17 February 2023

UK to Host International Standards Organisation Spring Meetings for Print Standards

Plans are now well underway for the UK to host ISO’s Spring Working Group meetings for graphics industry standards development. 

The main committee working on tools for the printing industry is Technical Committee 130, for graphics technology. This group is responsible for many key standards used on a daily basis by printers and their customers to improve process efficiency and control costs. ISO documents range from tools to ensure correct PDF configurations to process control for diverse printing methods, from offset to gravure. The well-known ISO 12647 series is relevant for all sorts of print applications from packaging through to one off digital prints and proofs. 

ISO standards development is a two-way, consensual process. At each step in document development, drafts are shared with an international community of experts for review and comment. The comments are carefully considered, discussed and resolved to ensure that global best practise is reflected in the finished standard. 

The need to get back together is stronger now than it has ever been, so for the first time since COVID (March 2020), ISO TC130 Graphic Technology is meeting in person at BSI’s headquarters in Chiswick. The five day series of meetings is a great opportunity for rekindling professional relationships and forging the networking connections so vital for the effective production of graphics industry standards.  

This is the first time BSI has hosted these meetings and the first in the UK for 8 years and the UK’s committee members are encouraging anyone interested to get involved. If you care about the future of the graphic arts and your industry there are some sponsorship opportunities for this UK meeting. This gives the sponsors a way of supporting the standards work which under pins many of the technical and efficiency advances in the graphic arts areas. 

You can find out more about the work of the UK committee and how to get involved in the standard development process, through the committee manager:

Dawn Hunter - [email protected]