Card embossing refers to the process of adding cardholder and card details onto a physical card, depending on your card program configuration.

For Priority-issued cards, embossing applies only to physical cards and is handled as part of the card issuance flow.

Scenarios

Card embossing is the process of adding cardholder details (name, PAN, expiry) onto physical cards. For Priority-issued cards, embossing is triggered only when physical cards are issued—digital-first cards skip embossing until a physical card is requested.

sequenceDiagram
    participant App as Your Application
    participant PCE as PCE
    participant Embosser as Card Embosser
    participant Shipping as Shipping

    App->>PCE: POST /card (issuanceType)
    PCE->>PCE: Create card record
    alt Physical Card
        PCE->>Embosser: Send embossing request
        Note right of Embosser: Name, PAN, expiry, CVV
        Embosser->>Embosser: Print/emboss card
        Embosser->>Shipping: Ship card
        PCE-->>App: Webhook — status SHIPPED
    else Digital-First Card
        PCE-->>App: 200 — Card ACTIVE (no embossing)
        Note over App: Later, if physical needed
        App->>PCE: POST /card/{id}/replace
        PCE->>Embosser: Trigger embossing
        Embosser->>Shipping: Ship card
        PCE-->>App: Webhook — status SHIPPED
    end

Before you begin (all scenarios)

• Customer has completed KYC verification.
• Shipping address is valid (no PO Boxes).
• Card Program supports the issuance type (physical or digital).

Scenario 1: Issue Physical Card with Embossing

Use this scenario to issue a physical card that will be embossed with cardholder details and shipped.

You'll also need: Card Program supports physical issuance, valid shipping address on file.

Request

POST /v1/customer/id/{customerId}/issuance/card

{
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "issuanceType": "PHYSICAL",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": "2567"
  },
  "account": {
    "id": "4011856"
  },
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "id": 1045579
    },
    "expressDelivery": "false"
  }
}

What Gets Embossed: Cardholder Name, Card Number (PAN), Expiration Date, CVV (based on program configuration).

Scenario 2: Issue Digital-First Card (Delay Embossing)

Use this scenario to issue a digital card first for immediate use, with the option to request a physical card later.

You'll also need: Card Program supports digital issuance.

Request (Digital First)

POST /v1/customer/id/{customerId}/issuance/card

{
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "issuanceType": "DIGITAL",
  "cardProgram": {
    "id": "2567"
  },
  "account": {
    "id": "4011856"
  },
  "shippingDetail": {
    "address": {
      "id": 1045579
    }
  }
}

Digital-first cards do not trigger embossing during initial issuance. Embossing only occurs when a physical card is requested later via the replace API.

What Gets Embossed

When a physical card is issued, the following details are printed or embossed on the card:

• Cardholder Name
• Card Number (PAN)
• Expiration Date
• CVV (based on program configuration)

When Does Embossing Happen?

Embossing is triggered only when a physical card is issued.