Overview
ISO 11312:2000 - Photography - Sheets of sensitized material for the pre-press industry - Dimensions and related requirements - defines dimensional and marking requirements for sheets of photographic sensitized material used in pre-press workflows, including materials intended for electronic scanners. The standard promotes compatibility between sensitized film, packaging and pre-press equipment by prescribing measurement conditions, cutting rules, tolerances, identification marks and package marking requirements.
Key topics and requirements
- Scope: Applies to sheet films and sensitized materials for pre-press (includes scanner output film).
- Measurement conditions: Dimensions are specified at manufacture under the standard atmosphere of 23 ± 2 °C and 50 ± 5 % RH (ISO 554). Measurement instrument calibration is referenced to 20 °C (ISO 1).
- Cutting rules and tolerances: The standard gives general rules for aim sizes and tolerances by nominal width:
- ≤150 mm: aim = nominal − 0.25 mm; tolerance ±0.25 mm
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150 mm to ≤260 mm: aim = nominal − 0.5 mm; tolerance ±0.5 mm
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260 mm: aim = nominal − 0.8 mm; tolerance ±0.8 mm
- Recognized pre-press “A” sizes (A4, A3, etc.), pre-press “A+margin” sizes and many historic inch-based sizes are listed as specific aim/min/max dimensions.
- Squareness and edge straightness: Compliance is checked by comparing a sheet against two perfect rectangles sized to the minimum and maximum tolerances. No point on the sheet perimeter shall fall inside the smaller rectangle or outside the larger one.
- Identification of sensitized side: Notches may identify the sensitive side; when the long edge is vertical, notches are on the shorter edge near upper-right or lower-left, at least 10 mm from the corner and no deeper than 2.5 mm. Notch patterns may be used as manufacturer codes.
- Package marking: Packaging must indicate product name/size, safelight and storage/shipping conditions, manufacturer ID, batch or roll number, notch code, expiry/develop-before date and nominal dimensions (metric, smaller dimension first). Safelight-legible marking is recommended.
- Dimensional stability (Annex A): Dimensions can change with ageing and humidity; within warranty, dimensions measured at standard atmosphere should not deviate by more than 0.05 % beyond the specified tolerances.
Applications and users
- Film and sensitized-material manufacturers (cutting, quality control, packaging)
- Pre-press houses, graphic arts and commercial printers (material acceptance, handling)
- Scanner and image-setting equipment manufacturers (registration and feed design)
- Suppliers, procurement and QA teams requiring traceable compliance and consistent film sizes
Related standards
- ISO 3772:2000 - Rolls of sensitized material for the pre-press industry - Dimensions and related requirements
- ISO 6221:1996 - Determination of dimensional change for films and paper
- ISO 14535 - Room-light loading packages for scanner/image-setting rolls (to be published)
For claims of conformance use the exact phrase: "Complying with ISO 11312".
