out of curiosity, what type of printers were used with such IBM systems?
I wasn't sure of the nature of your question, but I'll try answering both interpretations. One of the main printers used on an IBM System 370 was the IBM 3211 chain printer (or similar); this was an impact printer and could print an astounding 2000 lines per minute. The standard printing medium on this printer was wide format fan-fold paper, usually with alternating light green bars to allow a viewer to better see across the page. Those chain printers made quite a bit of noise when going full bore; they were in sound-insulated cabinets. The programmers back then, for fun, would often program the printing to play a tune.
https://youtu.be/Lu4SxJqU9I4 (N. B. I went to a school ranked as probably #3 in the nation for computer science though that was not my major. Needless to say, their computing resources were enormous.)
If the question was
how were the images (all those numbers) printed on a typical IBM style punchcard, well, we have to guess. There were probably a number of vendors; unlike today (yes I'm on my soapbox lecturing) companies like IBM then
NEVER relied on a single source vendor for essential items and thus never had material shortages. They didn't use "JIT" or any modern wacky supply chain schemes; can you imagine an IBM client in 1972 paying $50,000 or more a month in a computer lease, being told by IBM "Sorry, there was a fire at the paper mill, and we're out of punchcards for the next 60 days" or "Sorry, we have plenty of cards but they are all blank because our printer went on strike". Today, that's common, Then, no, it would never happen. There were certainly multiple vendors (all clamoring for business) and all following strict protocols. My first job after college was for a company supplying large test equipment to IBM. IBM had strict wiring protocols and sent their engineers to our plant to redesign the wiring colors and schemes on equipment going to IBM...
Back in the days of punchcards, there was only one kind of black printing ink. It was solvent-based, meaning the ink
vehicle was petroleum-derived. The
pigment was carbon black. There were various additives depending on the precise printing method and other factors. Additives were used to control drying, viscosity, etc. I would guess that there was a 99.9% certainty the cards were printed in bulk by web offset and in a post-press converting operation, slit and cut into cards. The need for these was so great that there were probably dedicated lines set up and the converting operation immediately after printing. Thus, the "input" was card stock on a roll (web); and the output was finished boxes of cards. It probably difficult for us to imagine today, but every single line of code programmed into a computer back then required one card. Every change required another card. A production analogy today is magazines; the input is text stock on a roll (web) and the output is
completely finished magazines, not only addressed in line, but also
shrink-wrapped, sorted by carrier route, and palletized!Today, there is no such uniformity in black ink. There are water-based inks and soy-based inks. There are "eco inks" and more, and that's just for offset printing.
Digital printing is just like a laser printer: there are toners that are fused onto the paper. There are also various kinds of ink-jet digital printing. Some use solvent-based inks, others a water-based or other more eco-friendly. Some are heat-cured, some are UV cured. It very much depends on the digital press.
For these data cards being replicated in a home office, you are going to print them on a laser printer or on an inkjet printer. If on the former, unless you use special solvent-based cartridges (not generally available for many home office printers) your card will "run" if it gets the slightest bit damp or wet. A laser printer's result will not do that. Either will appear
very close to the original printing, but as they say, "it's only original once"; just remember you are creating a replica, not an original.
I'm OK with that; I have a restored car!
Note, by the way, on the photos of "IBM" style punchcards posted by Alpinaltd: the "data cards" all have 4 rounded corners. The one appearing not as a data card but more as an "IBM Card" has the notch in the upper left.
The printer of those [probably German sourced] IBM punchcards is still around.
https://www.hummel-print.com/
