Stock bank checks can do the job quite nicely on their own.  That’s what I always told folks who kept encouraging me to order my own set of custom-designed bank drafts.  Eventually, though, I saw the folly in that and now order a fresh batch almost every month.
Why bother with a personalized check?  Let me count the ways.
1. Ugly, bland and generally boring bank checks cost pretty much the same as a personalized check from an online printer. You don’t save any money when you go with the inferior product, …

I remember when I issued a photo check to pay my aunt for a loan.  The check had a  colorful picture of me, my wife and our three kids on the background.  She called me up and told me she didn’t want to encash the check because the picture of us looked so good.  I told her I’d send her a batch of checks in her name using the same design.  She loved it.
Designer checks can make memorable gifts.  As long as you keep it personal and meaningful to the …