Varied Printing Processes

Offset Lithography
In offset lithography a printing plate, which is most often made from aluminum, contains an image of the content
that needs to be printed. When the plate is inked, only this image part holds ink. That inked image is subsequently
transferred (or offset) from the plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. The process can be used to
print on paper, cardboard, plastic or other materials, but these have to have a flat surface.

Typically black get printed first, followed by cyan, magenta and yellow.
For higher volume work offset presses use rolls of paper. Offset is nowadays the most widely used printing technique
for an extensive range of products such as books, newspapers, stationery, corrugated board, posters, etc.

Flexography
In flexography the content that needs to be printed is on a relief of a printing plate, which is made from rubber. This
plate is inked and that inked image is subsequently transferred to the printing surface.  The process can be used to
print on paper as well as plastics, metals, cellophane and other materials. Flexo is mainly used for packaging and
labels and to a lesser extent also for newspapers.

Digital Printing
Digital printing can be done in various ways. Two technologies dominate the industry:

 Inkjet – In an inkjet printer the image that needs to be printed is created by small droplets of ink that are
propelled from the nozzles of one or more print heads. Inkjet devices can print on a wide range of substrates
such as paper, plastic, canvas or even doors and floor tiles. Inkjet printing is used a lot for posters and
signage. It is also economical for short run publications such as photo books or small runs of books. In-line
inkjet printers are sometimes combined with other types of presses to print variable data, such as the
mailing addresses on direct mail pieces.  The press shown below is the HP PageWide C500, meant for
printing on corrugated board.
 Xerography – In xerographic printers, such as laser printers, the image that needs to be printed is formed
by selectively applying a charge to a metal cylinder called a drum. The electrical charge is used to attract
toner particles. These particles are transferred to the media that is being printed on. To make sure the toner
is fixed properly, the substrate passes through a fuser that melts the toner into the medium. Laser printers
are not only used in offices but also for small run printing of books, brochures and other types of document.
These printers are also used for transactional printing (bills, bank documents, etc) and direct mail.

Gravure
Also known as rotogravure, this is a technique in which an image is engraved into a printing cylinder. That cylinder is
inked and this ink subsequently transfers to the paper.  Gravure is used for high volume work such as newspapers,
magazines, and packaging.

Screen Printing
As its name implies, this printing technique relies on a screen, which is a woven piece of fabric. Certain areas of this
mesh are coated with a non-permeable material. In the remaining open spaces ink can be pushed through the mesh
onto a substrate. The advantage of screen printing is that the surface of the recipient does not have to be flat and that
the ink can adhere to a wide range of materials, such as paper, textiles, glass, ceramics, wood, and metal.
Printers In Barbados
Offset Printing: COT Printeries

Flexography: Gildan

Digital Printing: PBS

Gravure Printing: NATION

Screen Printing: Empower

Packaging & Material Factories in Barbados

Labels: Caribbean Label Crafts

Bottles: KeepINTOUCH

Containers: COT Printeriess

Labeling Standards

CARICOM REGIONAL STANDARDSQ

This CARICOM Regional Standard is a modified adoption of the CODEX Alimentarius

Standard for Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods.
This standard has been prepared and issued by the CARICOM Regional Organisation for
Standards and Quality (CROSQ).
It was approved by the Thirtieth Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic
Development (COTED) on 3-4 May 2010.
All manufacturers, importers, distributors and other entities engaged in the production
and or trade of Pre-packaged Food within any Member State of the Caribbean Community shall
comply with the requirements of this standard.
The following documents have been used in the preparation of this standard:
a. Barbados National Standard, BNSI 5: Part 2: 2004, Specification for Labelling of Pre-
packaged Foods (Second Revision);

Standards
Labeling requirements for different classes of goods are covered by the
following standards:
 

Mandatory Standards:
Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of Commodities
[General] (BNS 5: Part 1:1974);
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of
Prepackaged Food (BNS 5:Part 2:2004 second revision);
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of All
Products Manufactured from Textiles (BNS 5:Part 3:1974);
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of
Prepackaged Goods (BNS 5: Part 6:1979);
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of
Prepackaged Meat and Poultry Parts/Cuts and Fish and Fishery Products
(BNS 5:Part 7:2004 revised);
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of Toys and
Playthings (BNS 23:1976);
•              Barbados National Standard Code of Practice for Care Labeling of
Textiles (BNS CP 3:1980).
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Processed Foods
(BNS 30:1976)
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling Brewery
Products (BNS 186:2000); 
 

Voluntary Standards:
•              Barbados National Standard Specification for Labeling of Footwear
(BNS 5: Part 4: 1980).

Through the BNSI, Barbados accepts the standards as set through its
membership in regional and international standards organizations. 

Testing, Inspection and Certification

The testing laboratories, which certify that products meet standards, fall under
the BNSI structure.  The Standards Act 2006-5 bestows on the BSNI the
authority to certify products and processes and to issue certification marks for
which a national standard exists.  BNSI also practices a third party certification
system which takes into account an audit of quality control of products and
processes, and also accepts third party marks of conformity from other
reputable and well-known agencies.  Other marks are accepted on a case-by-
case basis.  A firm interested in having a mark accepted must submit the mark
and relevant details to BNSI for assessment.  For further information, contact
the BNSI at tel: 246-426-3870.

The procedures for product certification are as follows: The interested party
must submit an application and a non-refundable application fee of BBD
$50.00 ($25.00) to BNSI.  BNSI will then conduct a preliminary inspection of
the manufacturing facility to assess the testing facilities and the quality
assurance procedures for the manufacturing process.  In addition, samples
are taken to test conformity to a standard’s specifications.  Testing costs are
borne by the applicant.  After a report of the preliminary inspection is
completed, a scheme of testing and inspection is prepared for the
organization.  This scheme includes information such as the points of
production from where samples would be drawn for testing and/or inspection,
the frequency, size and manner of drawing the samples, the tests to be
performed, the types of records to be maintained, corrective actions to be
taken if necessary, and the method of applying the mark.  A marking fee, paid
by the applicant, is negotiated which covers the costs of the scheme of
inspection.   At this point, a license to use the BNSI mark can be issued.   The
license is good for one year and must be renewed annually; there is a BBD
$100.00 ($50.00) annual license fee.  An application along with a BBD $20.00
($10.00) application fee must be submitted in order to renew the mark.

BNSI does not have Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA’s) with U.S.
organizations.  With respect to accreditation, the BNSI acts as the national
focal point for accreditation matters in Barbados.  CARICOM, of which
Barbados is a member; has established the Caribbean Cooperation for
Accreditation (CCA) Scheme.  More information on the CCA scheme is
available on the CROSQ website at www.crosq.org.
 

Publication of Technical Regulations

The BNSI publishes national standards on labeling, building, food, chemicals,
textiles, solar energy, liquefied petroleum gas, furniture, and consumer
products. The complete list of Barbadian standards is published in the
Standards Catalogue which is available from the BNSI. U.S. entities can
contact BNSI during the standards application process if they have any
inquiries or comments.
Members of the WTO are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify to the WTO of proposed technical
regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade.
Notify U.S. (www.nist.gov/notifyus)  is a free, web-based e-mail registration
service that captures and makes available for review and comment key
information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures.
Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by
selected country or countries and industry sector(s) of interest and can also
request full texts of regulations.  This service and its associated website are
managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, part of the U.S. Department
of Commerce.

Overview
The BNSI is a non-governmental organization established in 1973 under the
Companies Act as a joint venture between the government of Barbados and
the private sector.  The BNSI ovesees product standards, metrology, product
development and testing, and product certification.  

Since its inception, the BNSI has been open to recommendations from the
general public and independent groups such as the Barbados Manufacturers
Association (BMA).  It has also been amenable to the incorporation of regional
standards, especially in light of the recent push by CARICOM members to
harmonize regional standards through the CARICOM Regional Organization
for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) as an important step toward the
implementation of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).  The
BNSI is a member of CROSQ.

In 1997, BNSI accepted the WTO Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement’s

Code of Good Practice for the Preparation, Adoption and Application of
Standards.  BNSI is membership member of the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) member body for Barbados, and is a member of the
International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), the Pan-American
Standards Commission (COPANT), and the Inter-American Metrology System
(SIM).  It is also the national contact point for Codex Alimentarius matters, as
well as the Standards Enquiry Point for Barbados under the WTO TBT
Agreement.  It is a member of the IEC Affiliate Country Programme.
WHAT IS A BARCODE?
A barcode is “A machine-readable code in the form of numbers and a pattern of parallel lines of
varying widths, printed on and identifying a product.” But in truth a barcode is so much
more. Barcode systems help businesses and organizations track products, prices, and stock levels
for centralized management in a computer software system allowing for incredible increases in
productivity and efficiency.

The lines and patterns on a barcode are actually representations of numbers and data and their
development allowed basic information about a product to be easily read by an optical scanning
device, a barcode scanner, and automatically entered into a computer system. This vastly reduced
the time it took to record such information and eliminated the potential for human data entry
error.

1D VS 2D BARCODES
There are two types of barcodes: linear – or 1D, and 2D. The most visually recognizable, the
UPC (Universal Product Code) is a linear 1D barcode made up of two parts: the barcode and the
12-digit UPC number. The first six numbers of the barcode is the manufacturer’s identification
number. The next five digits represent the item’s number. The last number is called a check digit
which enables the scanner to determine if the barcode was scanned correctly.

The development of the 2D barcode greatly expanded the application of barcodes. Now that they
could contain more information and are easily readable by consumers (via their mobile phones)
the 2D barcode could do much more than just keep track of assets and inventory.

Today, 2D codes, especially QR codes, which can hold as much as 7,000 digits or 4,000
characters of text, are used by companies to share information or websites and videos with
consumers, or by healthcare facilities to monitor medication, and even to integrate data with
programs like MS Office, MS SQL Servers, and other databases and files.  Try this free QR code
generator to create a QR code for your business.

HOW DO BARCODES WORK?

Barcodes work through the combination of a symbology (the barcode) and a scanner that can
read the symbols and convert them into useful information, often information about an item’s
origin, price, type, and location. The scanner reads the barcode and automatically enters the
information stored in it into a system – often some type of database.
This tool has provided many, many benefits for businesses. It paved the way for the globally
connected distribution channels we now have and it is what allows big corporations like Walmart
to ensure they have products properly stocked and priced around the world. It has also become a
crucial tool to help small and medium businesses, as well as hospitals and government groups,
keep track of assets and improve their efficiencies.

Some of the ways businesses use barcodes include:

1. Keeping track of inventory. A basic inventory tracking system consists of software and a barcode

scanner or mobile computer. Inventory items (like products you sell, supplies, or raw materials)
will all have barcode labels, so when you remove an item from stock, you just scan the barcode to
reduce the available count in your inventory tracking software, instead of having to type in a SKU.
2. Keeping track of assets. Any business, no matter how large or small, has IT assets and fixed
assets. Barcoded asset tags are attached to each individual asset, and can be scanned to check
items in or out in your asset tracking software. It’s a great way to improve accountability and
makes audits much easier.
3. Use barcodes in return mail. Add a barcode to the return-mail registration postcard that
matches the product’s serial number, and then you can instantly track which serial numbers are
registered, and which aren’t. Plus, your customers won’t have to locate and transcribe a lengthy
serial number.
4. Include barcodes in a mail merge. If your company is hosting an event, you can add barcodes to
an RSVP card so you can track who has responded – without trying to translate anyone’s
handwriting.
5. Add barcodes to invoices. Add a barcode that represents the customer number or the individual
invoice number so when it’s returned with payment, you can easily locate the customer account
or invoice number. This will prevent problems like applying payments to the incorrect customer
account or invoice.