NCHL-ECC” UV text over the payee name, amount in words and amount in figures. Chemically sensitive paper is there so that tampering leaves a visible mark.

Do government cheques in Nepal need a cheque writer?

Yes, or a similar machine. Nepal Rastra Bank has told banks that cheques drawn by NRB or commercial banks for government payments must carry an imprint from a cheque writer, cheque protector or ribbon writer in the blank space at the top of the cheque’s front.

ICT Frame and NEPSE Trading reported the rules on 27 February 2026. NRB issued them as extra arrangements under the Government Transaction Directive 2076 (second amendment 2081). The same rules say payments from government accounts must go through the electronic payment system or as account payee cheques.

Nepali cheque format: what NRB’s standard says

Every cheque cleared between banks in Nepal follows Nepal Rastra Bank’s Cheque Standards and Specifications (October 2012, since amended). The rules that matter when you fill one in:

• Size: one standard size, 7½ x 3½ inches (190.5 x 88.9 mm).
• Date: DDMMYYYY in eight separate boxes, which NRB recommends placing at the top right. Spaces, slashes, dots and other separators aren’t allowed.
• Amount in figures: a box 2 inches wide on the right. The figures go straight after the currency symbol, and nothing may appear to the right of the box.
• Amount in words: two lines to the left of the figures box. When printed by a computer or typewriter, the amount is left-justified and preceded and followed by two asterisks.
• Ink: indelible or permanent dark ink, such as black or blue ballpoint. No pencils, fugitive or non-permanent inks, and no correctable typewriter ribbons.
• MICR band: the strip along the bottom with the cheque number and codes must stay clear. No writing, stamps, staples or perforation there.

Cheque writer or dot matrix cheque printing?

If you sign a handful of cheques a week, a cheque writer is the simple, cheap answer. If you pay salaries or suppliers by cheque in bulk, printing the whole cheque from accounting or cheque-printing software saves time and keeps the words and figures matching.

For computer-printed cheques, NRB’s standard asks for a well-maintained impact printer with a permanent dark ribbon, which points to a dot matrix printer. The Epson LQ-310 (Rs 33,500) is a 24-pin dot matrix printer that Epson rates at up to 416 characters a second, with USB, serial and parallel ports, cut-sheet and tractor feeds, and multi-part forms up to four parts.

Compare it with other Epson models in our guide to which Epson printer to buy, and see where it fits for bills and forms in our best printers for home and office guide.

Before you print cheques yourself, check with your bank and test on a cancelled leaf. The date boxes and the amount box are small, so alignment has to be right.

Which cheque writer should you buy?

We sell one cheque writer, the King Life LC-101-NP, and one dot matrix printer that suits cheque printing, the Epson LQ-310. Here’s how they compare.

Prices checked on 7 November 2026. Call to order the LC-101-NP: 9863609150.

• Shop, school or small office signing a few cheques a week: a rotary cheque writer. The King Life LC-101-NP cheque writer price in Nepal is Rs 14,800 at Quality Computer (Call to order: 9863609150). If the exact print format matters to you, ask about it when you call.
• Accounts teams printing payroll or supplier cheques: the Epson LQ-310 with cheque-printing software, Rs 33,500.
• Counting cash at the same desk: a note counter. Our guide to which note counting machine to buy explains loose and bundle counters and how fake-note checks work.

Cheque and cash-desk machines in our store

We don’t have a second cheque writer model, so here’s the LC-101-NP alongside the other machines that sit on a cash or accounts desk.

Prices checked on 7 November 2026.

In our store

Epson LQ-310

Maxsell MX-50 Smart+

Maxsell MX-600

Maxsell MX 2000-B

PrintersNote counters and appliancesPeripherals