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Chances are your homebased business requires monetary transactions. Maybe you have a credit-card merchant account or send bills through the mail. But upkeep on a merchant account can be costly and mail can be slow. AdvanceMeant's Draft Creator check acceptance software makes for some nice middle ground. Available only over the Internet at www.advancemeants.com, it allows you to accept checks by phone, fax machine, e-mail and the Internet.

After a simple setup, it's ready to create bank drafts from the information your customers provide: their account number and bank routing number from the bottom of a regular check, check number, bank name and phone number, and personal contact information. You then fill the information into the Draft Creator interface as if you were filling in a check onscreen. The draft you print of their check contains the message, "Payment authorized by accountholder. Indemnification agreement provided by: [your company name.]" This allows you to deposit the draft into your business account as you would any regular check.

After the $49.95 registration fee, the only ongoing costs are for check stock for your printer (about $.04 per check). Draft Creator also maintains a searchable database of all printed checks and drafts for reference and reprinting if necessary. You can even print checks for your own business bank account. The software requires Windows 95/98/NT2000, 10MB available hard-drive space, and a laser or inkjet printer. Unlimited e-mail technical support is included.