punchcard svg file available

[Dave G4UGM]

Where I first worked we punched duplicate cards, one which went out with the
bill and one which we kept in a box. When the money came in we used the
duplicate from the box to produce daily listings which were reconciled
against the bank statements. Then after a month we could produce reminder
letters from the remaining cards...

Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cctech [mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Mike
> Stein
> Sent: 10 September 2015 19:58
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts <cctech at classiccmp.org>
> Subject: Re: punchcard svg file available
> 
> For a while many utility bills etc. were sent out with prepunched cards
> containing the customer and billing information, to be mailed back with
your
> payment for proper allocation.
> 
> m
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred Cisin" <cisin at xenosoft.com>
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts"
> <cctech at classiccmp.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 10, 2015 2:47 PM
> Subject: Re: punchcard svg file available
> 
> 
> >>>> If you find a source of paper stock that
> >>>> works, please let everyone
> >>>> know about it. The real paper is gone, and
> >>>> will likely never be made
> >>>> again. It is a specialized stock that is
> >>>> extremely difficult to make.
> >>> What is different about it? Thickness?
> >>> Weight/square metre? Density?
> >>> Impregnated with something?
> >
> > On Thu, 10 Sep 2015, simon wrote:
> >> Its hard to explain. it feels tough and
> >> bendable, but it is thinner as you would expect
> >> from the toughness.
> >
> > Also, had to have the right friction to slide
> > through, but catch on the rollers.   CDC's
> > optical card readers came later, and made
> > dramatic improvements in DP.
> >
> > In those days, the cardstock was extremely
> > available, in large sheets and in precut blanks,
> > in a variety of colors.  Print-shops abounded
> > who would do custom cards, if your business
> > thought that it needed them.
> >
> >
> > And yet, some card readers were amazingly
> > tolerant!
> >
> > For example, half a century ago, CBS had a bunch
> > of projects, such as the National Driver's Test
> > (1966).  IBM provided the hardware and software.
> > They decided to give out Port-A-Punch cards,
> > which were 80 column cards with every other
> > column of holes pre-perforated, so that anybody
> > could take a special stylus or a random pencil
> > and create their own hanging chips/"Chads".
> > But, how to recollect them?  They actually had
> > people stick a stamp on them and MAIL them!
> > ("Business Reply Mail" would have shifted the
> > franking burden, otherwise it would have made
> > MUCH more sense) They then successfully ran them
> > through the card reader of a 360!  Keep in mind
> > that it was an IBM PR stunt, so they had a CE
> > standing next to the reader, clearing jams in
> > real-time.  I wonder if IBM cheated and modified
> > the input maw?
> >
> > So, the specific card-stock is critical, but it
> > worked with a postage stamp stuck to it?
> >
> > Although the hardware reliability was a welcome
> > surprise (I wonder how my life would have gone
> > if it hadn't), the software wasn't.  The live
> > statistics weren't adding up close enough to
> > 100%! On camera, Walter Cronkite was stalling,
> > and right behind him, my father was frantically
> > manually adding the numbers.  Starting a week
> > later, there were a copy of McCracken FORTRAN
> > and Decima Anderson's book on my parent's coffee
> > table.
> > Instead of continuing to use 084 sorters, we
> > learned a little FORTRAN.
> >
> > --
> > Grumpy Ol' Fred     cisin at xenosoft.com