Credit Card Imprinter

Definition

A credit card imprinter is a manual device that transfers embossed card details onto a paper sales slip. The physical imprint records information; it does not electronically authorize, capture or settle a payment.

Limits of a paper imprint

Cards without embossed details cannot be imprinted in the same way. Any manual or offline acceptance process must be supported by the merchant’s provider and applicable payment rules. A paper record is not a substitute for an approved processing workflow.

Paper records containing a card number remain within PCI DSS scope. They require appropriate handling, access controls, retention and disposal. Use the payment provider’s supported procedures rather than treating an imprinter as a universal outage workaround.

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Reference: PCI Security Standards Council.