What is a printed form used instead of cash to make payments from your bank account?

A printed form used instead of cash to make payments from your bank account is a cheque. Cheques are financial instruments that allow the person who holds them (the payee) to withdraw funds from the drawer's bank account, thus facilitating a payment without the need for cash exchange. When a person writes a cheque, they authorize their bank to transfer a specified amount of money directly to the individual or entity named on the cheque. This method of payment provides a secure way to handle transactions and creates a paper trail for both the payer and the payee.

In this context, it is important to understand the other options. A promissory note is a financial document in which one party promises to pay a sum of money to another party under specified terms but does not directly facilitate payment like a cheque does. A bill of exchange is an order to pay a certain sum, typically used in international trade but is not as commonly used for everyday payments compared to cheques. A credit note is issued to the buyer as evidence of a return of goods or an adjustment in pricing, essentially a document acknowledging that the buyer has a credit balance with the seller, not a payment instrument itself.