t seems that every month a new POS application or gadget hits the market. Sometimes we become so focused on technological advancements or the latest development in real time card processing that we forget the basics.

It doesn't matter how fast a transaction processes or how sleek a terminal is if the cashier can't get the card to read. It's not a matter of whether a card will be unreadable, it's only a matter of when, and it benefits merchants to be prepared.

Cards become unreadable, terminals malfunction and power outages occur. These are all times when a credit card imprinter (often referred to as a "knuckle buster") can save a merchant time, money and aggravation.

It's So Low Tech

Next time you think there is no need for a credit card imprinter, pick up your local paper. Natural disasters, power outages, fraud and operator errors are all instances when an imprinter can save merchants money and hours of hassle.

Purchasing an imprinter is an easy decision. For approximately $25 merchants can have an "insurance policy" to respond to many chargebacks. An imprint of the credit card proves the card was present at the time of transaction and verifies the card data. Where else can a merchant get peace of mind for $25?

One company that provides that peace of mind is Addressograph Bartizan LLC. Addressograph Bartizan is the result of a merger between leading imprinter manufacturers NBS-Bartizan LLC and NewBold Corp.

In 1999 Bartizan Corp. merged with NBS to form NBS-Bartizan LLC. Two years later, NBS-Bartizan and NewBold merged to form Addressograph Bartizan.

A Worldwide Presence

Addressograph Bartizan is the world's leading provider of credit card imprinters and related supplies. That stands to reason because the imprinters the company sells were developed from the technology of the three previous companies.

"With the experience and knowledge of the world's leading imprinter manufacturers, Addressograph Bartizan provides the highest quality and widest choice of imprinters at a great value," said Robert Scott, President of Addressograph Bartizan.

The 90-employee company has locations in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. It also has active dealers in 50 countries and users in more than 120 countries.

Addressograph Bartizan sells its products through the merchant level salesperson (MLS) sales channel. MLSs resell the products, which gives them the freedom of setting pricing themselves.

In addition to the flexibility of establishing the sales price, Addressograph Bartizan supports its partners by providing marketing support, custom order forms and sales training. Other benefits to MLSs include potential add-on sales, satisfied merchants and, of course, profit.

The company's product range includes both manual and electric devices such as portables, flatbeds and pump-handle imprinters. The majority of the company's sales are flatbed imprinters, but it is reporting an increase in sales for the smaller portable imprinters.

"If the imprinter is not used as often, why not have a portable device that can be placed in the cash register?" Scott said. "We make a very small device that is not much wider than the actual card itself and smaller than a PDA."

Addressograph Bartizan stands behind its products and provides a complete fulfillment service. "Our computer systems are linked from customer service to shipping, to directly integrating with our courier company," Scott said.

The company packages and ships imprinters either the same or next day from receipt of order. It also has customer service representatives available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

Addressograph Bartizan's Web site contains a troubleshooting section, and if customers do not find answers to their questions, they can submit the issue to customer service through the Web site at any time.

It Takes Only One Chargeback

Millions of dollars are lost annually due to chargebacks. Chargebacks are one of the main reasons every merchant needs to have a credit card imprinter on standby.

Addressograph Bartizan reports that up to two out of every 100 cards fail to swipe at an electronic terminal. Each time a cashier manually keys in a credit card number, there is the risk of error or the charge being disputed because there is no proof that the credit card was present or that the transaction occurred.

Even if merchants are successful in fighting chargebacks, they have still spent time and money researching sales records to dispute them. An imprint proves that the card was present, lessening the risk of a chargeback.

Since imprinters usually cost merchants less than $25, the products more than pay for themselves when they prevent the first chargeback.

A Staple for Some Industries

In addition to chargeback prevention or power outages, imprinters are useful for merchants who accept deposits, offer pre-authorizations or mobile services.

For example, hotels and other hospitality-related businesses use imprinters to accept room deposits or keep a running tab at a bar. Mobile businesses such as food deliveries, taxicabs, in-home sales or tow trucks use portable and mini imprinters.

Finally, travel agencies use Addressograph Bartizan's products to validate airline tickets and to accept credit card payments.

Focused on Product and Service

Addressograph Bartizan takes pride in its customized products; it tailors solutions to specific customer needs, while maintaining quick order turnaround times.

"Our sales professionals work closely with customers to ensure that we provide the best solution to meet their needs," Scott said. "We pay particular attention to customers with special requirements and recommend the most appropriate product."

However, the company isn't resting on its laurels. It continues to find ways to improve imprinters and provide complementary products.

"We continually request customer feedback in order to ensure we carry the products required by our customers to process credit card transactions," Scott said.

Addressograph Bartizan can customize most of its imprinters with any color or logo, which helps merchants brand their corporate identity. The company also provides supply items such as ink rollers, card reader cleaning cards, sales slips and POS terminal rolls.

"Addressograph Bartizan is committed to providing customer service excellence, through measurable quality improvement, continuous product enhancement, and on-time delivery of products and services, while achieving profitable growth," Scott said.

No one can predict the future, but merchants can prepare for it. An imprinter is a small investment for the security of preventing chargebacks.

No matter how far technology advances or how quickly we transmit data, nothing can replace the imprint of a card.