Journal of Scientific & Industri al Research Vol. 60, June 200 I, pp 493-498

Development of MICR Cheque Paper from Indegenous Raw Materials

Dharm Dutt, A K Ray,* 1 S Upadhyaya and C H Tyag i Institute of Paper Technology,

A Department of Universi ty of Roorkec, Post Box No. 83 , Saharan pur 247 00 I , U P and

K N Tiwary Star Paper Mill s Ltd , Saharan pur 247 00 I . U P

Received: 08 January 200 1; accepted: 28 February 200 1

Attempts have been made to manufacture MICR cheque paper from indigenous hardwood species like Eucalyp­tus tereticornis blended with some minor proporti ons of bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) and pine (Pinus roxhurghii) pulps . Vari ous chemicals required to be added to develop magnetic ink recogniti on characteri sti cs suc h as s izing chemicals, dyes, iron free alum , sulphates, oxidi sed starch and potassium ferrocynide. The pape r was subj ected to sensitivity test. The results of the hand-sheets were compared with those of cheque papers used commerc iall y. The

results o f laboratory made MICR cheque papers were found promising .

Introduction Safety cheque paper is employed for makin g cheque

leaves in various banking in stitutions. The cheque pa­per possesses magnetic ink recognition character (MICR) and is an indispensable paper in today's c ivili sed world . Thi s paper is basically used to manufac ture cheques like bank notes, currency notes and other security documents. Thi s MICR cheque paper needs authentication to pre­vent counterfe it or alte ration in writing practi ces. Other papers notably, lotte ry papers; passport paper and s imi­lar legal documents also require thi s test. Authenticatable papers must have some unique characteri sti cs so that for­geries can be detected eas il y. MICR is a system where information is printed with special ink containin g iron oxide. Protecti on against any alterati on in the printed matter is done with the he lp of fug iti ve co lours or tints which gets disturbed when eraser or chemi cal is tried on it.

Specific Requirements Forgery is usual man made problem in a ll these types

of paper. Therefore, spec ia l precaution should be taken not only during manufac turing MICR cheque paper but during stock preparation a lso. Various chemicals are re­quired, some are sizing chemical s like ros in and alum, others are special types o f sing le or multipl e dyes, so-

*Author fo r correspondence

dium and magnes ium based ox idi sed starch and iron based cyanide chemical s, etc.

These are added with specific proportion to deve lop the above characteri sti cs of MICR cheque pape r. It is inte res ting to note that though Fe++ is added as a com­ple x compound the alum mu st be free from iron . Starch, as such, does not fun cti on; it has to be modified by many means. Further, chemical s are added afte r sheet forma­ti on as surface sizing chemi cal s; the quantity of these chemical s should be added depending upon raw mate­ri al chosen . Further, an increase in grammage due to surface sizing of paper should be limited . Finall y, some chemical s are used as e radicators of ink- the process popul arly known as sensiti vity test. These c hemicals are primarily used on the surface of cheque paper. The chemi­cals required for the above tes ts are g iven in Table I. These are ac idic, alka line, ox id ant , reductant or purely a neutral organic solvent , as ev ident from the nature of chemical s. These c hemi ca ls when applied on the sur­face of MICR cheque paper, develop a colour due to reacti ons. Exposure to UV li ght shows co lour c hange with characteri stic surface contour, indicating the authen­ti c ity of the pape r.

No detailed info rmati on indicating the manufactur­ing method of MICR cheque paper is reported in litera­ture, except the specifications prescribed by BIS- II 087-

494 J SC I IND RES VOL 60 JUNE 2001

Table !-Relative proport ion or chemicals mi xed into pulp during stoc k preparation

Chem ica ls Dyes Modified starch Rosin size Metal su lphates Potassium l"crrocynide Iron free alum

Relative proportion 1.00

I ] 10 2 1.90 79.50 !17.50

218.75

1986. The results of this laboratory -made paper are com­pared with those of cheque paper both MICR and Non­MICR produced from various Indian mill s. These spec i­ficati ons have originated from Indian Bank Association. Besides State Bank of India , others have made their own spec ification and are not readily ava ilable. Though lit­erature shows the difference between useful properties of MICR and non-MICR cheque papers produced by mills and so me spec ial properties they possess for meet­in cr the strin crent requirement s of BIS sta ndards, the

b b

manufacturing processes are shrouded with sec recy. These remain as proprietory items and the ir confidenti ­ality is maintained in the mill s.

A closer look at the quality of most mill- made pa­pers; it is usuall y found that many of the prope rties de­part signifi cantl y from the required spec ification th ough somehow used for the intended purpose. Therefore the present study is undertaken to develop a property, which can meet the rigid standards, as spec ifi ed by BIS using pulp manufactured from raw material s abundantl y avai l­able such as eucalyptus, bamboo, and poplars. The stu dy aims to deve lop the above properties from loca ll y made raw material s, which are not far from the spec ifi cations of BIS standard. The most important requirements of MICR cheque paper are as foll ows:

•

•

• •

•

MICR cheque must have uniform formati on, smooth and free from embossment s or heavy engra vin gs, dust, fluff, pinholes, specks, and other surface de­fects. It should also be free from any unbleached or ground wood pulp, flu orescent brightners, and magneti zable particles. It shou ld exactly be squa re cu t. It should be treated with some spec ial chemicals so that any tampering can be eas il y detected . Ink fixin g is also very important in cheque paper. Ferrocyan ide is used in the paper for thtt; purpose. It fixes ink , which contains iron.

•

•

It should be abl e to withstand the action of salt wa­ter, heat and hi gh humidity. It has to be sensit ive to acid, alkal i and bleach liquor so that any meddlin g with the cheque is detected.

Experimental Methodology Pulp Characlerislics --Bleached and beaten ra w pulp having approximate composition of pine: bamboo: eu­calyptu s in I :2 .3: II rati os.

Blending and Slack Prepamlion -- The pulp was blended with chemica ls with thei r relative proport ions as given in Table I. Chemicals req uired were approx imate ly of the order 13.5 percent of paper and add iti onal 2.5 per­cent during surface sizing. The dyes usd were composed of Rhodamine and Chrysophenin. The re latj ve ratio was 15: I , whereas the sulphates were in the rati o I 0 I : I. The former was composed with transition metal- like man­ganese wh ile the later composed wit h alkaline metal­li ke sodium . Starch as such could not be used; as it has to be mod ified by ox idation or by other methods. The chem icals were thoroughly mi xed with the pulp by an agitator and 95±5 glm" hand- made sheets were prepared on Briti sh sheet form er. This was followed by air drying pri or to treatment with surface siz ing chemi cals .

Swface Sizing - The air-dried uns ized hand-made sheets were surface sized by inserting them into surface-sized chemicals composed of potassium ferro yni de, su lphates and ox idi sed starch. The relat ive propon ions of the above chem icals were in the rati o of 6.67 : 6. 14: I. As ind i­cated earlier the pro port ions of manganese sulphates and sod ium su lphate were in the rati o of 43: I. It is interes t­ing to note that onl y 2.5 per cent surface sized chemi ca ls were req uired wh ich when added with the stock prepa­ration, percentage of chem icals being in the order of to­tal 16 per cent. It was signifi cant to exam ine that the sizing chemicals were adhered to the shee t. If there was any chemical unabsorbed by the sheet , it was wiped out. Severa l ex periments have been condu cted with an aim

to optim ise the chemica l concentrations so th at chemi­ca l pick-up follows ri gid spec ifica ti ons prescribed by BIS , i.e., approximately 2.5 per ce nt.

Preparmion of Che111ic{/ls-The surLtce sizin g chem i­cals , envisaged in Table 2, were approximately of 5 °TW . Ten ex periments were carried out which have been sub­jected to treatment of s izing chemi clls. These could ,

Dun ct al.: DEVELOPMENT OF MICR CHEQUE PAPER

Chemical formula

Table 2- Chemicals with their nature used for authenticity test

Solvent, Oxidant or reductantChemicals

A Acetone

B Ethylene glycol

C Benzene

D Chloroform

E Ammonia

F Oxalic acid

G Sodium meta bi-sulphite

H Calcium hypochlorite

(CH3)2CO

(CH20H)2

C6H6

CHCI3

NH3

(COOH)2

NaHS03

Ca(OCI)2

Nature of chemicals

Organic Solvent

Organic Solvent

Organic Solvent

Organic Solvent

Inorganic Solvent

Organic Reductant

Inorganic Oxidant

Inorganic Oxidant

Table 3- Results of Sensitivity test

ChemicalsCode numberA

Observations

Red out line stain developed

Di-hydroxyalcoholB

Special functions

Aliphatic ketone

Yellow outline stain developed

Aromatic hydrocarbonRed outline stain developedC

D Light red outline stain developed Aliphatic tri-chloro substituted

methane

E Paper dccolorizcd

Greenish blue stain developed

Bleaching agent

F

G Paper decolorized

Bright yellow outline developed Bleaching agentH

Base

Aliphatic di-carboxylic acid

however, be estimated on both A 0 and 0 0 basis. Thelowest and highest value ranged between 2.357 per centto 22.427 per cent with an statistical average of 24.192per cent and standard deviation of 0.4272 in kg/t andwith estimated standard deviation of 0.4503 in kg/t. Theerrors introduced were within -2.57 to +2.18 per cent,respectively, which indicated that the results could bereproduced.

Testfor Sensitisation-s- The paper was further subjectedto authenticity test (also called as sensitivity test). Theresults are reported in Table 3. From the data, it is evi-dent that the product developed, displayed sensitivitytest to the level as required by BIS. The results werequite encouraging and the pulp could be a promising onefor future requirements.

Evaluation of Pulp Sheets - Printed cheque paper andbase paper for cheque printing both for MICR and non-MICR categories are collected form various Indian Pulpand Paper Industries and their properties were tested.Laboratory made hand-sheets were also subjected tosimilar tests after conditioning the sample at 27±2 IICand 65±2 per cent relative humidity. The results areshown in Table 4. The properties were evaluated usingBIS/ Tappi standards.

Results and DiscussionThe results of all the above samples were compared

with BIS specification taken as the basis. The resultswere also statistically analysed. It is evident from theresults that the laboratory made hand-sheet obtained fromindigenous raw materials display better results compared

496 J SCI IND RES VOL 6iOJUNE 2001

Table 4- Comparison of laboratory-made MICR cheque paper with mill-made MICRcheque paper

Parameters Specifications: Laboratory Mill-made MICR and non MICR cheque papers11087-1986 made

sheets Mill-A MiIl-B Mill-C MiII-D MiII-E MiII-F<j> MiII-G<j>Substance, g/m'

Thickness, ~m lIo±lO" 145 110 119 114 135 118 107 104Smoothness, sl50 ml 35" 75 97 95 III

Gurley porosity, sll00ml 25" 25 23 65 90 95 29 22 90

Opacity, percent 80" 95.6 96 94 96 93.1 89 96 96

Wax pick, TSI ws No pick on lOA lOA 14A/14A 12AI12A 14A/14A 13A/14A 12A 10A+

Tearing strength, CD/MD. mN 700" 705 529/510 735/880 529/392 9221726 1200/950 515/460 8001900

Stiffness, CDI MD. gf/cm 1.2/3.0" 6.0 3.0/4.5 1.7/4.1 2.115.3 11.3113.6Color As per buyer WhiteWatermark As per buyer 0.71-77

mmSize of paper To make cheques

in following sizes,

A= 70X 165 mm and

B=93X265 mmTolerance as per lengthof cheque being in M/CDirection in case ofsheets and CID incase of rolls

* = Distance between two distinct water mark, ** = Minimum, <j>= Non MICR cheque paper

to some available machine-made papers. Table 5 showsthe percentage error in the properties of laboratory-madehand-sheets, MICR and non-MICR cheque papers. Thedeviations were calculated from upper and lower toler-ance limits of BIS specifications. It is evident from Ta-ble 5 that basis weight of laboratory made hand-sheetshows 0.0 per cent error whereas most of the mill madeMICR and non-MICR cheque papers are deviated fromits upper and lower tolerance limits except that for mill-e. Caliper of laboratory made hand-sheet shows largedeviations (beyond tolerance limit i.e. about 20.8 percent from upper tolerance limit and 31.8 per cent fromlower tolerance limit) than those of other mill-madeMICR and non-MICR cheque papers. The caliper ofpaper largely depends upon the morphological charac-teristics of fibrous raw material. The furnish taken forlaboratory made hand-sheets is composed of sawmillwaste of pine, bamboo and eucalyptus (I :2.3: II). Thethick walled fibers do not c~llapse readily to double wallribbon structure but tend to retain their tubular struc-

ture. The paper sheet made of such type of fibres is bulkyand porous in nature. However, knowing the morpho-logical characteristics of raw material very well but pa-per manufacturers have to compromise, as there is nochoice for them due to an acute shortage of fibrous rawmaterials in India. Minimum requirement for Gurleysmoothness is 25 sl100 mL. Smoothness of the MICRand non-MICR cheque papers is found to be out of therange in this investigation. Gurley air porosity of mill-made MICR and non-MICR cheque papers of mills Aand F show large variations and is found to be beyondthe range ofBIS specifications. As the Gurley air poros-ity of papers is on negative side (calculated with stand-ard specification as a base), it means ink consumptionduring printing will be more. Laboratory made hand-sheet shows 0.0 per cent tolerance limit. Based on toler-ance limits the decreasing order of superiority of labora-tory made hand-sheet, MICR and non-MICR chequepapers is as follows: D>C=G>B>E>LMHS>A>F(LMHS= Laboratory-made hand sheet).

DUTI eta/.: DEVELOPMENT OF MICR CHEQUE PAPER

Table 5--Percent error in the properties of labora!Ory made hand-sheets, mill made MICR and non- MICR cheque paper as deviated with tolerance limits from BIS specification

Parameters BIS LMHS" Mill , A'~ Mill , B'~ M i ii , C'~ Miii , D'~ Mill , E~' Mill , p• Miii ,G • Sp;:-:iticati on

Substance, g/m2 95±2 per 0 -9.2(L) -2.7(L) 0 !6.9(U) - 0.71 (U) -11 .3(L) -S. IJ (L) cent +4.65(L)

1.89(W)

l11iekness, IJm 110±10 per 31.8(W) 0 82(W) 3.63(W) 12.5(U) - 1.67(U) -2.73(W) -5.4.'\(W) cent 20.8(U) 0 83(U) 5.00(U) 4.00(L)

Smoothness, 35··· Out of range in the present investigat ion s/50 ml

Porosi ty, s/100 25"' 0 -X !60 260 280 16 - 12 260 ml Opaci ty, per cent so'" Higher than the prescribed data

Wax pick, co/MD No pick on Not very too much lOA

Tear strength, 700'' ' with 7 1 -24.4 25.7 -24.4 31.7 71.4 - 264 28.6 mN CD onl y Stiffness, CD/MD· 1.2/3.0"' +400CD 150CD 61.7CD 75CD 842CD gflcm +IOOMD SOMD 36.7MD 76.7 M 353MD

D ' Basis for tolenmce limit," L1boratory made hand- sheets, '"Minimum. '''M !CR cheque paper, • Non MICR cheque paper, W = Wit hout tolerance limit , U =Upper tolenmcc limit and L =Lower to lerance li mit

The va lues of opacity are in close prox imity to each other but far from the BIS specificati on. It is ev ident that higher opacity gives an advantage for both MTCR and non-MJCR cheque papers. As the laboratory made hand-sheet gives value very close to all the va lues. hence spec ific di stincti on can be made. The wax tes t method is applicable to both coated and uncoated papers and it is des igned to measure the surface strength of papers or its res istance to picking. Wax-pick number of both MTCR and non-MJCR cheque papers vary from I OA to 14A. All these samples closely follow the BJS spec ification.

The work done partly due to rupturing the paper along the line of the tear and partly bending the sample whil e it is bein g torn determines the tearin g res istance in milli

ewtons weight. The minimum tearing strength required for MICR and non- MICR cheque paper is 700 mN . Sam­ples from mill A, C, and F show tearing strength below the specification, whereas LMHS , mill B, D.E, and G show positive tearin g strength based on th e standard specification (equi va lent to zero ). The decreasin g order

of superiority of MJCR and non-MICR cheque papers based upon tol erance limits is as foll ows :

LMHS>E>D>G>B>C=A .

The most important property of paper is its uni que ly high bending stiffness per unit grammage of the mate­rial. Paper used for printing so call ed cultural paper can not be handled so eas ily and rati onall y in printing presses if paper does not possess a high stiffness. A uniform tensile stiffness over the width of the paper web is, fo r instance, a condition for good reg ister. Correct bendin g stiffness is necessary for printing machine to functi on properly. The bending stiffness depends ve ry mu ch on fl ex ibility coeffi cient , cell-wall thi ckness and lumen di ­ameter. The va lues of stiffness for both MICR and non­MICR cheque papers are positi ve beyond the tolerance limit. However the va lues of stiffness for LMHS and mill E are very hi gh. It means that the furni sh is co m­prised of thick walled fibers which is ev idenced by high ca lliper and tear strength.

498 J SCI IND RES VOL 60 JUNE 2001

Conclusions (i) A pulp blend composed of sawmill waste of pine,

bamboo, and eucalyptus (I :2.3: II) having freeness 35 "SR are found to be suitable for the develop­ment of MICR cheque paper.

(ii) The relative proportion of c hemical s, i. e. dyes, modified starch, rosin size, meta l sulphates, potas­sium ferrocynide and iron- free alum are mixed with the pul p during stock prepa ra tion are I: 13.10:21.90:79.50:87.50:218.75 , approximately.

(iii) The laboratory made MICR c heque paper g ives positive sensitivity test with various chemicals, as

listed in Table 2.

(iv) Laboratory made hand-sheet follows the BIS speci­fication ri g idly, except ca ~ iper. Caliper depen ds very much on the morphol ogical characteristics of fibrous raw material s such as cell-wall thi ckness and fibre diameter. However, there is no choice for selection of fibrou s raw materials due to poor avail­ability of fibrous raw mate~· ial in India in order to develop the MTCR cheque paper as per BIS speci­fications. Laboratory-made hand - ~; heet shows posi­tive response towards various properties that are mentioned in BIS I I 087-1986 when compared with others mill made MICR and non-M ICR cheque pa­

pers.