What Is a Credit Card Imprinter?

What is a credit card imprinter? 

A credit card imprinter, sometimes also called a “knuckle-buster,” “zip-zap machine” or “click-clack machine,” is a manual device that records credit card transactions using a carbon copy sales slip. These devices are nonelectronic, manually operated machines that make an imprint (hence the name) of the face of a credit card and transfer it onto a double receipt. 

Merchants frequently used credit card imprinters to accept credit card payments before the widespread adoption of payment terminals made them virtually obsolete.

Many younger people may have never even seen a credit card imprinting machine in person. Chances are also high that you will never come across one (except perhaps at a random antique shop or flea market). The majority of these devices were about the same size and shape as a standard handheld adding machine (if you remember those). 

Today, most retailers and other businesses use electronic payment terminals and card readers, which securely process credit and debit card transactions in a matter of seconds. However, some businesses may still keep an imprinter as a backup for card transactions during power or internet outages, although this practice is increasingly rare and discouraged by modern security standards.

How does a credit card imprinter work?

A credit card imprinter does exactly what it sounds like: It makes a physical imprint of the raised numbers and name on a customer’s credit card onto a carbon-copy sales slip. The merchant places the card and slip into the device, then slides a bar across the top to press the card’s details onto the paper. This creates two copies: one for the merchant and one for the customer.

After the imprint is made, the customer signs the slip to authorize the purchase. The merchant then tears the form along its perforated edge, keeps the original copy for their records, and gives the customer the duplicate.

Are credit card imprinters obsolete?

While they’re far from cutting-edge, credit card imprinters aren’t entirely obsolete. Some businesses still keep these manual machines on hand for good reasons. There are a few scenarios where an imprinter can come in handy:

• For in-person transactions in remote areas where internet access is unreliable or unavailable.
• When accepting credit cards by phone, and the merchant needs to manually record a card number for later processing.
• As a backup payment method when electronic card readers go down due to power outages, network issues or equipment failures.

In these cases, a credit card imprinter offers a low-tech but reliable solution to keep sales moving and avoid turning customers away.

While rare, you can still spot imprinters in some retail stores, restaurants and even financial institutions — typically tucked away as an emergency backup. In today’s digital world, they may seem outdated, but for certain use cases, they may still be relevant.

Why you should consider upgrading from credit card imprinters

While valid reasons exist for keeping imprinters around, upgrading to more robust payment processing systems is a no-brainer in today’s retail situations. “There are a number of reasons why businesses should upgrade from credit card imprinters,” advised Chris Panteli, co-founder of Linkifi. 

Consider the following reasons to upgrade to a modern credit card processing setup: 

• Rising costs and limited availability of supplies: Carbon-copy forms used with imprinters are becoming harder to find — and more expensive when you do find them. As supply dwindles, costs go up, making the imprinter less practical and more costly to maintain.
• Outdated recordkeeping: Carbon copies are fragile and prone to smudging or tearing. Plus, in an increasingly digital world, relying on physical copies to store sensitive payment information is inefficient and risky.
• Slower transaction times: Imprinting a card, having the customer sign, and later manually entering or mailing the slip takes significantly more time than swiping, dipping or tapping a card on a modern reader.
• Unreliable imprints: If the imprint isn’t clear — which can easily happen — the merchant may not be able to process the payment at all. There’s no instant feedback or validation that the card is even active.
• Delayed payment processing: With a manual imprinter, the payment isn’t processed until the merchant enters the data or submits the slip to their provider. That delay increases the risk of declined cards or credit card chargebacks.
• Security concerns: Manual imprints don’t meet modern PCI compliance standards. Carbon slips contain all the cardholder’s information, which can be lost, stolen or mishandled. Digital systems offer encryption and credit card fraud protection, while imprinters don’t.

Alternatives to manual credit card imprinters

While credit card imprinters once played a key role in accepting payments, today’s payment technology offers faster, safer and more versatile options. If you’re still hanging on to an imprinter — even as a backup — it’s worth exploring the modern tools that have largely replaced them.

Credit card processing services 

The best credit card processing services now offer a host of hardware that makes it easy to accept payments. Credit card terminals are available for swipe cards, EMV chip cards and near-field communication (NFC) mobile payments. All of these devices can easily print receipts for customers or provide digital receipts.

Point-of-sale (POS) systems 

A POS system is a significant upgrade over an imprinter, allowing you to accept credit and debit cards along with a variety of other payment types. Additionally, the best POS systems include retail- and restaurant-specific features like inventory management, employee management and integrations with the best accounting software, helping merchants manage everything from sales and staffing to bookkeeping in one place.

As Panteli put it, the right POS system connects all the dots: “Everything is connected to our business account and payments are made instantaneously,” Panteli said. “Credit card till roll is cheap and the system works through Wi-Fi or the telephone line.”

Mobile credit card processing systems 

Merchants can use the best mobile credit card processors to take payments from virtually anywhere using a smartphone or tablet. These systems, which are often part of a larger mobile POS setup, typically include a small card reader that connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth or the headphone jack.

Jennifer Post contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.