Unicode: Bank OCR ⑆

What is MICR Code

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition Code (aka MICR code) is character recognition tech used by banks for processing checks. It began in 1958, and by 1963, it's widely adopted by USA banks.

One of the standard font for MICR Code is E-13B.

What is OCR-A

OCR-A (Optical character recognition) is a font created in 1968, as machine-readable characters.

OCR-A, MICR, and E-13B (ai answer)

Here's the clear relationship between OCR-A, MICR, and E-13B:

1. MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition)

• This is a technology, not a font.
• It uses special magnetic ink printed at the bottom of cheques/bank drafts.
• Machines read the magnetic properties of the ink for high-speed, highly accurate automated processing (much more reliable than pure optical methods for banking).
• MICR is mainly used for the routing/account/amount information on checks.

2. E-13B

• This is the specific font/standard used for MICR in most countries, including the United States, Canada, UK, Australia, and others.
• It consists of 10 digits (0-9) + 4 special symbols (Transit, On-Us, Amount, Dash — often called "TOAD" symbols).
• The characters have unique shapes optimized for both magnetic reading (primary) and optical recognition as a backup.

3. OCR-A

• This is an optical character recognition font (designed to be easily read by machines and humans).
• It belongs to the broader OCR family (along with OCR-B).
• The special symbols you asked about earlier (⑀ ⑁ ⑂ ⑃ ⑄ etc.) come directly from the OCR-A standard.
• OCR-A was standardized around the same time as early MICR systems.

How They Are Connected

• ISO 2033 standard defines encodings for OCR-A, OCR-B, and E-13B together.
• E-13B (MICR) is designed so that if the magnetic reading fails, OCR (often using OCR-A-like capabilities) can serve as a reliable fallback.
• The weird symbols in the Unicode OCR block were created to support the control characters used in these early standards.

Summary:

• MICR = The magnetic technology
• E-13B = The main font used with MICR (especially in North America)
• OCR-A = An optical font that complements MICR systems and shares historical standardization

There’s also CMC-7, the other major MICR font used in Europe and Latin America, which works differently (more like a barcode). E-13B is generally considered better for optical fallback.