An apparatus and a method for inserting a non-round circular-blank core into a non-round hole of a circular-blank ring to create a circular blank. A transporting device transports the circular-blank ring to an insertion location. A feed device transports the circular-blank core to the insertion location. The circular-blank core is positioned on the hole of the circular-blank ring and inserted into the hole with the aid of a pushing-in device, which applies a pushing-in force. If the non-round hole is not in alignment with the non-round circular-blank core, the circular-blank core and the circular-blank ring are rotated relative to one another at the insertion location by generation of the pushing-in force. The circular-blank ring is preferably moved, by the pushing-in force, onto an alignment mandrel, which causes the circular-blank ring to rotate in its circumferential direction until the contours of the circular-blank core and of the hole are in alignment.

Embossing methods and systems include a substrate (e.g., a sheet of paper or other material) delivered through a rendering device (e.g., a printer). An array of time-delayed pins can be driven into the substrate as the substrate travels through an in-line path provided by the rendering device to produce a latent embossed image composed of a combination of shapes depressed in the substrate. An ATA (Acoustic Transfer Assist) system can transfer an image to the substrate. The substrate with the latent embossed image is then transferred to the ATA system and the substrate is rendered with an embossed image based on the latent embossed image.