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Hmm, maybe the voice call switches to a modem and the person on the other end of the call gets a copy of the check which they can then print out. Seems feasible

Hmm, maybe the voice call switches to a modem and the person on the other end of the call gets a copy of the check which they can then print out. Seems feasible for 1983 technology. I imagine you could send the data for a check over 300 baud without too many issues. I guess the signature field would have to be sent as a bitmap, which over 300 baud would take a while, but probably not a deal-breaker. For businesses this would have been an easy and fast way to send money. No need for stamps. I imagine that was the target demographic as such at thing would have cost thousands in 1980s money. Curious to know if any banks would have accepted a printed out check without some kind of deal with Apple. I'm not even sure if I could deposit a scanned and printed out check today.

Stratoscope 10y ago
I don't know about back then, but it's very common today for banks to accept scanned checks of various sorts. Many banks have mobile apps that let you take a picture of the front and back of the check and deposit it that way. There are also services that convert paper checks to electronic form or let you create electronic checks. For example: http://ww.deluxe.com/about-deluxe/deluxe-resource-center/checks-cards-and-electronic-payment/electronic-check-conversion http://ww.deluxe.com/about-deluxe/deluxe-resource-center/che... https://www.deluxe.com/echecks/ https://www.deluxe.com/echecks/ (I have no connection with Deluxe, I was just aware of their electronic check service since I was looking at business checks and this option came up.)