The Specifications for Newsprint Advertising Production Committee has rolled out a SNAP Certificate program.

The program is designed to help printers and newspapers document how they comply with SNAP guidelines.

SNAP said it would collect data about printing performance and produce a central database to support the development of American National Standards Institute and International Standardization Organization yardsticks governing coldset printing.

Interested printers and newspapers can download digital SNAP certificate files and press test instructions from the Newspaper Association of America Web site, www.naa.org. NAA is coordinating the test with SNAP, the Web Offset Association and Printing Industries of America.

The two-page SNAP test form demonstrates the elements necessary to document a site’s reproduction abilities.

It includes commonly used targets such as test elements to quantify density, dot gain and registration.

Participants can qualify for a certificate after they send their printed samples to SNAP. Regardless of whether the test participant receives a certificate, firms will receive a confidential report from SNAP that discusses print performance. SNAP is charging $100 for the service.

“We think this will help many coldset printers and newspapers put SNAP specifications into place,” said SNAP Chairman Peter Brehm of Vertis Inc. “It will also enable companies to be recognized for the quality of their coldset production process.”