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Customer Guide to Submitting Revisions to UL

The Customer Guide can be viewed in its entirety or by using the table of contents below.

Definitions and Basic Requirements

Content of a UL Report / FUS Procedure

Where to Route Individual Documents

Revising a Report or Procedure Document

Submitting Images to UL

Basic Requirements:

What are the formatting requirements for my document?

1. Font: The font for new documents should be Courier New font, size 10. For existing documents, you'll see a variety of fonts; keep the fonts as is in existing documents.



2. Margins: 1 inch top, bottom, left, and right. No space is given for the header, footer or gutter (enter 0).



3. Page Heading: Every page of a UL Report / Procedure must have an appropriate Page Heading, according to the document type. The Page Heading must not be contained within the Header/Footer region of the document - place at the top of the page body.



4. Page Number: Each page of a particular Description Section must have a unique page number. When pages are added, the numbering structure to follow when inserting pages (other than to the last page of the document) is as follows:

What should I know about required dates?

1. ISO Date Format: The date format Underwriters Laboratories uses on all its report documents: Year, Month, Day (YYYY-MM-DD).



2. Issued Date: The date the report or procedure was issued and on which the company can start to ship product with the UL Label/Marking.



3. Revised Date: The date that a particular page was revised. The newest revision on a given page must be dated after the previous revision date.

How does UL use revision marks for items added or removed?

1. Text that was added or changed appears in bold text.
2. An asterisk (*) is entered on the left margin of the paragraph (or line of a table) where text was removed.

How are File Numbers and Volume Numbers different?

1. File Number: The highest level of UL's client organizational structure. A file is "folder" with an alphanumeric designation in which client project information is referenced Generally speaking; all project information per Applicant (9-digit Subscriber Number) within a CCN is referenced within a single file.
2. Volume Number: The second highest level within UL's client organizational structure. A volume is a "sub-folder" within a File. The Applicant, Listee(s) and Manufacturer(s) who have been identified for each safety project are referenced at the Volume level. Projects grouped together within a Volume must share the same CCN, Applicant, Listee(s) and Manufacturer(s). Any deviation will result in a new Volume (and sometimes a new File). One Procedure typically exists for each Volume. (See also Alternate Listee and Multiple Listees).

What is the "Description" section used for?

This is a portion of the FUS Procedure identified as a numbered section and containing the specific description of one or more certified products or systems. This Section includes written text supplemented by photographs, drawings, etc., to define product features that affect compliance with the applicable requirements.

What is contained in a UL Report / FUS Procedure?

The following makes up the most common types of page found in UL Reports and Follow-Up Service (FUS) Procedures.

Authorization Page: The first page in UL's Follow-Up Service Procedure that authorizes the use of the UL Mark. The Authorization Page contains the name, address and corporate identifier of the Applicant, Listee, and Manufacturers, and the UL product category (CCN). Note: This is a system-generated page.

Addendum to the Authorization Page: If the Volume has more than one manufacturer, An Authorization Page will contain an Addendum Page. The Addendum will list all the manufacturers' corporate identifiers, Names, and Addresses for the volume. Additionally, for Ultralink volumes, the manufacturer's factory identifications will also be included on the Addendum under each manufacturer. Note: This is a system-generated page.

Listing (or Classification ) Mark Data Page: contains information regarding procurement, composition, and application of the UL Mark. This is a form document; the only information edited is the File, Volume, and Label Control Number.

Recognized Component Mark Data Page (not revised): outlines the Recognized Component marking Requirements that a component manufacturer is authorized to apply to a component manufactured under UL's Recognition Service. It consists of the Recognized company identification/name and catalog number, model number or other designation. The UL Recognized Component Mark ( ) may be used in conjunction with the Recognized Marking. This is a form that is not edited, but is linked to the applicable volumes.

Index: A page outlining the models or products covered under the sections of the Report. Organized by Volume number, which may or may not contain the Section number and issued date of the report.

Appendix: The portion of UL's FUS Procedure containing instructions for the manufacturer and UL's Field Representative concerning specific responsibilities and required tests for products bearing the UL Mark. The Appendix also outlines tests to be conducted on FUS samples forwarded to UL's facilities. Note: These pages are supplemental to the Standardized Appendix Pages, and are tailored to each file and volume.

Standardized Appendix Pages (SAPs): Pages that include specific instructions and responsibilities applicable to the Follow-Up Service Program. SAPs are the same for all manufacturers within a particular product category. Note: These pages are not edited, but are linked to the applicable volumes.

Follow-Up Inspection Instructions (FUIIs): Specific instructions and responsibilities applicable to UL's Follow-Up Service Program. FUIIs are generally issued when the UL Standard is included in the Procedure. FUIIs are the same for all manufacturers within a particular product category. Note: These pages are not edited, but are linked to the applicable volumes.

Section General: The "GENERAL" section shall be prepared under the heading "GENERAL" and identified as "Sec. Gen." It is intended to contain description, requirements, or specifications that are common to all products covered by the entire volume and, when employed, supplements the information contained in the several "DESCRIPTION" sections.

Report Cover Page: Every Report (whether an integrated Report and Procedure, or an Independent Report) shall include a Report Cover Page, containing the File, Project Number, Issued Date, Applicant Name and Location, Listee Name and Location (if different from Applicant), Copyright information, and may or may not include a permissive statement to the Applicant for Report Reproduction purposes.

Description: A portion of the FUS Procedure (identified as a numbered section) and/or a Report (identified by a unique issued date) and containing the specific description of one or more certified products or systems. The Description includes written text supplemented by photographs, drawings, etc., to define product features that affect compliance with the applicable requirements.

• Independent Procedure (IP) Description: A Procedure whose "Description" is prepared completely independent of the Report.

• Integrated Report and Procedure (RP) Description: A Description that is shared by both the FUS Procedure and Report.

• Independent Report (IR) Description: A Report whose "Description" is prepared completely independent of the FUS Procedure. Note: A volume or section is not associated to an IR.

Test Record: The portion of a UL certification Report that describes the test methods used and the results obtained during investigation of a product.

Conclusion Page: A page which outlines the basis for Listing, the Conclusion statement is developed to fit the situation and shall be as authorized for specific categories by the Department Manager.

Supplemental images or scanned documentation?

Figure: A photograph or drawing of a product or part under consideration for Listing (or other) that depicts the critical features or components; its main purpose is to assist the Field Representative under UL's FUS Program. A Figure is always identified by a "FIG." number and is accompanied in the UL Report and/or FUS Procedure by descriptive text on adjacent pages.

• Acceptable Figure formats: .jpg, .tif, .pdf, .doc or .rtf
• Page Headings for figures will be inserted electronically when printed at UL.

Illustration: The term used to identify a photograph, drawing, booklet, or the like that helps describe a certified product. An "ILL." number identifies each illustration within a UL Report and/or FUS Procedure.

• Acceptable Illustration formats: .jpg, .tif, .pdf, .doc or .rtf
• Page Headings for illustrations will be inserted electronically when printed at UL.

Data sheet package: The data recorded from the testing that was conducted; these are stored as a supplement to the Test Record document.

• Acceptable Data sheet formats: .tif, .pdf, .xls, .doc or .rtf

With so many documents, who gets what?

Revising a Report or Procedure Document

1. Obtain a copy of the existing document via CDA; retain the name of the file that is downloaded from CDA.

2. Electronic Report and Procedure document attachments will be in a rich text format (.rtf) - please retain this format, as it is a universal word processing format and must be uploaded as such into UL's systems.

3. Turn on the Track Changes feature of Microsoft Word:

• Go to Tools, Track Changes.
• Select Highlight Changes.
  
• Select Track Changes while editing (all three boxes should be checked).
  
• Select Options and ensure they are set as follows (these are the default settings):
  
• Once the above is set and saved in the Word settings the first time, a short-cut alternative is to double-click the 'TRK' item in the bottom toolbar in Word to turn on the Track Changes feature. This acts as a toggle button - double-click again to turn off the feature.
  

4. Make the desired changes.

• It is not necessary to change the revised date on the page being revised, as UL staff will do this for you. However, if desired, enter the revision date in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)

5. Save the document, retaining the original document name as provided on CDA; close.

• Do not combine content groups (such as combining the Description and Test Record), because this creates more work for both clients and UL.

6. Submit the documents to the UL contact you usually work with.

Submitting Images

How should I submit images to UL?

• Capture, Copy & Send
• Our research has shown that image quality is best when submitted images are "original" files directly from the capture device; i.e., the image files have not been manipulated in any way. Once an image has been captured, just copy and send the image to your UL contact person who will see that the image is processed using UL's custom image system. If you open the image to view it, please do not "save" or "save as" to close; rather, select "close" or "exit"; "save" or "save as" may degrade the image.
• For Photographic Images (shades of gray or color)
• Paper copies of photos should be scanned at a minimum of 200 dpi to a JPG file.
• Photos from a digital camera should have a minimum of 900K pixels captured to a JPG file.
• For Drawings or Graphical Representations (sharp lines, little or no shading)
• Paper copies of drawings should be scanned at a minimum of 200 dpi to a TIF file;
• Normally, one drawing per file unless many drawings are part of a single "illustration".
• If available with software used in scanning, CCITTg4 compression of the TIF file is good.
• Very large drawings submitted may not be legible when headed and printed on 8.5 x 11 paper, therefore it is recommended to scan images that are (or close to) originally 8.5 x 11 in.
• For Data sheets or User Manuals (materials containing mostly text or numbers)
• Paper copies should be scanned at a minimum of 200 dpi to a TIF file;
• A single TIF file with multiple images is recommended.
• If available with software used in scanning, CCITTg4 compression of the TIF file is good.
• PDF copies are ok (but not recommended for drawings, photos, etc.)

What should I NOT do when submitting images?

• Avoid "save" and "save as" (if you need to change the file name, do a "rename" instead)
• Avoid manipulating image files (UL's custom image system will handle this responsibility)
• Avoid embedding image files in a Microsoft Word or PDF document (image quality will be degraded)
• Avoid adding text headings, callouts, or captions to images
• Avoid scanning paper-printed photographs and photocopies (quality will be low)

Which image file formats should be used?

UL's custom image processing system supports TIF, CCITTg4, JPG, and PDF image formats. Also, DOC and RTF are acceptable word processing formats for all images, however XLS is only acceptable for Data sheet packages. Color will be lost during the processing of TIF, CCITTg4, and PDF. UL does not currently support CAD, Progressive JPG, nor LZW compression.

What naming conventions should I follow?

Same as the associated document naming convention, plus 'FIG', 'ILL', or 'DS' at end of name and the associated image number; example: E1234-20060320-Description-FIG-1.jpg.

• Abbreviations:
• FIG = Figure (photo)
• ILL = Illustration (drawing or schematic)
• DS = Datasheet (test data)

Which delivery media should I use?

Compact disk (CD), floppy disk, or email attachment are suitable media for submitting images to UL. Compression software (e.g., PKZIP, WINZIP) may be used only if it does not modify the image file.

SUBMITTING DOCUMENTS Home Customer Guide (complete) Definitions and Basic Requirements Content of a UL Report / FUS Procedure Where to Route Individual Documents Revising a Report or Procedure Document Submitting Images to UL Print this Page E-mail this Page