Standards: What are they and Why are They Important? 标准是什么及其重要性

        标准就是多数人认可的含有安全或技术以及其它准确限定内容的文字，表现形式有规则，指导方针，以及材料、产品、处理、服务的定义。在许多情况下，标准具有同一性，使得全世界所提供的产品和服务都是统一的。标准可以使得贸易、技术的流通加快，降低了贸易的技术壁垒，为新市场的开发创造了机会，有效促进了经济的发展。

        标准委员会可为关键人物、竞争对手提供一个交流、互动的机会。在ANSI、ISO和IEC举办的活动中，参与其中的人物和公司为国家或国际性的标准制定起了非常关键的作用，这些标准对业界有着非常深远的影响，并提高了印刷业者的技术含量和市场地位。

        今天，公司做生意面临许多挑战。只有不断评估、修正商务习惯和策略，才能占有更多市场份额，降低成本，提高生产能力和安全性能，令公司充满竞争力和战斗力。

        标准出现已有很多年了。最初，它们被认为碍手碍脚，无关紧要，处于印刷行业的底层。而现已有了大大改观。今天，事实证明，标准能帮助企业充满创新精神，减少成本、提高质量，并在国际市场保持竞争力。

        随着全球经济一体化，标准显得更加重要、更复杂。标准，已成为企业生存的基本之道，也是在国际上市场发展的不二法宝。随着越来越多的国际贸易协定的实施，国内生产商将面临更多的国际公司的挑战。而此时，标准，将大大缩短这些贸易障碍。

        印刷、出版、纸品加工的标准将会将快处理进程，使得处理可预测，更高效，并能提高成本效率:

        提供统一的、有严格定义的过程和工具，帮助用户为其客户生产高质量的产品。

        促进系统（如彩色电子印前系统和桌面出版系统）的衔接和集成，让不同系统用户的沟通更加轻松。

        以合理的价格提高产品质量和可靠性。

        提高分布的效率和维护的方便性，以及

        提高健康、安全、环境保护的指标，并减少废物排放。

        安全标准为工作场合更安全的设备设计提出了指导方针。安全标准对设备的安全性设计提出了更高的要求，能提高实施的连续性。标准同时强调，安全是每个人，如设备生产商、所有者、操作人员以及维护人员的责任

        实施安全标准的过程中，首先进行人员培训，将大大减少伤亡发生的可能性，创造一个更安全的工作环境，减少由于伤害而造成的时间、金钱损失。

        技术标准阐述如何以预先定义的方式完成特定步骤，目的是要保证设备、惯例和过程之间的互动、兼容性更好，保证最终产品的质量。技术标准同时详细阐述了印刷生产中不同步骤的特点和方式，而这些数据又可以用在软件开发之中。

        技术标准可使得信息系统使用更加方便，运行成本更低。技术标准使得信息使用者、出版人、其它信息提供人之间反映市场要求的关键步骤、惯例、格式等内容的沟通更加有效。

        技术标准的实施推广，将促进国内和国际市场的开发。标准同时还可以保证，来自不同地区的产品和服务，将有一样的水准。技术标准提高了供应商的竞争层次和成本效率，也保证了这些产品和服务是可互换的。

        现在，由美国标准委员会制定的标准，不少已进入国际性领域，我们期望在不远的将来成为国际性的标准。。

        今天，标准已不仅仅用于生产。无论您是生产商，代理商，产品用户，或者印品买家，标准都是您的得力助手。希望您能熟悉标准，并在标准的制定中扮演积极的角色。要制定出行业都一致推崇的标准，需要生产商、用户协作完成。

        即使您不能参加委员会，您也可以阅读标准起草文件，提出相关意见和建议。您熟悉了标准，就可将这些知识传达给其他人，并鼓励他们加入其中。标准要对整个行业起到指导性的作用，需要整个行业从业人员的努力，提供优秀的技术人员和资源来开发出出色的安全和技术标准。

       尽管贵公司的预算都非常有限，人力资源也是非常宝贵，但是美国的设备和技术，以及设备和技术的使用者，都要跟上日新月异的标准发展步伐。希望贵公司在标准的制定中抱有积极的心态，因为，同明天标准带给您的利润比较，今天的投入可谓微乎其微。 

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英文原文（NPES资料）

        Standards are documented consensus agreements containing safety or technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics for materials, products, processes and services. In many cases, they provide uniformity, which allows worldwide acceptance and application of a product or material. The aim is to facilitate trade, exchange and technology transfer. Standards help to remove technical barriers to trade, leading to new markets and economic growth for the industry.

        Standards committees provide a forum where peers and competitors can come together for mutual benefit. Through ANSI, ISO and IEC activities, you and your company can play a leading role in the development of national and international standards that affect our industry, enhancing your technical strength and market position.

        Today, companies are facing fundamental changes in the way they must do business. Strategies and business practices are continuously being evaluated to determine how to maintain and increase market share, reduce costs, increase productivity and safety, and achieve and maintain a competitive edge.

        Standards have been in existence for many years. At one time they were thought of as being the lowest common denominator, restrictive, and of little importance. This has changed. Today, standards are recognized as being essential to helping companies be innovative, reduce costs, improve quality and maintain competitiveness in an international marketplace.

        As we move toward a global economy, standardization issues continue to grow more complex. They are critical to the survival and prosperity of companies marketing internationally. As more international trade agreements are implemented, domestic manufacturers will face growing competition from international concerns. Standardization provides a way to help shrink barriers to trade.

        Standards for the printing, publishing , and converting industry will enable processes to run faster, more predictably, more efficiently, and be more cost effective by:
  providing uniform, defined procedures and tools which help users produce quality products for their customers;
  facilitating interconnectivity and process integration among systems, both CEPS and desktop, allowing users to communicate with one another easily;
  enhancing product quality and reliability at a reasonable price;
  increasing distribution efficiency and ease of maintenance; and
  improving health, safety and environmental protection, and reduction of waste.

        Safety standards provide guidelines for the design of safer equipment and for improved safety programs in the workplace. They provide for greater awareness of safety in the design of equipment, and increased consistency in operating procedures. They also emphasize that safety is the responsibility of everyone, including the equipment manufacturer, the owner, the operator and the maintenance personnel.

        Implementation of safety features and procedures, along with advances in personnel training, will result in a decrease of injuries. This, in turn, will result in a safer work environment, less time lost from the job due to injuries, and reductions in workers’ compensation costs.

        Technical standards describe how to do a particular procedure in a defined way, with the goal of achieving compatibility and interchange of information between equipment, practices and procedures, and producing output with more predictable results. They help also to characterize various parts of the printing process, resulting in the development of characterization data which can be used by software programs.

        Technical standards can make information systems easier to use and less expensive to operate. They allow communication between information users, publishers and other information providers about key methods, practices, procedures and formats reflecting marketplace requirements.

        The adoption of technical standards facilitates the expansion of both domestic and international markets. They also provide users with an assurance that products and services from various sources meet a recognized level of quality.

        To the extent that such products and services are interchangeable, technical standards promote competition among suppliers and offer increased prospects for cost efficiencies.

        Many of the standards developed by the U.S. standards committees are now being introduced into the international standards arena, forming the basis for the development of international consensus standards.

        Today, standards are no longer just for manufacturing. Whether you are a manufacturer, a reseller, a product user or a print buyer, standardization can be of benefit to you. You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with these industry standards, and to become actively involved in the development of new standards. It takes the cooperation of both the equipment and product vendors and the users to develop standards which will best serve the industry.

        Even if you are unable to attend meetings, you can become involved by reviewing draft documents under development and providing comments. By familiarizing yourself with the standards for the industry, you can bring them to the attention of others, and encourage their implementation. Standards efforts to strengthen the industry can only be successful through the commitment of the industry to provide the technical personnel resources to develop and implement sound technical and safety standards.

        Although company budgets are tight, and personnel resources stretched, it is increasingly important that U.S. manufacturers of equipment and technology, as well as the users of this equipment and technology, not only keep up-to-date on standards activities, but also become active participants in standards development. The time and cost are minimal relative to potential benefit for your business.