Punched card available, e.g. "80-column card". A sequence of cards that is input to or output from some step in an application's processing is called a "card deck" or simply "deck". The rectangular, round, or oval bits of paper punched out were called chad ("chads") or "chips" (in IBM usage). Sequential card columns allocated for a specific use, such as names, addresses, multi-digit numbers, etc., are known as a "field". The first card of a group of cards, containing fixed or indicative information for that group, is known as a "master card". Cards that are not master cards are "detail cards". The
Hole punch punch. For large stacks of paper, a process of drilling may work better than punching. Paper drills are machines similar to a drill press that use hollow drill bits to drill through stacks of paper. The hollow bit design allows the chads to be ejected during drilling. Paper drills in the United States are most commonly either single-hole or three-hole in construction. The origins of the hole punch date back to Germany via Matthias Theel, where two early patents for a device designed to "punch holes in paper" have since been discovered. Friedrich Soennecken filed his patent on November 14,