Siemens Nixdorf Information Systems Ltd, based in Bracknell, Berkshire is branching out into a new niche printing market with its 2140 MICR – hailed as the world’s fastest personalised Magnetic Ink Character Recognition printing system. The system will enable banks, building societies, security printers and government departments to print cheques and credit slips faster and more cheaply. This is because it can cope with printing personal details such as customer name, branch sort code and address – along with the magnetically coded cheque/slip number, bank code and account number, included at the bottom of the cheque – a process that has to be carried out in two separate stages using current techniques. The printer combines Siemens’ light emitting diode print technology with the established magnetic ink recognition system from Californian company Troy, both of which are controlled by a specially adapted 80486-based PCD4T terminal. Siemens uses arrays of hundreds of tiny light-emitting diodes rather than lasers in the 2140 printer because it reckons they provide more accurate printed text and graphics, faster. This is because every diode is individually calibrated and balanced to ensure uniform printing across every single line. The 2140 machine prints 98.5 feet of paper a minute and can produce half a million cheque books a month. It can also print on A3 size paper, which is several inches wider than previous technologies allow, so enabling two cheques or slips to be printed side by side. Siemens says this halves current cheque book production costs, enabling users to print 1,000 cheques for UKP1.50. The controlling terminal, a specially customised personal computer, has a Windows-style graphical colour interface and word processing system that can be used to design cheque and credit slip pages – particularly useful for UK customers dealing with different types of crossed and uncrossed cheques. The printer costs UKP250,000 and is available now from Siemens in the UK. It will be selectively marketed in countries like the UK, France and Spain where cheques are widely used. Siemens says that few major innovations have been brought out for this small but very steady market for the past 10 years, which should guarantee take-up. It has just completed a successful trial with one major high street bank and is convinced that others, anxious to cut costs, will share in the enthusiasm. Siemens hopes to shift around 12 of the things a year.
