Designer Checks Review: Personal Check Stores

Designer Checks and Checks Unlimited are part of the same company, with a history spanning nearly 40 years. You're going to see a lot of similarities between the two, but we'll do the best we can to show you what to expect if you use either one for ordering personal checks.

Better website of the two

Here, of course, we'll focus on the experience specifically on the Designer Checks website. For starters, Designer Checks has a much more updated feel than Checks Unlimited: brighter colors, eye-catching promos, and an overall smoother flow as you click around the site.

Regular prices are a little higher than rivals'

Next, let's see how this site stacks up against competitors. For every personal check printer we researched, we looked at the pricing and check quantity for three designs. Here's how that turned out at Designer Checks:

• Basic Blue Safety Checks: there were no color choices given for safety checks, making green the only option. Prices were $22.44 for 1 box of 80 single checks and $28.44 for 1 box of duplicate checks (includes per box/item handling fees)
• Parchment Hologram Checks: called "Securiguard Parchment Checks", they were priced at $25.44 for a box of 80 single checks and $31.44 for a box of 80 duplicate checks
• Patriotic Design Checks: the "Stars & Stripes" design had the same pricing and quantities as the Basic Blue Safety Checks

Small design selection

The selection here is quite a bit smaller than most rivals on our list, though. We only found 134 personal check designs to consider - well under the 1,000+ that we spotted on other websites (and 100 less than its sister site).

Gets more affordable

We weren't impressed with the pricing at first, but Designer Checks had a bunch of promos during our recent visit to the site. We could get free shipping, a free 4th box of checks, free custom lettering, and a free "designer's choice" upgrade. Keep an eye out for anything that could be on offer when you're ready to order your personal checks.

Hassle-free ordering process

So, let's say you choose the "Stars & Stripes" personal checks and you're ready to put together your order. Designer Checks clearly spells out each step you'll need to take. First, choose the quantity (and recognize that you'll save 25% or more if you order 4 boxes instead of just one or two). Next, add any coordinating products, like address labels or a checkbook cover. Finally, decide if you'd like to pay $5.95 for in-plant rush to get your personal checks printed faster and ready to ship within 2 days of placing your order.

$2.50 for personalizations

On the next screen, you'll provide all the usual details about what goes on your check, and you'll see each change you make in the preview of your check design at the bottom of the page. Then, you pick your customizations, from an upgraded font ($2.50) to a monogram or symbol ($2.50), or even a personalized message (you guessed it... $2.50). But remember, sometimes Designer Checks will give you some or all of those upgrades for free.

Fraud protection included by default

Here's one to watch for, though: most personal check printers offer some kind of fraud protection, and Designer Checks does as well. However, their ordering process defaults to including it, and it's a lot spendier here than in other places ($9.45, and we think that's per box). You'll have to click the dropdown box that says "Yes! Protect my checks & identity" and set it to "no" if you don't want to pay for that feature. When we did that, we figured out that Designer Checks offers not one but two types of fraud protection; the first option included identity theft benefits, and saying "no" to the first took us to another screen for SentryShield alone for $2.45 per box. That was more in line with rivals' security protection services, but it was still annoying having to click through both options (because they get included by default).

No handling fees during checkout

Designer Checks also defaults to standard trackable shipping; on our order, that cost $8.95,and would get our checks to us in 7-11 business days if we didn't opt for in-plant rush production. You can also get free standard, untrackable shipping, with your checks arriving in up to 15 business days, or go for a more expedited delivery method (2-day or 1-day delivery once your checks have been printed) if you need it. We were happy to see that, true to their word, Designer Checks didn't add any handling fees during the final checkout - something that their competitors often do.

"A+" from the BBB

Reputation? Designer Checks' parent company earned an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, with only 20 complaints filed with the BBB in the last year. Given that the BBB profile spans multiple imprints of this check company (not just Designer Checks and Checks Unlimited, but several others too), that's noteworthy. We didn't find too many current reviews on third-party sites, but what dated back almost a year prior to this review and earlier was over 90% 4- and 5-star ratings.

Solid option for personal checks

Although Designer Checks isn't going to blow you away with thousands of personal check designs, there's a lot to love about this company. The website is one of the easiest to navigate among all of the options on our list, the prices are pretty exceptional once you put in a promo code, and we've got no worries about this printer's reputation. If you see a deal you just can't pass up here, go right ahead and order your personal checks from Designer Checks.

Learn More  ➜

On the Designer Checks website