Printing, Distribution Management, and Electronic Documents – BOP Program Statement 1520.09

U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Prisons

OPI: IPD

NUMBER: 1520.09

DATE: May 21, 1997

SUBJECT: Printing, Distribution Management, and Electronic Documents

PURPOSE AND SCOPE

To outline printing acquisition and distribution policies and provide general publication guidelines for electronic documents management. This Program Statement applies to all components of the Bureau using appropriated funds to obtain printing and related services or making national distribution of documents.

Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (UNICOR), funded printing and related services, used primarily to produce sales brochures and promotional material, are excluded from provisions of this Program Statement.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The expected results of this program are:

All printing rules, regulations, and graphic standards imposed by the Congressional Joint Committee on Printing, the Department of Justice and the Bureau will be understood and followed by Bureau staff.
A system for obtaining publications will be maintained.
All publications and documents will be distributed in a timely manner.
Electronic document information will be kept accurate and current through a centralized update process.
Electronic publishing standards will be maintained.
Access will be provided Bureau-wide to all pertinent electronic document information.

DIRECTIVES AFFECTED

Directive Rescinded

PS 1520.07 Electronic Documents, Printing and Distribution Management (12/06/93)

Directives Referenced

PS 1520.06 Publications Policy and Control Procedures for Periodicals and Pamphlets (06/01/93)

PS 4100.03 BOP Acquisitions Policy (09/06/96)

DOJ Order 2510.11A Control System for Development and Approval of Periodicals, and DOJ Graphics Standards (04/04/88)

Title 44, U.S.C. and the Government Printing and Binding Regulations of the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), Congress of the United States.

STANDARDS REFERENCED

None.

DEFINITIONS

Printing

The composition, plate making, presswork, and binding, using generally recognized equipment such as offset presses, duplicators, and electro-photographic machines, to produce images on paper and a variety of related materials such as vinyl, plastic, cardboard, etc., in quantities usually greater than 25,000 total impressions per job.

Duplicating

Reproduction using small offset presses and copiers to produce images on paper, usually less than 5,000 total impressions per job.

Composition

“Camera ready” typed matter, art-boards, photographs, electrostatic plates, and other commercially obtained variable type sized and justified material used to prepare art work for printing.

Publication

Informational material published as a single document or as required by law. This includes periodicals, pamphlets, and newsletters (see the Program Statement on Publications Policy and Control Procedures for Periodicals and Pamphlets). Publications may be printed at government expense using offset printing or photocopier methods of production.

Impression

One side of an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper with printed or photocopied text.

Bureau of Prisons Documents Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (BOPDOCS CDROM)

A compact disc-read only memory (CDROM) used to store, distribute, access, and manage, Bureau and other agency documents or directives previously available only in paper form. BOPDOCS contains a search software to facilitate access to documents such as Program Statements (PS), Operations Memoranda (OM), DOJ Orders, Federal Personnel Manual (FPM), and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and others. The Policy Information and Resource Management Branch (PIRM) updates and distributes BOPDOCS monthly.

Electronic Document

The equivalent of a paper document in electronic form, ordinarily published and disseminated on BOPDOCS.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Policy Information and Resource Management Branch

PIRM is responsible for providing guidance to staff regarding rules and regulations related to printing as well as document acquisition and related distribution, for both paper and electronic documents. In addition, PIRM shall:

Formulate budgets and control expenditures related to Central Office printing acquisition and expenditures for acquisition of documents having system-wide distribution.
Serve as the liaison for all printing and publications issues between the Government Printing Office (GPO), DOJ, UNICOR, and other government agencies and between Central Office and field components.
Perform necessary liaison with other agency printing and publications officers to obtain paper or electronic documents through “rider notices,” the DOJ “Open Printing Request” and various electronic bulletin boards.
Ensure that selected publications are added to the BOPDOCS, and in conjunction with Central Office program managers, assure that electronic documents are current.
Obtain or procure printed and electronic documents from government and the private sector, as required, for those publications receiving system-wide distribution.
Determine which printing/copying work will be produced in-house and which will be forwarded to UNICOR, DOJ, or other sources, for production based on:
- the printing services requested,
- the number of copies,
- delivery time, and
- confidentiality.
Contact DOJ directly to obtain printing which is beyond UNICOR’s capacity to produce. PIRM may also contact the Department directly, for photographic, graphic arts services, and supplies as necessary.
Receive and provide “rider notices” to appropriate Central Office staff, consolidate divisional requests and forward a completed Request for Printing and Design (DOJ Form 2) (Attachment A), and a Request for Purchase form (BP-101(41)), to the Business Office.
Establish and maintain a national distribution database. PIRM shall formulate, in conjunction with the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) and the Executive Secretariat, criteria for including addressees on the lists to receive various national publications. The database shall be made available to Central Office staff through local area networks (LAN’s) or on diskette, upon request. The address database shall provide, and be the mandatory source for, appropriate mailing or distribution instruments for nationally distributed publications.
Provide current site address information to DOJ for distribution purposes.
Poll (formally contact addressees by means of a mailed questionnaire) lists annually or more often, to assure accuracy of the lists and to eliminate addressees no longer having an interest in the Bureau’s national publications.
Prepare and submit management reports required by Section 6 below, for Central Office activities.
Manage BOPDOCS, the Bureau’s electronic document management system.

Central Office Program Managers

Central Office program managers shall:

Contact PIRM as soon as a printing requirement is identified to obtain assistance in planning, scheduling, funding, preparing the document for printing, and controlling the production and distribution process.
Ensure that any material submitted to PIRM for use in preparing any publication, and particularly typesetting, uses WordPerfect software. In addition, a printed paper copy and an appropriate electronic copy of the material shall be delivered to PIRM concurrently for production of paper copies and for possible inclusion on BOPDOCS.
Consult with PIRM when planning the issuance of publications (see the Program Statement on Publications Policy and Control Procedures for Periodicals and Pamphlets).
Coordinate preparation of periodicals or pamphlets with the Office of Public Affairs during the “drafting” stage of the publication.
Consult with PIRM for preparation of art work or typography which requires typesetting, layout, or design which is beyond the basic defaults of WordPerfect.
Coordinate with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) when drafting periodicals or pamphlets which contain information related to rules language in Bureau Program Statements.

UNICOR Graphics Support

UNICOR Graphics support shall:

Serve as the sole source “printing jobber” for all printing requirements.
Ship all printed materials in a manner which ensures timely delivery. Shipping will be accomplished so as to allow proof of receipt (for example, USPS certified mail, UPS, etc.).
Provide three copies of each final printed product (including envelopes, mastheads or banners, pamphlets, brochures, etc.) produced for any Bureau activity, to PIRM for post-production review.
Ensure that all art work, except for publications which will be reprinted, are returned to PIRM or any other requestor after production of any job. At PIRM’s request, the production printing plant shall retain documents which may require reprinting, until PIRM provides further instructions as to final disposal.
Return all original copies of Bureau directives (Program Statements and Operations Memorandums) to PIRM after printing is completed.
Provide commercial and graphic art support to PIRM for Central Office Divisions. This includes, but is not limited to, preparation of charts, graphs, slides, art work, exhibits, typesetting, layout and design, printing, and distribution of publications.
Provide price quotes for Central Office printing jobs not more than three working days after receipt of request.
Use recycled paper to the extent practicable, provided it is available, to produce printed work for any Bureau activity (see Section 10 for additional GPO paper specifications, and Section 24 concerning the use of the Universal Recycling Symbol).
Evaluate and process requests for printing and copying equipment for Central Office use and for inmate training purposes, including vocational training.

Staff Training Printing and Reproduction

Staff Training Centers (STC) are not required to consult with PIRM prior to obtaining printed products from UNICOR. However, STCs shall prepare printed materials in substantial conformance to the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP), GPO, DOJ, printing rules and DOJ Graphic Standards.
The Staff Training Academy at Glynco, Georgia, may obtain printing support from UNICOR or the U.S. Treasury Department to produce training materials for use at Glynco.
The Management Specialty Training Center at Aurora, Colorado, may obtain their printing requirements directly from FCI Fort Worth, Texas, UNICOR print plant.
Staff training activities are encouraged to provide WordPerfect copies of training handbooks to PIRM for incorporation into BOPDOCS for staff reference purposes.

Central Office Business Office (COBO)

The Central Office Business Office (COBO) shall:

Process purchase request authorizations for related DOJ Forms 2 signed by PIRM, when PIRM requests printing and publications services from DOJ.
Refer all Central Office staff requesting printing, copying, graphic arts, or electronic publication services to PIRM.

In addition to the above responsibilities, see Attachment B for requirements related to various publications or documents that are document specific but not necessarily related to any specific activity contained in this Program Statement.

MANAGEMENT REPORTS

The DOJ Report of Obligations for Government Information Dissemination Products and Services is a report of the various Bureau periodicals, pamphlets, machine readable data files (including CDROM), software, on-line data base services, and electronic bulletin boards which are issued, disseminated, or made available to the public. PIRM shall prepare this report using information provided by Central Office divisions and shall forward it to DOJ.

The Copying/Duplicating Inventory Report (DOJ Form 369) (Attachment C), is used to provide DOJ with inventory data on copying and duplicating equipment. The report shall be prepared for all activities of UNICOR operating printing/duplicating equipment and forwarded to UNICOR Graphics Support within 10 days after the close of each calendar quarter for consolidation and transmittal to DOJ.

The Duplicating Production Report (DOJ Form 369A) (Attachment D), is used to provide production data for all duplicating equipment used to produce reportable printing (that is, any printing job exceeding 5,000 production units of any one page, or 25,000 production units in the aggregate of multiple pages).

This report shall also be completed by each Bureau duplicating/copying activity and forwarded to UNICOR Graphics Support 10 days after the close of each calendar quarter for consolidation and transmittal to DOJ.

For field activity reports related to copiers and printing equipment, the Controller is ordinarily the official who shall collect and report the information required above.

PRINTING AND PERIPHERAL SERVICES – CENTRAL OFFICE

All Central Office requests for printing, binding, and peripheral services shall be forwarded to PIRM. Requests shall be in memorandum format and signed by an appropriate Administrator. The memorandum shall identify the:

project,
number of copies required,
distribution desired, and
project officer’s building, room, and phone number.

Justifications, such as requests to use more than one color ink, special or coated paper stock, and requests to publish periodicals or pamphlets shall be submitted with the request using the Publication Planning Guide (DOJ Form 529) (Attachment E).

Central Office staff desiring to have materials photocopied by the Central Office Reproduction Unit shall prepare a Request for Duplicating Service (Attachment F) and forward the materials directly to the Central Office Reproduction Unit.

Central Office staff issuing reference or other publications (phone books, handbooks such as the Master Agreement, etc.) on printed paper media, shall ensure that a comparable WordPerfect file is created and forwarded to PIRM with a recommendation as to whether the document should be published electronically on BOPDOCS.

REQUEST FOR PRINTING – FIELD ACTIVITIES

Field activities shall budget for, and order directly from UNICOR, all printing requirements, such as letterhead, envelopes, and Institution Supplement masthead. Staff may telephone UNICOR’s Graphics Support at (202) 305-3756 to obtain a quote, work order number, or technical assistance.

COLOR INK/COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS

Because use of more than one color ink or photographs in publications or other printed materials increases costs, they are ordinarily not permitted in Bureau publications. When color ink or photographs will contribute directly to the product value or end purpose, the use must be fully justified.

All printing acquisition requiring more than one color ink or color photographs must be submitted to PIRM using DOJ Form 529, Publications Planning Guide (see completed sample justification, Attachment G). Assistance in completing justifications may be obtained from PIRM by sending a message on BOPNet GroupWise E-mail.

Central Office and field locations may obtain DOJ Form 529, Publications Planning Guide from PIRM or reproduce and use Attachment E. All DOJ Form 529s PIRM receives shall be submitted to DOJ for review prior to initiation of typesetting, copying, or printing. Upon receipt of notification of approval(s) or disapproval(s) from DOJ, PIRM shall notify the requesting office.

Some examples of publications when multi-color printing might be appropriate include:

Maps and technical diagrams if additional color is necessary for clarity.
Object identification (displaying medical specimens, picturing diseases, showing plants, flags, uniforms, etc.).
Safety programs, fire prevention, savings bonds programs, and competitive areas of personnel recruiting.
When clearly identifiable savings in costs can be soundly predicated on multi-color use.
Printing for programs, required by law, whose relative success or failure is in direct ratio to the degree of public response, and when that response can be logically attributed to the number of colors planned and the manner in which they are to be used.
Credential and identification photographs.
When color printing will aid in better presentation of court cases.
When color printing will aid in better presentation of training programs.
Morale building and incentive type photographs.
Official Bureau functions and special ceremonies.

Some examples when multi-color printing and use of color photographs are not permitted:

When used primarily for decorative effect or self aggrandizement.
When used primarily in lieu of effective layout, design, and content.
When there is excessive use of color, i.e., use of four colors when two or three, or less will fulfill the need, with or without reverse treatment.

PIRM shall obtain all Central Office color photocopying. Central Office staff requiring color reproduction of laser color printed documents must contact PIRM to procure this service.

Bureau photocopying or duplicating facilities may not produce multi-color printing/photocopying. Only UNICOR print plants may produce color printing. Field activities requiring color printing, even when obtained from UNICOR, must obtain approval from DOJ through PIRM following the procedures outlined in Section 9.a., above.

Field activities requiring color photocopies of documents prepared from color laser printers or for other documents such as investigative color photographs, should obtain the color photocopying from the local market via procurement authorized by the Controller.

GOVERNMENT PAPER SPECIFICATIONS STANDARDS (GPO CIRCULAR LETTER A-130)

JCP, GPO, and DOJ stress the use of paper stock selected from the Government Paper Specifications Standards. PIRM has a copy of the paper standards and shall consult with Central Office staff to ensure that the Bureau produces publications using paper stocks which comply with these guidelines. Recycled paper shall be used, if available, and if its use does not substantially increase production costs. PIRM must obtain approval for any deviation from the paper standards from DOJ.

PUBLICATIONS BINDING

The designated binder used to house Bureau directives is bone colored, has a clear overlay of the front cover and spine, and is manufactured for heavy duty use. Due to cost containment, the use of expensive binders, binder inserts, and index tabs is not cost effective.

Except for use with voluminous policy documents, three ring binders shall not be used to house or bind materials obtained by PIRM. When BOPDOCS is used as the central policy reference library, binders are not needed, because paper versions are not used.

The primary method for binding Bureau national publications shall be perfect binding, saddle stitching, magazine binding, or stapling in the upper left corner. The primary method of binding for administrative documents (telephone books, directives, etc.) shall be a staple in the upper left corner of the document or copier machine tape bound.

Field activities are also discouraged from using binders, inserts, and index tabs because they are relatively expensive when compared to other acceptable, less expensive methods of binding. However, Bureau activities having specialized binding equipment and supplies already on hand, such as spiral binding machines, may continue to use this equipment and supplies to bind locally produced documents.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES

For official purposes, photographic services such as portrait making, film developing, making negatives, prints, transparencies, slides, and peripheral services such as framing, mounting, or attaching adhesive tape strips, are available from the DOJ.

When appropriated funds are used for such official purposes as candid photos of staff at work and photographs of the institution, staff are encouraged to provide copies (annotated on the reverse) to the Central Office Archivist for historical purposes.

Central Office staff may request photographic services by sending a memorandum to PIRM outlining requirements.

Field activities may request these services by submitting a Request for Audio and Visual Services (DOJ Form 430) (Attachment I) to the DOJ Photo Laboratory, outlining requirements. Call the DOJ Photo Laboratory, (202) 514-4387, for pricing and ordering information.

Central Office program managers with printing projects that include photographs, must provide their own original photographic materials for each job. Central Office Archives staff may be able to assist in locating historical or other Bureau photographs.

Photographs should be included in Bureau printed matter only when they:

Relate entirely to the transaction of public business and are in the public interest.
Relate directly to the subject matter and are necessary to explain the text.
Do not serve to aggrandize an individual.
Are in good taste and do not offend proper sensibilities.
Are restricted to the minimum size necessary to accomplish their purpose.
Illustrate employees actually engaged in an act or service related to their official duties.

Photographs of the President, Attorney General, and the Director may be obtained by sending a memorandum from the Warden to the Central Office, Office of Public Affairs. These photographs are for official use only and are normally used for display in executive offices or general visiting areas.

OBTAINING OTHER AGENCY PUBLICATIONS

The Bureau becomes aware of the availability of other agency publications through “rider notices” and DOJ Form OT-122, DOJ Open Printing Request (OPR).

Staff receiving “rider notices” directly from an office or agency other than PIRM should immediately forward such “rider notices” to PIRM for processing.

All OPR orders placed in the current fiscal year will be printed and delivered during the next fiscal year. However, publications ordered through the “rider system” are ordered and funded during both the current and the next fiscal year. DOJ requires that the Bureau provide purchase documents and fund citations for the fiscal year in which the documents will be delivered.

Previously, publications offered for sale were only in paper format, but are now becoming available in electronic format. In most cases, electronic distribution via BOPDOCS is the preferred method of distribution.

To obtain required publications in the most cost effective manner, and because of Bureau’s on-going effort to achieve paper reductions, the number of paper copies of a particular document PIRM distributes shall be appropriately reduced, provided the document has been incorporated into BOPDOCS.

ORDERING AND FUNDING PRINTING

Bureau activities shall not contract directly with a private vendor for printing and graphic arts services without PIRM’s prior approval.

For the Central Office, PIRM shall submit an approved request for purchase to UNICOR for ordering and funding printing, binding, and graphic arts services. PIRM shall submit DOJ Form 2 to obtain printing and publications services from DOJ.

Printing for regional offices, institutions, and staff training centers, unless otherwise Central Office funded, will be budgeted and funded by the individual field activities. Except as noted herein, the initial source of acquisition will always be from UNICOR Graphics Support. Instructions for ordering are contained herein and in the BOP Acquisitions Policy.

RECEIPT AND DELIVERY OF PRINTING AND PRINTING PERIPHERALS

Central Office

When ordering printing or printing peripherals for Central Office staff, PIRM will direct that the materials be sent to receiving in the Central Office Business Office Warehouse (COBOW). The COBOW will receive the materials and deliver them according to the instructions contained with the shipping material or invoice. In all cases, COBOW bills of lading and other shipping documents shall be forwarded to PIRM to verify receipt and certify payment.

Field Activities

Field activities should be aware that the Central Office funds and directs delivery of many printed documents, including, for example, BP forms and other nationally distributed publications or documents. Often, these materials will arrive absent a local purchase request or other local ordering or procurement documentation, but are accompanied by a shipping notice as to the quantity delivered. COBOW staff shall complete internal redelivery. COBOW staff questions concerning redelivery of materials received as a result of a national distribution should be directed to PIRM.

DISTRIBUTION TO ESTABLISHED AND NEWLY OPENED INSTITUTIONS

To contain mail and distribution costs and ensure prompt delivery, the supplier will deliver all printed matter and peripherals directly to each regional office, institution, community corrections office, staff training center and the Central Office as directed.

When ordering printing, PIRM shall obtain distribution instructions and mailing labels, with the quantity to be sent to each addressee placed in the upper right hand corner of each label, from Central Office program managers when the order is placed. All mailing labels shall be obtained from the PIRM Mailroom and presented to the Printing Officer each time a printing order is submitted.

PIRM shall provide each newly opened institution with two copies of BOPDOCS, which may be increased upon the written request of the institution. One set will be used to establish the Central Reference Library and one will be shared with the various departments responsible for implementing individual programs.

If a LAN is available, the computer specialist shall place BOPDOCS on the new institution’s LAN. If a LAN is not available, the new institution should obtain separate CDROM readers. Staff should obtain copies of needed directives as electronic documents or WordPerfect files either via the LAN or CDROM readers.

The institution activation cadre should request BOPDOCS disks when they are ready to receive the materials. PIRM will forward the current BOPDOCS disk and add the site to the distribution list for future issuances of the BOPDOCS disk.

Copies of Program Statements should be made by electronic means from BOPDOCS, or may be printed on paper locally if desired.

Additional paper copies may be obtained by calling UNICOR, Ft Worth, Texas, (817) 738-4345, and outlining requirements, requesting a price quote, and obtaining ordering instructions.

The BOPDOCS will contain all non-sensitive Bureau and other agency directives required for operations. Copies of sensitive (Limited Official Use Only) directives, such as the Correctional Services Manual, shall be requested in writing directly from the Office of Primary Interest (OPI), in the Central Office.

PLAQUES, SEALS, AWARDS

Bureau vacuum form mold seals (round plastic seals) shall be displayed in executive offices, visiting areas, and at official public displays (recruitment drives, etc.). PIRM keeps a small quantity on hand for issue to new institutions, and as replacements for previously issued seals which may have deteriorated. The seals may be obtained by forwarding a memorandum, BOPNet GroupWise E-Mail to PIRM, or a SENTRY EMS to “BOP DOCUMENTS.” The memorandum should state the reason and/or requirement for the seals and how and where they will be displayed.

The Department of Justice seal is available from DOJ at cost. Comptrollers may call the Printing Management Unit, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20430, (202) 514-3151, to obtain a price quote and ordering instructions.

UNICOR and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) are authorized a distinctive seal and logo (See Attachment J). These activities are authorized to display their organizational vacuum form seals separately or in conjunction with the Bureau seal.

UNICOR and NIC seals however, are not purchased, maintained, or controlled by PIRM. Staff desiring UNICOR or NIC seals shall contact UNICOR Graphics Support, (202) 305-3756, or NIC, (202) 307-3106, in the Central Office.

Decals of the Bureau seal, in obverse and reverse, may be ordered through the UNICOR Graphics Support in the Central Office, (202) 305-3756. The decals are to be used primarily on windows, or glass doors for safety purposes.

Bureau activities desiring to present incentive awards, such as Certificates of Appreciation, Achievement, plaques, etc., should contact the Human Resource Division’s Employee Relations Section, (202) 307-6248.

Incentive awards, metal seals for name plates, Certificates of Appreciation, Training, or Achievement, plaques, etc., may be obtained directly from UNICOR. Central Office staff ordering such items should contact the UNICOR Graphics Support, (202) 508-8462. Field activities should contact the UNICOR Print Plant at FCI Petersburg, (804) 733-7881, to obtain ordering instructions and a price quote.

COPYRIGHTS

Copyrights do not exist in any Bureau publication, or in any reprint, in whole or in part. Bureau publications prepared as a part of official duties are not subject to copyright laws unless copyrighted material is used in their production.

If copyrighted material is used in a Bureau publication, the editor or project officer is responsible for obtaining all required clearances, in writing, and providing a copy to PIRM when a request for printing is submitted. No printing of copyright material shall be undertaken until PIRM is in possession of a copyright release.

An existing copyright is not impaired because the government publishes or republishes the work. The owner of copyrighted material has a proprietary right in such material, and copyrighted material will not knowingly be incorporated into publications prepared by or for the Bureau except with the copyright owner’s written consent.

Publications produced through a contract or grant may not be copyrighted. Should the use of copyrighted material be required to complete the requirements of a contract or grant, it will be the contractor’s or grantee’s responsibility to obtain the rights and to pay any required fees.

If the Bureau is to print any material as a result of a grant or contract, the program manager or the individual monitoring the contract/grant shall obtain a copy of the copyright releases or approvals and provide them to PIRM, along with a camera ready copy of the material to be printed.

To assure a copyright owner’s identification and protection, the copyright credit notice should be incorporated within the related text, captions, or legends, given as a footnote for text, or cited with the author’s name. When applicable, a listing of all copyrighted material, by page and paragraph number, shall be included on an acknowledgement page inside the front cover or on a front flyleaf. Copyright notices shall be subordinate in size or type to that of both the text and the legends for illustrations.

COURTESY CREDIT LINES AND BYLINES

Courtesy Credit Lines

Courtesy credit lines are not used in Bureau documents unless the material has not been copyrighted and was donated to the Government. When an organization or individual has written or produced material under a government grant or contract using government funds, credit lines shall not be used.

Courtesy Credit Lines for free or non-copyrighted materials contributed or loaned by nongovernmental parties shall be subordinate in size or type to that of both the text and the legends for illustrations. When all materials have come from a single non-governmental source, credit lines will be acknowledged in a footnote on the page containing the material.

Bylines

The use of government employees’ bylines in Bureau publications is permitted and encouraged. Bylines will be confined to authors of the articles and to the photographers who originated photographs. Any authors’ and photographers’ bylines shall be printed in juxtaposition to the article or picture to which they relate.

Publication Banner or Masthead

The printed banner or masthead of government publications shall include only:

the name of the publishing department or agency;
its issuing bureau, branch, or office; and
the name of the bureau head, branch, or office.

Only the names of the editors can be added, unless otherwise authorized by PIRM.

PUBLICATION COVERS

Self-covers are covers of the same paper stock as the inner pages of the document. They shall be standard for all printed documents not subject to hard usage.

Separate covers are covers of a different paper stock than the inner pages of the document and may be used when a document is intended to be permanent or have frequent or prolonged use. Paper stock for text and covers will be selected from those approved by the JCP and listed in the Government Paper Specification Standards.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND BUREAU OF PRISONS NAMES AND SEALS

The logo and seals of the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Federal Prison Industries, Inc. – (UNICOR), and NIC shall appear on all publications, as appropriate, and as outlined in DOJ Graphics Standards. Normally, only the Bureau seal is used for official identification purposes. When a seal is employed for purposes related solely to UNICOR or NIC operations, however, the separate UNICOR or NIC seal may be used alone or in conjunction with the Bureau seal.

The various seals authorized to identify activities of the Bureau, UNICOR, and NIC are official identifications and shall be used for official purposes only. The seals may not be used in any manner which would tend to demean the Bureau’s mission or staff.

Wardens and/or Regional Directors may grant use of the seals for other than direct official identification purpose (e.g., employee clubs, awards, and business cards purchased at employees expense). However, Regional Directors and Wardens may not authorize the use of the seals and logos for commercial purposes. Clarifications as to propriety of use will be directed to PIRM.

All publications UNICOR prints for the Bureau shall include a reference to the plant producing the document, in small print on the back cover.

USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Illustrations may be used in Bureau printed matter only when they are functional and:

Relate entirely to the transaction of public business and are in the public interest.
Relate directly to the subject matter, i.e., necessary to explain the text.
Illustrate employees actually engaged in a act or service related to their official duties.
Do not aggrandize any individual.
Are in good taste.
Are restricted to the minimum size necessary to accomplish their purpose.
Are not extraneous nor used only to frivolously draw attention or fill space.

LETTERHEAD, STATIONERY, ENVELOPES, MEMO AND ROUTING PADS

All letterhead stationery and envelopes shall be ordered only from UNICOR. An activity’s correct current address or location should be provided (particularly for an initial order for a newly opened institution). However, the design shall be consistent with DOJ Graphics Standards.

Personalized stationery shall be obtained from appropriated funds only for the “Office of the Director.” Any other use of official stationery with personalized names, titles, places or lines is not authorized.

Appropriated funds shall not be used to print personal names or titles of individuals on memo pads, personalized routing slips, business cards, etc. These items, if used, must be purchased at the user’s expense.

If a specialized printer (e.g., laser) is used to produce a document in its entirety, the printer may also be used to produce the document’s masthead portion. When done in this manner, masthead type size and style shall be according to DOJ Graphics Standards.

RECYCLING SYMBOL

The Bureau supports the use of recycled paper whenever feasible. When recycled paper is used to produce Bureau publications, the recycling symbol shall be placed unobtrusively on the publication, ordinarily on the back cover or last page. See Attachment K for the approximate size and a sample of the symbol.

DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS CONTRACTS AND SERVICES

UNICOR Graphics Support is the primary producer of printed materials for the Bureau. External contractors shall not be used to produce substantial printing except as a part of a larger contract which requires printing to complete the terms of the contract.

Writing, editing, preparation of manuscript copy, preparation of related illustrative material, or required printing can be accomplished as a part of a larger contract. The Bureau, however, will obtain the proprietary rights and the materials from the vendor. In addition, the Bureau will have the right to freely reproduce, print, and distribute the final product.

When a contractor prepares manuscripts, art boards, or other reproducibles, these materials will be prepared using technology compatible with UNICOR’s actual printing capabilities, if the printing is to be accomplished by UNICOR. To assure this is accomplished, contract monitors shall ensure that PIRM and UNICOR Graphics Support are invited to the initial, and other meetings, as necessary, to brief the contractors on technological concerns, the JCP Printing Rules, and DOJ Graphic Standards.

In addition to delivery of final manuscripts or art work, contracts shall require that the vendor provide text files in WordPerfect format to make future changes easier and permit incorporation of manuscripts onto BOPDOCS.

UNLAWFUL REPRODUCTION

Reproduction of the following material is generally unlawful under federal or state statues:

Adjusted compensation certificates for veterans;
Automobile licenses, drivers licenses, and automobile titles in certain states;
Certificates of citizenship or naturalization;
Certificates of war necessity;
Immigration papers;
Licenses issued to marine officers;
Obligations of any foreign government, bank, or corporation;
Obligations or securities of the United States Government including: Bonds, Certificates of Indebtedness, National Bank Currency, Coupons, United States Notes, Treasury Notes, Gold Certificates, Silver Certificates, Fractional Notes, Certificates of Deposit, bills, checks, or drafts for money, drawn by or upon authorized officers of the United States, Passports, and Selective Service System registration certificates;
Official badges, identification cards, and other insignia of the design prescribed by the head of any department or agency of the U.S. Government; and
Copyrighted material without the copyright owner’s consent.

All activities must obtain advance approval from DOJ to acquire printing, copying, or duplicating equipment. Equipment acquired for trial or demonstration purposes, for 60 days or less, requires the local Controller’s approval.

The UNICOR Graphics Support shall obtain equipment used in its printing production plants by consulting directly with the Department of Justice or GPO, as appropriate.
The Central Office, regional offices, institutions, Staff Training Centers, and community corrections offices shall forward requests using the Request for Printing, Copying or Duplicating Equipment (DOJ Form 450) (Attachment L) for printing and copying equipment to UNICOR, Graphics Support, in the Central Office.
UNICOR shall process and forward these requests to DOJ for final determination and then return the results to the requestor. PIRM shall consult with staff, process the requests to UNICOR, to obtain approval for Central Office equipment.

The requesting location shall prepare a DOJ Form 450 and forward it to UNICOR Graphics Support for processing including:

Name, model number, etc., of the equipment desired;
Name, model number, serial number, location, date acquired, etc., of equipment to be replaced;
Reason for new or replacement equipment (for example, more economical operation, cheaper supplies, etc.);
Monthly volume, (as accurate as possible), for existing and proposed new equipment;
Any other justification which is pertinent to an understanding of the need for the new equipment;
Method of acquisition (purchased, rented, updated, obtained from surplus, etc.);
Organization or activities serviced by requested equipment compared to existing equipment;
Availability of responsive service and maintenance;
Manpower savings, if any; and
Impact if authorization is not furnished.

DESKTOP PUBLISHING AND DOCUMENT AUTOMATION

All staff are encouraged to use electronic documents to supplant paper documents. It is more economical to publish documents electronically. Electronic documents, made available on BOPDOCS, can result in:

lower initial distribution costs,
reduced printing quantities, and
elimination of storage requirements.

Because electronic publication and distribution is considerably cheaper than paper systems, any requirement of this Program Statement relating to paper documents, which electronic documents obtained from BOPDOCS can supplant, shall be PIRM’s responsibility.

Illustrations, graphics, and variable bold fonts generally shall not be used to prepare everyday administrative documents such as letters, memoranda, Program Statements, and Operations Memoranda. Although, these documents generally should be prepared using Courier 10 CPI type, individual documents used for presentations, such as briefing or position papers for the Director, Assistant Directors, or Wardens, might be more appropriately prepared with bold, large type headings and double columns using desktop publishing software and techniques.

The Bureau desires to contain costs and make a consistent presentation in its internal and external publications. Thus, all printed materials, including those prepared electronically, shall conform to the JCP Printing Rules and DOJ Graphics Standards.

Typography, layout, and design requirements of DOJ Graphics Standards and this Program Statement’s requirements shall be applied when publications are being prepared. If there are questions as to the desirable standards, staff shall consult with PIRM.

Electronic documents prepared for transmission or use on SENTRY cannot be prepared in variable type, etc., and are not covered by this requirement. However, when preparing electronic documents for publication which include SENTRY material, the SENTRY material should be prepared using WordPerfect software.

Every effort will be made to reduce Central Office paper distribution by ensuring that electronic copies of documents in WordPerfect are included on BOPDOCS. Electronic publication guidelines apply to directives as well as to all other documents (see Attachment M). All staff are encouraged to use only the electronic copy of documents on BOPDOCS and are also encouraged to refrain, when possible, from printing copies, and thus, save supplies and other resources.

\s\

Kathleen M. Hawk, Director

SPECIAL PUBLICATION REQUIREMENTS

The following relate to specific instances of document publication which should be incorporated into and authorized by this Program Statement. This material is included as an attachment which will be periodically updated with change notices.

Publications developed, funded, and printed jointly by the BOP and other international, state, or local governments or private agencies are exempt from DOJ Graphics Standards. However, these publications must conform to the general JCP Printing Rules, and may bear both the BOP and the “other” agency’s seal and logo.

No BOP publication or other printed matter, prepared or produced using appropriated or non-appropriated funds, shall contain any advertisement for a private individual or firm. In addition, no BOP publication shall imply in any manner that the government endorses or favors any specific commercial product, commodity, or service.

Central Office, Office of Facilities Operation (OFO)

Construction diary. OFO obtains and uses a construction diary which serves as a legal document to record the construction history of BOP facilities. OFO will maintain the sequential numbering system used to account for the construction diaries and furnish the ODC with the correct block of numbers when ordering these books. The diaries will be ordered and maintained in increments to equate to a one-year supply.

Central Office Personnel Office (COPO)

Incentive awards. COPO will procure all printed materials required to support the central office incentive awards program. Orders for incentive awards materials, including Certificates of Achievement, Recognition, and Appreciation may be placed directly with the UNICOR Graphics Support.

Central Office, Bureau of Prisons Archives (BOPA)

The Historian maintains a collection of photographs received from central office, field activities, and other sources. These photographs are maintained for historical purposes; however, they are often used in BOP publications and for other official purposes. BOPA may obtain photographic services directly from a vendor, through the COBO, under an established Blanket Purchase Order or after obtaining a non-Blanket Purchase Order from the Central Office Business Office.

Central Office, Human Resource Management Division (HRD)

The Security and Background Investigation Section, 4211 Cedar Springs Road, Suite 200, Dallas, TX 75219, 214-767-9952, maintains the sequential numbering system used to control access to the BOP Credential and Identification Cards and furnishes the correct block of numbers to ODC when an order is placed. This office controls and issues quantities of these materials to the local human resources offices.

Central Office, Office of Finance (OF)

Maintains the sequential numbering system used for accountability of “Guest” and “Cash Meal Tickets” and furnishes ODC with the correct block of numbers when ordering these tickets.

UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL

Use the recycled symbol to identify:

Packages and other products made entirely or predominately from recycled paper fibers.
Newspaper or other publications printed on recycled paper.
The concept of recycling in publications, advertisements, or promotional material.
Organizations engaged in paper recycling.

** BOP activities should reduce the symbol and type below to 5/16 inch and print at the bottom left side on page one of each publication or document produced using recycled paper.

Electronic Publications – CDROM Guidelines

All Central Office documents, including all directives, are to be prepared in WordPerfect. Once a document clearance process is completed, ODC uses the electronic file version of the document for printing/issue of paper copies and for conversion to BOPDOCS CDROM. Users of BOPDOCS sometimes find that BOPDOCS copies do not match when compared to paper copies. This is due to variations in printer equipment used by a recipient compared to printer equipment used by the office issuing the document. This produces, in some cases, a document that can only be printed on the originator’s printer or may produce a document which cannot be read, or the document may make no sense when viewed through BOPDOCS.

WordPerfect is an extremely powerful and comprehensive document publisher that gives the user the capability to change nearly every formatting parameter of a document file. The end user of the file may find it impossible to match the originator’s parameters.

BOPDOCS documents are viewed on a variety of computers with a multitude of printers. ODC has identified a variety of file formatting differences that cause a majority of the problems and must resolve them prior to finalization and issue on BOPDOCS.

Central office prepared documents should be prepared for the “lowest common denominator” printer. To reduce the dependency on specific printer functions, to improve compatibility with BOPDOCS CDROM, to reduce document reproduction and printing time, and to make documents and directives as usable as possible for field sites when using BOPDOCS, staff should prepare documents using the following:

Defaults

Defaults are the predefined settings employed by WordPerfect. Changing your PC’s defaults, however, has a serious side effect on documents issued on BOPDOCS. Default changes are hidden (they will not show in reveal codes). This is particularly hazardous when attempting to combine a change notice into an existing policy with different defaults. Mandatory use of defaults is essential to BOPDOCS publication and staff use; it is not intended to govern your PC’s print capability for general office printing.

Margins

Directives are reprinted in ODC from the electronic file. A one-inch (10 character) margin is required on the left and right margin to allow for binder holes and other print plant operations. ODC reserves the top and bottom margins (also one inch) for numbering, authentication, pagination, and other print functions.

Fonts

Courier 10 is the standard. This is a 10 CPI (characters per inch) print size that is easily read and is generally available to all printers. Anything smaller will adversely affect how the document is viewed on the screen or will cause additional “wraps” (line and page). Changing distances between characters is just as damaging. Most field printers do not have the diversity to handle much more than Courier 10.

Page Formats

Use left justification only. Also use tabs (not indents) to allow text to wrap back to the left margin. ODC will determine if wrapping to the left margin creates a line that is awkward in appearance. There is some flexibility in this area, and the intent is to avoid extended paragraphs that occupy only the far right side of the page.

Page Size

Use the default 8.5 x 11, or 54 lines of text per page.

Commands

Auto-paragraph, hyphenation, newspaper columns, etc., are all designed to produce flawless desktop publications. They create problems for other printers or PCs attempting to replicate the document. There are many commands that may eliminate a keystroke or two for the writer, but consider that you have now given WordPerfect permission to restructure your document at its own convenience. Do not use these options when preparing documents for ODC or BOPDOCS.

Reserved

Brackets [ ] are applied to “Rules Language” exclusively. Use (), <>, or {}.

Landscape

Avoid this option if possible; maintain your documents in portrait position. Many BOPDOCS users are expected to have dot matrix printers. Landscape printing is slower and it is not supported by most dot matrix printers.

Directives

All main paragraphs are numbered in sequence using Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) and are flush on the left margin. The first subparagraph is tabbed once and lettered alphabetically in lower case (a., b., c., etc.), with all text after the tabbed line wrapped or flush left. The second subparagraph is tabbed twice and lettered using Arabic in parentheses (1), (2), (3), etc. without a period, and all text after the tabs is flush left.

Indent

Limit the use of this feature for quotes and examples; do not use for directives text. Indentation can be achieved with the Tab key, and for spacing, use the indent key (F4) and/or flush right (ALT+F6) to indent special text.

ODC provides printed and electronic documents to all field locations. The goal is to provide easy-to-use, easy-to-read, electronic publications that are accurate and professional. While much work goes into the preparation of documents, and ODC will facilitate to every extent possible a publisher’s intended finished product, it is even more critical that users be able to process and print the documents. Electronic documents should emulate the paper product as closely as possible, and the approach should be an electronic file that can be printed by any printer, rather than trying to create an electronic version of an existing, complex paper copy.

Printing, Distribution Management, and Electronic Documents – BOP Program Statement 1520.09 Download

Published Feb 9, 2025 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Mar 3, 2025 at 11:42 am