also a tool that generates the emboss pattern based on the design of the card. so that for example a logo on the card gets embossed.

I think it should be relatively straightforward to set up something like that with build123d[1]. You can load the emboss pattern from an SVG and project it on the surface of a cylinder with `project_faces()`[2]. Some positive/negative extrusion and some added keyholes and you're done.

[1] https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html

[2] https://build123d.readthedocs.io/en/latest/direct_api_refere...

or the text in 3d, like credit cards used to be

i thought about that, but i think doing that to cardboard is more likely to cut the letters. you can't really make the patterns to narrow to think. although you could emboss an outline of the text

I don’t know what you mean. The technique of stamping the numbers on credit cards was literally called embossing.

Here is a video of a desktop scale embosser used for just that purpose: https://youtu.be/5ZQHSsFnACs?si=DWwgTScwl5HXkwGP

The part where the embossing daisy wheel is shown is at 18:10.

Here are machines used at an industrial scale: https://www.maticagroup.com/technologies/embossers/

They are nevertheless called “embossers”.

The embossed numbers were used to transfer the details quickly and reliably. A roller would apply pressure to press special paper onto upraised letters and numbers. The seller would hand write the amount and the buyer would sign. Two copies were made simultaneously (carbon impregnated paper) and separated and a copy kept by each party.

Its a far cry from paying by bonk and your phone beeping a few seconds later to indicate your bank has already registered the transaction!

You mean business or credit card? Credit Cards I believe was embossing, you had the negative of the numbers on the back. They did that because before you had electronic card readers, merchant were taking credit card payments by making a carbon copy of the credit card number on the invoice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card_imprinter

I don't think I'm misremembering, but the back side of the card had recesses of the characters, so it was in fact embossed (in the UK at least).

I'm in Estonia, and my bank issues debit and credit cards that are definitely embossed.

unrelated, but that's almost surprising. austrian banks stopped issuing embossed cards years ago. is anyone in estonia still using that feature?

Not that I know of. We're a pretty tech-forward country, so it's hard to imagine anyone making physical carbon copies these days.

exactly, that's what i thought. must be one of those: it was always done that way, or maybe just, the banks bought machines to print the cards from the US or where they still do that (do they actually?) or simply those machines were cheaper, or who cares, its not like there is a downside to embossing the numbers. it could also be estonians who fled to the US in the previous century returning and bringing back their idea of how it should be done.

i was visiting the baltics in the early 90s and i head that people were desperate to get anything from the west after being cut of for so long.