China’s Measures for the Administration of Digital Printing Take Effect Feb. 1: Lower Entry Threshold and a 180-Day Transition for Existing Firms

The Measures for the Administration of Digital Printing have been released and are scheduled to take effect on February 1, 2011. On January 11, the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) issued the Notice on Printing and Distributing the Measures for the Administration of Digital Printing, instructing local press and publication bureaus to implement them.

Digital printing has grown rapidly in Western markets in recent years, while China’s emerging digital printing segment has gradually taken shape. Because the field differs from other printing categories in technology and market characteristics, its market maturation has brought new situations, circumstances and problems. To regulate digital printing operations and promote healthy development, GAPP investigated and analyzed the actual conditions of the current printing market and introduced the Measures under the Regulations on the Administration of Publication, the Regulations on the Administration of the Printing Industry and other relevant laws and regulations.

The Measures comprise four chapters—General Provisions, Enterprise Establishment, Management of Business Activities and Legal Liability—and total 23 articles. They cover “business activities that use production-type digital printing machines to print publications, packaging and decorative printed materials and other printed materials,” while “production using high-speed digital multifunction machine-type equipment” is not included.

For digital printing enterprises, the Measures set minimum hardware requirements: a fixed production and operating site with a building area of 50 square meters; registered capital of RMB 1 million; and one production-type digital printing machine. Chain operations must consist of more than five chain outlets and have registered capital of no less than RMB 5 million. In light of digital printing’s short-run and personalized production and its small, intelligent equipment, these provisions have greatly lowered the entry threshold that originally applied to printing enterprises.

Enterprises already engaged in digital printing before the Measures take effect must complete the relevant procedures with the provincial-level press and publication administrative department within 180 days beginning February 1, 2011. Existing enterprises that conduct digital printing activities within their originally approved business scope are exempt from digital printing approval procedures, while those that operate beyond their originally approved scope must go through approval procedures.

— Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362157.html