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Although the final shape and form of the book may differ, all books and most other printed matter follow the same primary assembly process: ink is applied to paper via a conventional or digital printing press , and the paper is folded, collated, gathered, trimmed, bound with a cover. The completed books are then packaged and shipped for distribution.
The paper used in book assembly is printed either on an offset lithographic web press, which is a continuous web of paper or on individual sheets of paper that are fed through the press in a sequential manner. When the sheets are printed in a conventional manner, they are printed on an offset lithographic sheetfed press. When they are printed with a digital press, there are several types of technologies that can be used and they include dry toner, wet toner, and ink jet.
There are several different inks utilized in the printing process and the differences depend upon the method of application and drying. The conventional offset lithographic process uses heatset, where the inks are dried by evaporation or nonheatset, where the inks are self-drying due to absorption and oxidation, or cured using UV light. In some instances, a coating or laminate may be applied to protect or enhance the cover. The coatings utilized can be aqueous-based, UV cured or conventional varnish, which is offset lithographic ink without pigment.
After the pages are printed, they are assembled into final form during the binding and finishing process. Once the pages of the book are accumulated the book covers are applied. The main categories of books assembled are differentiated primarily by the style of binding: hard cover, soft cover or board books.
Hard cover books are bound using adhesives - sometimes in conjunction with a technique that sews the pages together for added durability. The collated stack of pages is glued to a fabric liner and may have fabric head-bands or ribbon applied. The book-block is then glued into the cover (case). The case is composed of an exterior cover material (fabric, printed paper or plastic, leather or other material) which is glued onto a cardboard backer with the interior normally lined with paper.
Soft cover books may be bound with adhesives (square-back), wire (spiral or staple), or plastic (spiral or comb binding). The approach used depends upon the size of the book and its end use.
The adhesives used in the book assembly process are polyethylene or urethane based hot-melts or animal-based glues. The hot melts are solids at room temperature and must be heated to allow them to be applied and the animal glues are fluid at room temperature.
Books can either be foil stamped or gilded. Foils and gilding may be applied to the covers and/or page edges using an adhesive-backed foil. Gilding can also be spray applied using a water-based material. Although this is primarily seen on hard-cover books, foil stamping and gilding can be utilized on soft-cover and board books as well.
Board books are made by laminating the printed pages onto cardboard stock and affixing the cover using adhesives (hot-melt or animal). Frequently these books are die-cut to different shapes. These books are primarily found in the youth marketplace.
For other non-book, paper-based printed materials, such as flash cards, posters, bookmarks, and worksheets, the process is the same except that binding is not part of the process.
As a result of the assembly process of these various components that comprise a book, no chemical reaction or other chemical additions take place. The risk associated with a finished book is simply the sum of the risk of the components that comprise the book. As discussed above, these components are: Paper, Ink, Coatings, Adhesives, and Wire used for binding.
As the risk associated with the finished book is no greater than the sum of its components, presented for your review are a combination of certifications from major suppliers of book components as well as test results for these components. This documentation represents a very diverse set of suppliers, countries, sub-component categories, as well as testing standards for lead. To that end, a summary of these standards has been provided for your reference.
Upon quick review, the reader will note that the lead levels documented for each book component in these attachments are significantly below even the 100ppm level established by the CPSC for compliance three years from this date. Additionally, the results from Phthalate testing among the various book components are "not detectable" and statements from suppliers confirm that phthalates are not used in the manufacturing process of the book components.
Please note: Some laboratory testing data is stated to the lowest detectable lead levels for which their equipment is calibrated.
EN71 - European standard EN 71 specifies safety requirements for toys. Compliance with the standard is legally required for all toys sold in the European Union. Part 3 of the standard is specific to migration of lead and other elements.
ASTM F963 - American Society of Testing and Materials, developed originally as a voluntary product standard and published in 1976, created to established nationally recognized safety requirements for toys. Section 8.2 of the standard covers testing methods for hazardous substances, including lead, and with reference to 16 C.F.R. 1303.
CONEG - Originally drafted by the Source Reduction Council of CONEG in 1989, The Toxics in Packaging Clearinghouse (TPCH) was formed in 1992 to promote the Model Toxics in Packaging Legislation. It was developed in an effort to reduce the amount of heavy metals in packaging and packaging components that are sold or distributed throughout the United States. Specifically, the law is designed to phase out the use and presence of mercury, lead, cadmium and hexavalent chromium in packaging within four years in states that enact the legislation.
RoHS - Restriction of Hazardous Substances. RoHS, also known as Directive 2002/95/EC, originated in the European Union and restricts the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. All applicable products in the EU market after July 1, 2006 must pass RoHS compliance. For the complete directive, see Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament. The substances banned under RoHS are lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
NEW! For a listing of the Book Manufacturers' Institute children's book customers and publishers, please visit their website at http://www.bmibook.org
The following report regarding the use of metals in printing ink was prepared by the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers.
Please click here to view the report.
The Nielsen Book Scan report represents the top 30 publishers. The top 10 publishers make up 80% of the overall children's publication business.
Click here to view the full report.
Click here for a larger view
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