I find that OCR solving algorithms have a tough time when reading
embossed CAPTCHA text. There are some options with the PHPGD library
that allow you to apply embossing pretty much automatically, and most
people should still be able to read it just fine. I'd make it so about
50% of the time an embossed text image is shown, incase there are
certain types of visual impairments that make it hard to read embossed
text.
demo page:
http://redscourge.servehttp.com/projects/self/php/phpgd/ocr2.php