To cater to the individual tastes of their customers, banks have long printed checks in a wide spectrum of colors. More recently some have begun to offer checks with floral or scenic backgrounds. Now the modest-sized Bank of Marin in Marin County, Calif., has gone one step further. Its customers can simply bring in their own photograph or drawing and have them printed onto a standard check form.
Undeterred by the higher cost ($4.95 for 200 as opposed to $2.95 for the conventional kind), more than 500 customers have already signed up for the illustrated checks. Most of them have selected pictures...