Imprinter Definition

By Phillip Parker

Last Updated: September 25, 2011

Merchant Account Imprinter Definition:

What is an Imprinter? A credit card imprinter, sometimes affectionately called a “knuckle buster” because of its difficulty to physically manipulate, is a device that makes a carbon copy imprint of a customer’s credit card. An impression of the card is made by placing it in the imprinter along with a specially designed carbon copy receipt and sliding a handle over the top of the two.

Imprinters are used when the physical card can be accepted from the customer but not processed on location. The carbon copy of the card along with the customer’s signature serves as proof of the customer’s authorization of the transaction in the event of a dispute. The use of imprinters is declining due to advances in smart phone credit card processing; however, many delivery businesses continue to use them.

Imprinter Video Demonstration

Use of this video does not constitute an endorsement of any kind by CardPaymentOptions.com.

About The Author

Phillip Parker

Phillip Parker is an independent card payment expert specializing U.S. and Canadian point-of-sale, e-commerce, and mobile payment acceptance. He has nearly two decades of experience in credit card processing as a journalist and consultant. Phillip is the creator of this website and has written over 1,500 articles covering numerous payment acceptance topics. He has also published critical reviews about most merchant services providers currently in operation.

Expert Guidance

Phillip has consulted businesses of all sizes from mom-and-pop shops processing $10K per month to enterprise level organizations processing in excess of $300MM annually. His specialties include:

– Merchant Account Statement Auditing

– Rate & Fee Negotiation

– Processor & POS Selection

– Software Integrations

– Risk Assessment

– Fraud Prevention

– General Processing Advice

Schedule a Consultation Here

Phillip’s Top Picks

Phillip has researched and reviewed over 1,000 merchant services providers over the last 15 years. He also owns multiple businesses that accept credit card payments. If you are looking for an ethical credit card processor that doesn’t hide fees or lock you into expensive contracts, see Phillip’s merchant account picks here.

In The Media

In addition his contributions on CPO, Phillip has also been quoted in several major publications such as The Los Angeles Times, INC Magazine, Miami Herald, Computer World, and numerous others. If you would like to interview Phillip for your story or podcast, please reach out here.

Authors Social Media

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

2 Responses

Tim Tellander

December 30, 2013 8:05 pm

I belong to a blacksmithing group and we sell our wares at fairs, demonstrations, festivals, etc. We are encountering more and more people without cash money and they want to pay with a credit card.
Is there any uncomplicated way of swiping (or imprinting) their card and then get our money from the bank that issued the card?
I’m sure your office is more than amused with the simplicity of my inquiry, but I would appreciate a response.
—you guessed it – I don’t have any kind of smart phone

Reply
- Phillip CPO
  
  December 31, 2013 1:40 pm
  
  Hi Tim,
  
  Unless you are doing over $1000 per month in credit sales, it won’t be cost effective for you to accept cards through a traditional provider. Your cheapest option would be to buy a smartphone and then use a mobile credit card processing app and card reader service. You can find our top picks for credit card processing apps in our Android list and iPhone list
  
  Reply

Copyright

Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice. We may earn revenue if you obtain services from a provider that we recommend. See this page to learn how we support our operations.

Share this post

[Sassy_Social_Share]