If you look closely at the enlarged copy of the checks on DU, you can tell that 'Customer Copy' is below the shading seen on the xeroxed copy. That looks typed on to me, AFTER THE FACT.
The whole check looks like something you'd pick up at an office supply, but of course, you wouldn't get that type of item at an office supply.
Any other thoughts?
The "routing numbers" are actually routing numbers, they're called "fractional routing numbers". The 32 on Undies check indicates that it was drawn on a "thrift" in the Federal Reserve's 12th district (SF, Seattle!, Portland).
Wonder how Undie got a cashier's check from a bank "back home" while he was in Baltimore?
So where'd the check come from? He went down to a bank and got a cashier's check for the minimum amount made out to himself. He used any of the techniques mentioned below to create the bogus check and then went and cashed his check to get his money back.
The first thing I thought was that all the details on the check had been covered (tape, paper, etc.) and a copy made of the check. Then the cash amounts, payee, etc. were all filled in and the whole thing re-copied. He also could have scanned the check into Photoshop and wiped out all the detail (made it consistent w/ the check background color/pattern) and filled in the blanks.