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Check:

A payment order drawn on a bank, payable upon presentation.  The parties to a check are the Drawer or Maker, the bank, and the Beneficiary (Payee, Bearer, or the Drawer himself).  A check is a NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENT meaning that it can be signed over (endorsed) to a third party.

A Cashier's Check is one drawn on the bank's own account and is considered as good as cash.  When a Cashier's Check is issued at the request of a bank client, the funds are drawn from the client's account and credited to the bank's account before the check is drawn.

A Certified Check is a check written by the Maker where the Maker's bank stamps the check itself certifying that the signature on the check is genuine and that the stated funds are available.  Payment of a Certified Check is the responsibility of the bank, which draws the stated funds from the Maker's account upon certification.  The funds are placed in an escrow-type account, awaiting presentation of the Certified Check for payment.

An Electronic Check is a check that has been ordered through an online bank account or through one's credit card account that requests a check be sent to a given party by the bank, as in online bill pay.  Such checks can also be ordered by telephone so long as the account holder provides the correct identifiers.  These checks will often have the words "PAYMENT CENTER" located somewhere on the face of the check.

A QChex is one that is generated by listing one's bank account number with QChex, then typing in the desired information on a blank online check, and either printing it out or having QChex mail it to the designated party.  Neither QChex nor QChex-type services verify the authenticity of the account holder, meaning that anyone with banking information can open a check-writing account.

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