Printing Industry — Overview
The printing sector covers commercial, packaging, digital and specialty printing, requiring precise process control over color accuracy, material handling and finishing. Printing facilities also manage inks, solvents and mechanical equipment that carry specific safety considerations.
Color and registration accuracy is one of the most visible measures of print quality — even small deviations are immediately apparent to customers, which makes tight process control over prepress, press and finishing stages essential to reducing rework and rejected jobs.
Quality Control Certification helps printing companies implement quality and safety management systems to strengthen production consistency and reduce operational risk.
Packaging printers in particular face additional expectations around food-contact suitability, ink migration limits and substrate compliance — areas where a documented quality process helps ensure the right controls are applied consistently, job after job.
Why It Matters for Printing
Ink, solvent and press-machinery hazards sit alongside tight customer turnaround expectations, meaning printing operations need both structured safety controls and disciplined process management working together, not one without the other.
Print buyers rarely accept color or registration variance between runs of the same job, so process repeatability — not just one-off quality — is what ultimately determines whether a printer retains repeat business.
Our Industry Expertise
The printing sector includes a wide range of activities, such as:
- Commercial and offset printing
- Packaging and label printing
- Digital and large-format printing
- Screen and flexographic printing
- Pre-press and design services
- Print finishing and binding
Key Focus Areas
Print Quality Consistency
Color accuracy, registration and finishing control across production runs.
Material & Ink Management
Controlled handling of inks, solvents and substrates to reduce waste and defects.
Workplace Safety
Controls for printing press machinery, chemical exposure and ventilation.
Customer Turnaround
Process control that supports consistent, on-time delivery of print jobs.
Environmental Management
Control of ink waste, solvent emissions and paper/substrate offcuts.
Packaging & Food-Contact Compliance
Ink migration and substrate controls for packaging destined for food-contact use.
Critical Risk & Hazard Areas
Typical hazards and risk areas relevant to the printing sector include:
- Ink and solvent inhalation
- Press-roller and cutting-equipment entanglement
- Fire risk from solvents and flammable materials
- Noise exposure near press equipment
- Repetitive-task ergonomic strain in finishing/binding
- Ink migration into food-contact packaging
- Run-to-run color and registration variance
Applicable Standards
Organizations in the printing sector commonly pursue certification against the following standards, depending on their scope and requirements:
Benefits of Certification for Printing
- Fewer color, registration and finishing defects per run
- More consistent, on-time job turnaround for customers
- Reduced ink, solvent and substrate waste
- Fewer chemical-exposure and machinery-related incidents
- Stronger customer confidence for repeat and packaging-print business
- Better-controlled ventilation and emissions from solvent use
- Reduced risk of non-compliant ink migration in food-contact packaging
- Improved run-to-run repeatability supporting long-term customer contracts
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What certification suits a commercial printing business?
ISO 9001 is the primary standard, focused on consistent print quality, job accuracy and customer satisfaction.
2. Are chemical and solvent controls part of certification?
Yes, both ISO 45001 (worker exposure) and ISO 14001 (environmental discharge/emissions) address ink and solvent-related risks.
3. Can packaging printers pursue food-related certification?
Packaging printers supplying food contact materials may also consider hygiene and food-safety-related requirements depending on their customers' needs.
4. Does certification help reduce job turnaround time?
Structured process control across prepress, press and finishing stages reduces rework, which typically improves overall turnaround reliability.
5. Is fire risk assessed as part of safety certification?
Yes, flammable solvents and inks are assessed as part of the hazard identification process under ISO 45001.
6. How does certification address ink migration for packaging printers?
A documented QMS can incorporate substrate and ink-selection controls to help manage migration risk for food-contact packaging applications.
Why QCC Certification
- Impartial and independent certification activities
- Structured audit methodology in line with applicable standards
- Competent and qualified audit personnel with sector experience
- Consistent and transparent certification process
- Adherence to applicable accreditation and regulatory requirements
Contact
For further information regarding certification services for the printing industry, please contact our office.