Greeting Cards and CPSIA

[Cardskwirl]

Does anyone know if greeting cards are exempt from CPSIA or if they need to be tested. I'm so confused. Please help.

[Former_Member]

Interesting question! Marking...

[Former_Member]

All I know is the CPSIA is going to make it very difficult for many sellers here on etsy.

If greeting cards need to be tested, how about Fine Art Prints?

[Former_Member]

I'm curious about this too.....

[SunnyCatDesigns]

eek, I was going to start doing more greeting cards. I screen print though and use water based already lead tested inks.

[Former_Member]

In reading the CPSIA website, they exempt books printed after 1985 using CMYK "modern printing processes." Personally, I am assuming that other printed materials would fall under the same category. Unfortunately, they made the law so vague ... I'm really not sure WHAT the government wants ... except to scare everyone into testing any random thing.

[Celticcatphotos]

That is scary if it includes prints and cards!

[Former_Member]

Oh, I hope not! Cause I get a lot printed...

[Former_Member]

With the CPSIA there are no exempt children's products only raw materials used to make the final product that could be exempt from lead testing.
In the case of cards and invitations if the item is expressly for a child like a Happy 5th Birthday or Congratulations on Graduating Elementary School then you need to test if the materials or processes you are using are not on the exempt from lead testing. If the inks, paints, or embellishements you have on the cards are not exempt and if you can get the test results that include the lead levels in PPM with the lab's name and date of testing for all the non-exempt supplies used you do not need to test again but you will need hard copries of those reports to keep on file. Regardless of if the raw supplies are on the exempt list or that you have test results you will need to put the tracking info on the directly on the cards.

For the current full list of raw materials offically exempt from lead testing please read http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/frnotices/fr09/leaddeterminationsfinalrule-draft.pdf
An update on the stay of 3rd party testing
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10083.html
Tracking labels
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/sect103policy.pdf
and
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/sect103.html#103q8

[Cardskwirl]

I guess I will not be making any cards for children.

[Former_Member]

I'd never thought about this. I sell my photography on note cards as well as prints. Yikes!

[LibertyImages]

Wow. Haven't thought my prints or in-the-lineup notecards would be included, either! This is getting ridiculous.

[Former_Member]

maravervais says:
In reading the CPSIA website, they exempt books printed after 1985 using CMYK "modern printing processes."

So I assume Current photography prints, dated before 1985 would be fine.

I wonder if we still need a warning in our descriptions like "not for children" "not for consumtion" "external use only"?

1o1 but seriously, I wish they would break it down, and act like I'm a 3rd grader so I can understand and try to follow some of these ridiculous regulations

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Are your prints and notecards intended for children or children's rooms? If yes then you need to follow CPSIA rules. Are they for adults? Then no you do not.

CPSIA also applies to posters, and game boards that are for children. After all, our esteemed lawmakers have decided they must give off molecules of lead, if they are in a child's room or played with by a child, but they do not if they are an "ordinary" game or poster that is for use by all age groups. So, Candyland can be deadly because it is used by young children, but Risk and Monopoly is not if all ages play it. Go figure!!

[Former_Member]

Marking! Thank you for the advice.

[Former_Member]

To what age is classified as a child?

[Former_Member]

Boy, this is depressing. I use water-based, nontoxic inks, acid/lignin-free card stock and printed papers, and non-metallic fabric ribbon on my cards. I have no idea how I'm supposed to track down specific testing info on all my materials!

[Former_Member]

CETphotography, according to the documents linked earlier it's 12 or younger.

[tylersworkshop]

hmmm. marking.

[tylersworkshop]

hmmm. marking.

[NDTPhoto]

I think you're safe. This is from a CPSIA pdf I just found in another thread...
______________________________________
Question 3: What is a children's product?

A children’s product is one designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger. Toys, clothes, furniture, books, jewelry, blankets, games, CDs/DVDs, strollers, and footwear may all be considered children’s products.
______________________________________
Cards, prints, and other printed material other than books doesn't seem to be applicable to an of these items...

[Cardskwirl]

That makes me feel a bit better. I wonder if they would consider baptism cards as a product for children. The parents open them and they never get near the child. Oh how I wish they would spell things out.

[Former_Member]

This whole thing is ridiculous. Basically, any product on the same planet as a child is subject to a set of regulations that no one can understand and for which most people can't afford a lawyer to figure it out for them.

I think I'm going to start making lewd products so no one can mistake them for being intended for children.

[Former_Member]

And for all this, the FDA can't even keep our food supply safe!

[Former_Member]

Haven't heard anything.