What is a knuckle-buster?
Knuckle-buster is a slang word for a manual credit card imprinter, which stores used to keep track of credit card transactions before there were computer point-of-sale systems.
FALLING DOWN A Knuckle-Breaker
A knuckle-buster is a slang expression for early hand-operated credit card imprinting devices. Imprinters were also known as knuckle-busters or knuckle-skinners because frequent users developed calluses and skinned their knuckles from repeated use.
From the inception of the credit card industry until the popularity of electronic point-of-sale terminals in the 1980s, retailers and businesses utilized knuckle-busters almost exclusively.
The device functions by positioning the customer’s credit card on a bed within the machine and then layering carbon paper over it. Multiple duplicates of the transaction are generated by dragging a bar back and forth across the paper to create an impression of the embossed card data. Customers sign these paper forms to authenticate the transactions. Customers would receive copies of these documents as receipts, while the business, its bank, and the credit card company would use the remaining copies to process and record transactions.
Some manual imprinters come with a plate containing the merchant’s name, address, and other identifying information. Other merchants would purchase pre-printed carbon transaction documents bearing their company information.
Impact of Technological Progress on Knuckle-Busters
1979 marked the introduction of electronic point-of-sale terminals, which offered several advantages over knucklebusters. Terminals sped up the verification and approval of credit card account transactions, for one. Additionally, they tended to be gentler on the knuckles of all parties involved.
In addition to being fragile documents, carbon copies and transaction receipts can frequently become illegible over time.
Despite this, knuckle-busters are an advantageous contingency plan for businesses that wish to continue conducting transactions if electricity or computer networks become unavailable. They are also helpful for merchants who require a portable method of documenting transactions, such as fair vendors.
Despite this, a number of factors compromise the continued effectiveness of knuckle-busters. Even when manual imprinters are available, employees are frequently untrained. As a result, carbon sources are becoming increasingly expensive and inaccessible. For merchants, manual registration of credit card transactions is more time-consuming, and each entry is at risk of not being authenticated. In addition, credit card companies are increasingly issuing cards not embossed with customer information, rendering the knuckle-buster ineffective for capturing customer information even when conducting a manual transaction.
