Turn any standard cheque over and you will see a series of light gray warning lines. Federal Reserve Regulation CC establishes a designated 1.5-inch band at the trailing edge, the top edge of the reverse side when holding the front upright. This space belongs solely to the payee. Everything below that threshold belongs to collecting banks, correspondent clearing networks, and automated sorting equipment.
When you write across the lower boundary line marked "Do Not Write, Stamp, or Sign Below This Line," your pen interferes with automated high-speed scanners. These mechanical sorters read digital audit trails, depository bank routing stamps, and time markers along the bottom 2.5 inches. If your signature bleeds into this zone, optical sorting cameras flag the draft as unreadable. The transaction fails automated batching, delaying settlement by 3 to 5 business days.
Always hold the document vertically with the "Endorse Here" text positioned at the top. Use dark blue or black ink. Light gels, pencils, and felt markers reflect poorly under scanner lighting, triggering automated processing exceptions that return the draft unpaid.
