How to measure

  1. Print one cheque onto plain A4, never a real leaf.
  2. Hold the sheet against a genuine cheque up to a window or lamp.
  3. Pick one field — the date is usually clearest — and measure the gap between where it printed and where it should be, with a ruler.
  4. Enter that distance and the direction above.

Then work in small steps

Apply the calculated margins, reprint on plain paper, and measure again. Two or three passes normally lands it. Large jumps overshoot and you end up hunting.

Boxed date digits need the most care

Cheques in India, Pakistan, Bahrain and Singapore print the date into separate boxes, one character each. A single date field absorbs a millimetre of drift invisibly; eight small boxes do not. Align the date first and the rest usually follows.

If the calculated margin comes out negative

That points at the layout rather than the printer — most often the cheque width and height being wrong, which shifts every field at once. Measure the paper with a ruler and check it against the layout before adjusting anything else.

What margins cannot fix

Skew. If text runs at a slight angle, or the angle changes between cheques, the printer is not holding the paper straight — tighten the tray guides or use a manual feed slot. No margin value averages out inconsistent feeding.