This disc printer uses a relatively massive, rigid print disc (22) having a flat face on which two sets of raised character fronts (21,22) are arranged in separate spirals. Advantage ously, the inner font set (21) contains machine readable characters which are printable with high resolution, and a second font set (22) arranged so that the characters are upright as they pass a print zone which is vertically offset from the zone in which the high resolution characters are printed. The print disc acts as the platen for printing. With this arrangement, the same print disc can be used to print characters onto a record medium (10) at two different elevations, while maintaining the medium flat. arid without the need to transport the medium vertically. A check printer also is dis- dosed which uses the print disc to print machine readable, high resolution characters onto the check (10) during linear transport of the check in one direction, and to print other indicia onto the check during linear transport thereof in either the same or the opposite direction.