China Printing Operator Qualification Rules: Licensing Thresholds for Packaging and Decorative Printers Explained

Article 1 These Interim Provisions are issued under the Regulations on the Administration of the Printing Industry and the State Council’s direction to clean up and standardize the printing market. Their aim is to regulate how printing business operators are established and approved, while helping them raise operational and technical standards.

Article 2 Under these Provisions, printing business operators include companies that print publications or packaging and decorative printed matter; companies, organizations or individuals that print other printed matter; specialized typesetting, plate-making and binding companies or organizations; and photocopying and printing units or individuals.

Article 3 Qualification approval for printing business operators must meet these Provisions as well as national planning for the printing industry’s total capacity, structure and layout and any other legal or regulatory conditions.

Article 4 A company seeking to print publications must satisfy the following:

(1) It must have a company name and articles of association.

(2) It must have a defined business scope.

(3) It must have fixed production and operating premises suited to the business, with a factory building area of at least 800 square meters.

(4) It must have funds sufficient for normal production and operation, with registered capital of no less than RMB 2 million.

(5) It must have the required publication printing equipment, including at least two automatic folio-size offset printing machines made within the past ten years and not listed in the Catalogue for Eliminating Backward Production Capacity, Processes and Products.

(6) It must have an organizational structure and staff suited to the business scope. The legal representative and the main production and operation chiefs must hold a Printing Regulations Training Certificate issued by the provincial press and publication administration.

(7) It must maintain complete business, financial and quality assurance systems for print order verification, registration, safekeeping, delivery and destruction.

Article 5 A company seeking to print packaging and decorative printed matter must satisfy the following:

(1) It must have a company name and articles of association.

(2) It must have a defined business scope.

(3) It must have fixed production and operating premises suited to the business, with a factory building area of at least 600 square meters.

(4) It must have funds sufficient for normal production and operation, with registered capital of no less than RMB 1.5 million.

(5) It must have the required packaging and decorative printing equipment, including at least two offset, gravure, flexographic or screen printing machines and downstream processing machines made within the past ten years and not listed in the Catalogue for Eliminating Backward Production Capacity, Processes and Products.

(6) It must have an organizational structure and staff suited to the business scope. The company’s legal representative and main production and operation chiefs must hold a Printing Regulations Training Certificate issued by the publication administration department of a people’s government at or above the prefecture level (hereafter the publication administration department).

(7) It must maintain complete business, financial and quality assurance systems for print order verification, registration, safekeeping, delivery and destruction.

Article 6 A company or organization seeking to print other printed matter must satisfy the following:

(1) It must have a company or organization name and articles of association.

(2) It must have a defined business scope.

(3) It must have fixed production and operating premises suited to the business, with a factory building area of at least 100 square meters, and the premises must not be used for residential purposes.

(4) It must have production equipment and funds suited to the business, with registered capital of no less than RMB 500,000.

(5) It must have an organizational structure and staff suited to the business. The company’s legal representative or the organization’s person in charge must hold a Printing Regulations Training Certificate issued by the publication administration department at or above the county level.

(6) It must maintain complete business, financial and quality assurance systems for print order verification, registration, safekeeping, delivery and destruction.

Article 7 A company or organization specializing in typesetting, plate-making and binding must satisfy the following:

(1) It must have a company or organization name and articles of association.

(2) It must have a defined business scope.

(3) It must have fixed production and operating premises suited to the business, with a factory building area of at least 300 square meters.

(4) It must have funds sufficient for normal production and operation, with registered capital of no less than RMB 800,000.

(5) It must have the necessary typesetting, plate-making and binding equipment, including at least two pre-press or post-press processing machines made within the past ten years and not listed in the Catalogue for Eliminating Backward Production Capacity, Processes and Products.

(6) It must have an organizational structure and staff suited to the business scope. The company’s legal representative, main production and operation chiefs and the organization’s person in charge must hold a Printing Regulations Training Certificate issued by the publication administration department at or above the prefecture level.

(7) It must maintain complete business, financial and quality assurance systems for print order verification, registration, safekeeping, delivery and destruction.

Article 8 A unit engaged in photocopying and printing must satisfy the following:

(1) It must have a unit name and articles of association.

(2) It must have a defined business scope.

(3) It must have fixed production and operating premises suited to the business, with a floor area of at least 15 square meters, and the premises must not be used for residential purposes.

(4) It must have registered capital or funds of no less than RMB 100,000.

(5) It must have the necessary photocopiers, computers, printers, business card printing machines and other equipment (light printing equipment of octavo size or larger is not allowed).

(6) It must have an organizational structure and staff suited to the business scope. The unit’s person in charge must hold a Printing Regulations Training Certificate issued by the publication administration department at or above the county level.

(7) It must maintain complete business management systems for print order verification, registration, safekeeping, delivery and destruction.

Article 9 Individuals who print other printed matter or run photocopying and printing operations must comply with Articles 6 and 8 of these Provisions.

Article 10 If a printing business operator also engages in other types of printing activities, it must also meet the qualification conditions for setting up that type of printing company or unit.

Article 11 Publication administration departments must review and approve printing business operator qualifications under these Provisions. If the conditions are not met, establishment approval must not be granted.

Article 12 Annual verification of printing business operators requires compliance with these Provisions and no record of violating printing administration rules.

Article 13 Printing business operators already established before these Provisions took effect but still not meeting the conditions by March 1, 2002, will not have their Printing Business License renewed for the time being.

Article 14 These Provisions take effect on the date of promulgation.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362021.html