Attachment B -Vendor Affixed Barcode VAB-1A Revision 2 11Jun21.pdf

L: VAB-1A Revision 2 June 11, 2021

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20228-0001

BEP SPECIFICATION

FOR

LABELS: VENDOR AFFIXED BARCODE

1.0 SCOPE AND CLASSIFICATION

Supersedes L: VAB-1A Revision 1

June 02, 2017

1.1 Scope. This specification establishes performance and acceptance requirements for barcode labels to be affixed to materials and supplies shipped to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, hereinafter referred to as the "BEP". The requirement for this barcode label is in addition to any other label requirement in the material specification.

1.2 Classification. This specification covers one type of barcode label for materials and supplies shipped to the BEP. Labels meeting this specification shall be affixed by vendors as specified in the BEP specification for the material.

2.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS. The issues of the documents are those in effect on the date of the solicitation, unless otherwise stated.

2.1 Government Documents. None.

2.2 Non-Government Publications. The following documents form a part of this specification to the extent specified herein.

American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards:

ANSI MHIO.8M - American National Standard for Materials Handling - Bar Code Symbols on Unit Loads and Transport Packages

(Requests for copies should be addressed to American National Standards Institute, Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018)

2.3 Order of Precedence. In the event of a conflict between the text of this document and the references cited herein, the text of this document takes precedence. Nothing in this document, however, supersedes applicable laws and regulations unless a specific exemption has been obtained.

2.4 Internal References. All paragraph, section, and table references will be to paragraphs, sections, and tables of this specification unless stated otherwise.

3.0 REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Label Content. The labels specified herein shall express the same required information in both human-readable form and barcoded form.

3.1.1 Human-Readable Information. The labels specified herein shall contain standard human-readable information. The information shall include the following data items. Two example formats for the label are provided in the Appendix to this specification.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The item name/description provided in the BEP specification for the material.

PO#: The number of the BEP Purchase Order that authorized delivery of this material. The maximum length of this field is twenty (20) alphanumeric characters.

PART#: The BEP assigned stock item number provided in the BEP specification for the material.

QUANTITY: The amount of material (i.e., paper, ink, etc.) in the barcoded container or package expressed in the BEP's specified Unit of Measure (UOM).

The UOM for the material cited in the BEP Specification for the material. This field will be used for all materials. The maximum length of this field is twelve (12) numeric characters.

SERIAL/LOT#: A manufacturer assigned number that identifies the production run in which the material was produced. In the case of items for which there are many lots, the BEP may require in the material specification that the number be assigned differently. Examples include a formula or shipment number. The maximum length of this field is ten (10) alphanumeric characters.

WEIGHT: The net weight of the material being shipped to the BEP. This field is to be used only when specified in the material specification. This field is applicable primarily to paper, where both the number of lineal feet or sheets and the weight of paper are important. Where the use of this field is not specified, it should be left blank or omitted. The maximum length of this field is five (5) numeric characters.

3.1.2 Barcode Information and Symbology. Each human readable field cited above shall be accompanied by a barcode containing the same information. The symbology of the barcodes shall be 3 of 9 (Code 39) in accordance with ANSI MH10.8M for all label applications. Code 39 is a variable length, discrete, self-checking, bidirectional, alphanumeric barcode. Its character set contains 43 meaningful characters: 0-9, A-Z, -, .,$, /, +, %, and space.

3.2 BARCODE DIMENSIONS AND ORIENTATION

3.2.1 X-Dimension. The width of the narrow element (bar or space) of the barcode is referred to as the X-Dimension. The X-Dimension of all barcode labels shall be at least 0.508 = (0.020 inch or 20 mil).

3.2.2 Wide-to-Narrow Ratio. The wide-to-narrow ratio is the ratio of widths of the wide barcode elements to that of the narrow barcode elements. The wide-to-narrow ratio for all barcode labels shall be 2.5 to 1.

3.2.3 Barcode orientation. The barcode shall be oriented horizontally (picket fence style) on the label.

3.2.4 Barcode Height. The distance from the base to the top of a barcode symbol oriented horizontally is defined as the barcode height. The minimum height of all barcode symbols shall be 12.7 = (0.5 inch).

3.2.5 Quiet Zones. The margins to the left and to the right of each barcode symbol shall be blank and are called quiet zones. The minimum quiet zones for barcode labels shall be 6.35 = (0.25 inches).

3.2.6 Tolerances. The allowable size tolerances for barcode symbols are calculated as a deviation in width for an element of the barcode. The allowable marking width tolerance for each barcode element on a label shall be 0.137 mm (0.0054 inches).

3.3 HUMAN READABLE INTERPRETATION (HRI).

3.3.1 Content. The HRI is the exact interpretation of the encoded barcode data presented in a human-readable format. The HRI shall represent only the encoded data. The HRI is intended for human recognition only and is not intended to be machine readable.

3.3.2 Spacing. The HRI for a field of barcoded data shall be either to the right of or below the barcode symbol. If placed below the barcode symbol, the minimum spacing between the barcode and the human-readable interpretation (HRI) shall be 0.254 = (0.01 inches) and the maximum spacing shall be 9.53 mm (0.375 inches). If the HRI is placed to the right of the barcode symbol, the minimum spacing between the HRI and the barcode symbol shall be 6.35 = (0.25 inches).

The minimum spacing between the horizontal bottom edge of the label and the HRI shall be 6.35 mm (0.25 inches).

3.3.3 Size. The HRI shall be a minimum of 3.18 mm (0.125 inches) in height and shall be placed either directly to the right of or underneath the barcode it interprets.

3.4 Print Contrast and Quality. Barcode symbols shall be printed black on a white background. The contrast shall be sufficient to permit machine reading of the barcode symbols. The ink shall not smudge or smear during handling of the labeled packages.

3.5 Barcode Content. The vendor shall provide barcode symbols on a label for the following information. The fields are defined in section 3.1.2 of this specification.

PO#

PART #

QUANTITY

SERIAL/LOT#

WEIGHT

Refer to the Appendix to this specification for a layout of where to place the barcodes in relation to the human readable interpretation (HRI).

3.6 Label Location. Unless otherwise specified in the BEP material specification, three labels shall be affixed to each package of BEP materials to be barcoded.

One label shall be placed at the top center of the container, drum, or package.

The other two labels shall be placed at opposite sides of the container or package. The top edge of the label shall be a minimum of 5 cm (two inches) and a maximum of 15 cm (six inches) from the top of the container. For pallets, the left edge of the label shall be a minimum of 5 cm (two inches) and a maximum of 25 cm (six inches) from the left edge of the pallet.

3.7 Label Orientation. The label may be oriented for printing of barcodes in either portrait or landscape styles, depending on the capability of the vendor’s barcode printer. However, the information shall be sequenced in accordance with sections

3.1.1 and 3.5 of this specification.

3.8 Label Material. The material (substrate) onto which the barcode label is printed shall be a pressure sensitive stock using a permanent adhesive. The label material shall be tamper evident such that once affixed, it cannot be removed without showing evidence of tampering.

4.0 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS

Refer to the specification for the material being barcoded.

5.0 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

Refer to the specification for the material being barcoded.

6.0 NOTES

6.1 Label Printing. The BEP recommends that thermal transfer (indirect thermal) printing be used to meet these label requirements. When these thermal transfer methods are used, care should be taken to use the correct combination of ink ribbon and label material. Other methods of printing these labels, including dot matrix and laser, have been found suitable.

7.0 REVISION HISTORY

Revision Number

Revision Date

Affected Specification

Section(s)

Description of Change

1 06/02/2017 3.1.1 Adjust maximum field lengths to 20 characters to accommodate new contract numbering guidance.

2 06/11/2021 Headers Adjusted headers 3.1.1, 3.5, 3.7 Added references to Appendix

[End]

APPENDIX FOR BEP SPECIFICATION VENDOR AFFIXED BARCODE

ITEM NAME/DESCRIPTION

PO #

Part #

Quantity Serial/Lot #

ITEM NAME/DESCRIPTION

PO #

Part #

Quantity Serial/Lot #

Weight