Company : Sol Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Website : www.courtkutchehry.com EXPORT OF PRINTING INKS (QUALITY CONTROL AND INSPECTION) RULES, 1974 CONTENTS 1. Short title and commencement. 2. Definitions. 3. Quality control. 4. Procedure of inspection. 5. Place of inspection. 6. Inspection fee. 7. Appeal. SCHEDULE 1 :- (I) Levels of control for products EXPORT OF PRINTING INKS (QUALITY CONTROL AND INSPECTION) RULES, 1974 S.O.1933, dated 3rd August, 1974@1.-In exercise of the powers conferred by Sec. 17 of the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 (22 of 1963), the Centra; Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:- 1. Short title and commencement. :- (1) These rules may be called the Export of Printing Inks (Quality Control and Inspection) Rules, 1974. (2) They shall come into force on 3rd September, 1974. 2. Definitions. :- In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,- (a) "Act" means the Export (Quality Control and Inspection) Act, 1963 (22 of 1963); (b) "Agency" means any one of the Export Inspection Agencies, established under Sec. 7 of the Act at Cochin, Madras, Calcutta, Bombay and Delhi; (c) "printing inks" means the following printing inks and their concentrates, namely:- 1. Letterpress inks. 2. Lithographic inks. 3. Offest inks. 4. Flexographic inks. 5. Gravure/intaglio inks. 6. Metal decorating inks. 7. Screen process inks. 8. Electrostatic inks. (d) "Schedule" means the Schedule appended to these rules. 3. Quality control. :- (1) The quality control of printing inks shall be ensured by affecting the following controls at different stages of manufacture, preservation and packing of the product, namely:- (1) Purchase and raw material control.-(a) Purchase specifications shall be laid down by the manufacturer incorporating the properties of raw materials to be used. (b) The accepted consignments of the purchased material shall be either, accompanied by the supplier's test and inspection certificate corroborating the requirements of the purchase specifications of the manufacturer in which case occasional checks shall be conducted at least once in 10 consignments by the manufacturer for a particular supplier to verify the correctness of the aforesaid test or inspection certificates or the purchased material shall be regularly tested and inspected either in the laboratory within the factory or in an outside laboratory or test house. (c) The sampling for inspection or test to be carried out shall be based on the recorded investigation. (d) After the inspection or test is carried out, systematic methods shall be adopted in segregating the accepted and rejected materials and for disposal of the rejected material. (e) Adequate records in respect of the aforesaid controls shall be regularly and systematically maintained. (u) Process control.- (a) Detailed process specification shall be laid down by the manufacturer for different processes of manufacture. (b) Equipment and instrumentation facilities shall be adequate to control the processes as laid down in the process specification. (c) Adequate records shall be maintained to ensure the possibility of verifying the controls exercised during processes of manufacture. (iii) Product Control.- (a) The manufacturer shall have either his own testing facilities or shall have access to such testing facilities existing elsewhere to check up whether the product conforms to specifications recognised under Sec. 6 of the Act. (b) Sampling for test and inspection to be carried out shall be based on the recorder investigation. (c) Representatives sample shall drawn from each batch. The bulk sample shall be divided into two equal test samples. One such test sample shall be tested by the manufacturer for the requirement of the product and the other shall be reserved as referee sample alongwith its particulars for at least six months. (d) Adequate records in respect of sampling and tests carried out shall be regularly and systematically maintained. (e) The minimum levels of control to check the products shall be as given in the Schedule to these rules. (iv) Preservation control.- (a) Detailed specifications shall be laid down by the manufacturer to safeguard the product from adverse effect of weather conditions. (b) The product shall be well preserved both during then storage and the transit. (v) Packing control.- Packing specifications shall be laid down with a view to satisfying the controls mentioned in the Schedule for packing of the products. (2) Inspection.- The inspection of printing inks intended for export shall be carried out with a view to ensuring that the printing inks conform to the specifications recognised for the purpose. 4. Procedure of inspection. :- (1) The exporter intending to export a consignment of printing inks shall give intimation in writing of his intention to do so to the Agency and submit alongwith such intimation, a declaration that the consignment of printing inks has been or is being manufactured by exercising quality control measures laid down in rule 3 and that the consignment conforms to. the requirements of the specifications recognised for the purpose. (2) The exporter shall also furnish to the Agency, the indentification marks applied on the consignment. (3) Every intimation and declaration under sub-rule (1) shall reach the office of the Agency not less than seven days prior to the despatch of the consignment, from the manufacturer. (4) On receipt of the intimation and declaration under sub-rule (1), the Agency, after satisfying itself that during the process of manufacture, adequate quality control as provided in rule 3, has been exercised, shall carry out the inspection of the consignment in accordance with the instructions issued by the Export Inspection Council from time to time. (5) If after inspection, the Agency is satisfied that the consignment of printing inks to be exported complies with the requirements of rule 3, it shall, within seven days of the receipt of intimation and declaration under sub-rule (3), issue a certificate to the exporter to the effect that the consignment satisfies the conditions relating to quality control and inspection and is export-worthy: Provided that where the Agency is not so satisfied, it shall within the said period of seven days refuse to issue such certificate and communicate such refusal to the exporter along with the reasons therefor. 5. Place of inspection. :- Every inspection under these rules shall be carried out at the premises of the manufacturer. 6. Inspection fee. :- Subject to a minimum of rupees twenty only for each consignment, a fee at the rate of forty paise for every hundred rupees of f.o.b. value shall be paid by the exporter to the Agency as inspection fee rules. 7. Appeal. :- (1) Any person aggrieved by the refusal of the Agency to issue a certificate under sub-rule (5) of rule 4, may, within ten days of the receipt of communication of such refusal by him, prefer an appeal to a panel of experts consisting of not less than three persons, appointed for the purpose by the Central Government. (2) The panel will consist of at least two-thirds of non-officials of the total membership of the panel of experts. (3) The quorum for the panel shall be three. (4) The decision of the panel on such appeal shall be final. (5) The appeal shall be disposed of within 15 days of its receipt. SCHEDULE 1 (I) Levels of control for products SI. Requirement Reference Frequecny of checks Remarks No. 1. 2 3 4 5 1. Appearance Standard specification Every recognised batch for the purposes. 2. Colour on drawdown " " For offset, litho and letterpress inks, to be determined from standard drawdown. 3. Shade/Hue " " 4. Strength .... Standard specification Every For offset recognised batch Litho and letterpress for the Inks, to purposes. Be determined From satandard Draw-down. 5. Finish " " 6. Strike through .... " " 7. Consistency/viscosity and flow " By instrument or Palette knife As applicable. 8. Fineness of dispersion " By standard Grinding Gauge. 9. Tack ...... " By instrument as Applicable. 10. Drying time .... As Applicable. 11. Relative density/specific gravit " Standard test. 12. Printing Test ..... " Every 10th batch. 13. Adhesion ..... " Every batch For liquid Inks & metal Decorating Products. 14. Blocking ..... " 15. Resistance tests (a) Resistance to artificial light " (b) Resistance to Water . " (c) Resistance to alkali . (d) Resistance to Acid . " (e) Resistance to Alcohol " Where applicable. (/) Resistance to Solvents " (g) Resistance to Wax and Fat (h) Resistance to Soap . " (i) Resistance to spices . (j) Resistance to Rubbing . (k) Resistance to Breakdown in Fountain Solution 16. Eletrical characteristics . Standard specification recognised for the purpose Every 10th batch Applicable for electrostaticinks.