GPO Contract Terms

GPOContractTermsQuality Assurancethrough Attributes Programfor MicroformsProspective suppliers should carefully read thispublication as the applicable articles stated hereinbecome an integral part of microform contracts withthe U.S. Government Publishing Office. A printedcopy should be retained for reference.GPO Publication 310.3(R 02/2017)

Table of ContentsNote: Previously used names of these attributes are in italic in mination of Product Quality1Determining Acceptability2Modifications to Attribute Tolerances2AttributeAperture Card2Character Fidelity (Character Defects)3Cut Mark3Density3Film Color (Film Color, Diazo/Vesiclular)5Film Stability (Film Stability, Diazo and Residual Thiosulfate)5Flatness (Curl)6Format6Grid Alignment (Grid Skewness)6Grid Placement (Grid Pattern Position)7Heading Area Backing (Heading Backing Color, Thickness and Title Coverage)7Image Mark (Document Mark)7Image Placement (Index Placement, Upside Down Image)8Image Squareness (Image Skewness)8Information (Loss of Information)8Jacket--New Attribute9Leader and Trailer Length9Length and Width9Margins10Microfiche Set11Microform Usability (Damaged Microform and Extraneous Marks)11Packaging12Reduction Ratio (Reduction)12Resolving Power (Resolving Power of Microform)12Safety Film13Splicing (Film Splicing)13Thickness (Thickness of Microform)14Figure 1. — Margins for Microfiche0Figure 2. — Margins for Roll Microfilm0

IntroductionThis document defines the quality requirements of microformsthrough the use of standards, permissible tolerances, andmeasurement methods for quality characteristics whichdescribe customer needs and expectations.The document pertains to all microform types procured bythe U.S. Government Publishing Office. The end use of thesemicroforms is to be any or all of the following: Producing additional microforms; producing hard copyblowback (paper prints); and viewing on micrographicviewing equipment, including automated retrieval systems. Definitions, procedures, and defect classification tables arebased upon standards published by the American NationalStandards Institute (ANSI), the Association for Informationand Image Management (AIIM), and Military Specificationsand Standards (MIL-STD).When any of these standards are referenced in this documentthey will be listed by their acronym.DefinitionsAcceptable Quality Level. The AQL for each lot is themaximum number of defects per 100 units of product that theGovernment will accept at the contract price.Critical Defect. A defect that renders a microform unusablefor its intended end use or affects its longevity.Extended Term Storage. Storage conditions suitable for thepreservation of recorded information having permanent value.Generation. One of the successive stages of photographicreproduction of an original or a master. The first generation isthe camera film. Copies made from this first generation aresecond generation and so on.Information. A specified item, such as but not limited to, acharacter, word, or image in the header or image area.Inspection Levels. The means used to determine therelationship between the lot size and the sample size.Inspection levels will be specified in the contract in accordancewith MIL-STD-105. Unless otherwise specified, GeneralInspection Level I will be used for nondestructive tests andSpecial Inspection Level S-2 will be used for destructive tests.Inspection Lot. A collection of units of product, for eachgeneration, from which a sample is to be drawn and inspectedto determine conformance to specifications. The lot formicroform contracts will normally be all of the microformsproduced, for that generation, under one order.LE Designation. A rating for the “life expectancy” of recordingmaterials and associated retrieval systems. The numberfollowing the LE symbol is a prediction of the minimum lifeexpectancy expressed in years for which information can beretrieved without significant loss when stored under specifiedstorage conditions. For example, LE-100 indicates thatinformation can be retrieved after at least 100 years of storage.Life Expectancy. Film stability classified according to an “LErating” specifying the length of time that information is predictedto be retrievable in a system when stored under specifiedstorage conditions.Major Defect. A deviation from specifications which couldresult in a customer complaint.Microfiche. Microfiche measure 148mm in length and 105mmin width and contain multiple microimages arranged in a gridpattern in the image area. A heading appears at the top of themicrofiche in a space reserved for this purpose and is largeenough to be read without magnification.Quality Attribute. A property or characteristic of a microformwhich affects its quality.Retrievability. The ready access to information as recorded.Standard Viewing Conditions. The appraisal of color qualityand color uniformity as defined in Part 1, ANSI PH2.30.System. Consists of recording materials, hardware, software,and documentation necessary to retrieve information.Units of Product. The items, for example, frames ormicrofiche, inspected in order to determine their classificationas defective or nondefective.Determination of Product QualityProduct quality is evaluated for each attribute by comparing itsmeasured value with the tolerance specified for that attribute.When each microform is inspected, each applicable attributethat deviates from specification is classified as either a criticaldefect or a major defect, in accordance with the tolerance tablefor that attribute.The AQL for microforms produced from good quality sourcedocuments or from print image tapes, for major defects, is6.5 unless otherwise stated in the contract. The AQL maybe loosened for poor quality source documents or tightenedbased upon customer requirements. There is no AQL for criticaldefects.Defects will not be assessed for deviations from specificationswhich are caused by the furnished material if the contractornotifies the Government prior to production that the furnishedmaterial is not satisfactory.U.S. GO VER N M EN T P U B L I S HI NG OF F I CE Quality Attributes for Microforms1

The following attributes will not be evaluated when duplicatemicroforms are produced from the furnished microforms: CutMark; Format; Grid Alignment; Image Layout; Index Placement;and Reduction Ratio.Attributes which are not identified as quality attributes under theMicroforms Attributes Program will be evaluated in accordancewith Article 1, Quality, Supplemental Specifications, U.S.Government Publishing Office Contract Terms, GPO Pub.310.2.The right is reserved to reject any microform found defectiveduring inspection whether that microform constitutes part of asample or not, and whether the order as a whole is acceptedor rejected. With the approval of, and in the manner specifiedby the Government, rejected microforms may be repaired,corrected, or replaced, and resubmitted for inspection.If a critical defect is found, or if the number of major defects foran inspection lot exceeds the AQL, the Government will havethe option of: Rejecting the entire order and having the defective lot(s)Determining AcceptabilityInspection of all microforms is usually impractical, thereforethe Government will utilize statistical sampling to determineacceptability. For an explanation of acceptance samplingreference GPO Technical Report No. 27.When no instrument is listed in an attribute description,randomly selected microfiche and microfiche frames will bevisually inspected to determine acceptability. The numbers offrames to inspect is dependent upon the AQL and the numbersof frames present on an individual microfiche. When thenumbers of frames equal or exceed the reject criteria identifiedin MIL-STD-105, evaluate the microfiche according to theattribute’s defect classification table.replaced; Requiring the contractor to inspect the defective lot(s) andreplace all defective items; or Accepting the rejected order with an equitable reduction inthe contract price.Failure to agree to the amount of such reduction of price willbe a dispute concerning a question of fact within the meaningof Article 5, Disputes, Contract Clauses, U.S. GovernmentPublishing Office Contract Terms, GPO Pub. 310.2.All transportation costs related to replacing rejected items orthe rejected order(s) will be borne by the contractor.Example: An order consists of 151 microfiche. The AQL is 6.5and a sample of 13 microfiche were selected from the orderGeneral Inspection Level I, Code Letter E, MIL-STD-105. Of the13 selected microfiche, 12 had between 26 and 98 frames andthe 13th had 11 frames. For each of the 12 microfiche, inspect8 randomly selected frames-General Inspection Level I, CodeLetters C and D, MIL-STD-105. If 2 or more frames for eachmicrofiche do not conform to the attribute tolerance, assessa defect to each affected microfiche. For the 13th microficheinspect 2 randomly selected frames and if 1 or both frames donot conform to the attribute tolerance, assess a defect to thatmicrofiche-General Inspection Level I, Code Letter A, MILSTD-105.Modifications to Attribute TolerancesAn order will be accepted at the contract price when theGovernment determines that either there are no known criticaldefects or the number of major defects for each lot does notexceed the specified AQL. MIL-STD-105 will be used to makethis determination.A card with one or more rectangular openings specificallyprepared for the mounting or insertion of microfilm. Provides acombination of key punched data and access information withmicrofilm.The Government may request a 100 percent inspection of anorder at any time under any conditions. At the discretion of theGovernment, the contractor may be required to inspect everymicroform of each lot for critical defects. The right is reservedto inspect every microform submitted by the contractor and toreject the order immediately when or if a critical defect is found.The right is also reserved to sample every lot of each ordersubmitted by the contractor and to reject the order if a sampleis found to contain one or more critical defects.STD-804, MIL-C-9877, and MIL-M-38761.Attribute tolerances may be modified for an individual contractprovided that there is justification for the change. Such changesmust be stated in the body of the contract. For example,source documents containing halftones, colored paper,poor quality microforms, duplicates to be produced fromnonsilver microforms, or poor quality text will normally requiremodification to the density requirements. Modifications shouldbe the result of data obtained from preliminary tests.Aperture CardDefinitionsSources ANSI/AIIM MS9, MS10, MS41; ANSI X3.11; MILInstruments Ruler with a scale graduated in increments of 0.1 mm or0.005 inch. Optical comparator with a scale graduated in increments of0.1 mm or 0.005 inch. A gauge with a 0.0025 mm or 0.0001 inch measuringcapability.2U .S . G O V E R NME NT PUB LI SHI NG O FFI CE Quality Attributes for Microforms