Whenever a new bank customer opens a new checking account, her or she often receives a small supply of generic checks, commonly known as starter checks. Starter checks rarely contain any of the customer's personal information, but they will contain all of the checking account's routing information necessary for processing. The new account holder may have to fill in the areas normally printed with his or her personal address, phone number, driver's license number and other identifiers.

Starter checks are considered by the bank to be negotiable instruments, no different than the customized printed checks customers order at a later date. But many recipients of starter checks may be wary of accepting them as payment, especially if the check number is below a certain number, typically 300. Because a checking account may be very new and the customer may not have started regular banking practices, there is a risk that the presented check could bounce due to non-sufficient funds. Some merchants have specific policies not to accept starter checks from unfamiliar customers.

This reluctance to accept certain starter checks does not mean the new account holder is doomed forever, however. Many people with a set of starter checks use them primarily for regular payments such as utility bills, rent, and loans. Companies which receive a significant amount of checks on a regular basis are generally less concerned that starter checks will be returned for insufficient funds.

Once a supply of starter checks has been exhausted, the customer is free to order customized checks containing all of the essential routing and personal contact information. Some starter checks do not even have pre-printed check numbers, so the user must be especially diligent about writing and recording checks in a sequential order. The new printed checks should have sequential check numbers, but there may be a gap between the number of the last starter check and the first printed check.

Starter checks may continue to have that "new car smell" for checking account holders, but it is generally preferable to waiting weeks for a new pack of printed checks to arrive while bills and other financial obligations remain unpaid.