Federal Register Document Drafting Handbook October 1998 Revision Chapter 5: Disk Submissions 5.1 What are the benefits of submitting a disk with your document? 5.2 What are the requirements for any disk submission? Verification/Certification letter Type of disk Type of file Labeling and preparation 5.3 What are the additional requirements for a fully coded disk submission? 5.4 How do I make changes to a disk submission? Notes: In this chapter, "we," "our," or "OFR" refer to the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, and "you" or "your" refer to Federal agencies that prepare documents for publication in the Federal Register. Use the examples in this chapter as models for style, not content. Although many of these are single-spaced for visual impact, you must double-space your document. 5.1 What are the benefits of submitting a disk with your document? You may submit a computer file of your document to accompany the paper original and two certified copies, or three originals. You can submit an "uncoded" file, which is a word processing file prepared according to your agency's requirements, or you may submit a "fully coded" file by taking the extra step of adding GPO typesetting codes. Including a computer file with your document provides the following benefits: Accuracy. Printing cost discounts: $30 Page Rate Discount for WordPerfect and ASCII files. $75 Page Rate Discount for fully coded files. GPO determines the discount rate, based on their use of your file. 5.2 What are the requirements for any disk submission? If you submit any computer file, uncoded or fully coded, you must comply with certain requirements regarding: Verification/Certification letter. Type of disk. Type of file. Labeling and preparation. Verification / Certification letter. You must include a verification/certification letter with each disk submission, stating that the signed original document and the file on the disk are identical. The Certifying Officer, Liaison Officer, or signer of the document may sign the verification/certification letter. (See Appendix A for a model letter.) If there are discrepancies between the file on the disk and the original document, your signed original always stands as the official text. It is the legal basis of your agency's action. Type of disk. Submit your file on a high density (HD), 3.5 inch, IBM formatted disk. Type of file. You may create and print your document with any word processing program. However, the file that you submit to us must be in one of the following formats: ASCII text format, also called MS-DOS Text. WordPerfect 6.1 or earlier If you created the document with a word processing program other than WordPerfect 6.1 or earlier, use that program to save an MS-DOS Text, or ASCII version of the document on the disk that you submit to us. Example 1: Using MS Word to save a file for the Federal Register. Suppose your regulations staff, using your agency's current version of MS Word, has drafted a final rule named THISRULE.DOC, circulated it for approval, and forwarded it for signature. A signed original and two certified copies of THISRULE.DOC are now ready to send to the Federal Register for publication. To submit a file with this document, open the final version of THISRULE.DOC, and insert a formatted 3.5 inch HD disk in your computer. From MS Word's menu bar, select "File," then "Save As." In the "Save As" window, fill in boxes as follows: Save in: 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) (if A: is the 3 1/2" disk drive on your computer) File name: thisrule.txt (change extension from ".doc" to ".txt") Save as type: MS-DOS Text Click the "Save" button. This saves THISRULE.TXT to the disk as an MS DOS Text, or ASCII, file. Close THISRULE.TXT. All word processing programs offer similar procedures for saving an ASCII version of a file. Labeling and preparation. Submit a separate disk, and include a separate verification/certification letter for each document. Label all disks. Write the following information on the label: Name of your agency. Name of the file on the disk. File format: Text (ASCII), or WordPerfect. Name, CFR citation, or agency docket number tying it to the paper document. Remove passwords, security codes, back-up files, and delete any other files that may be on the disk. The file that contains your document should be the only file on the disk. Do not fast-save the file to the disk. Scan the disk for viruses. On the paper original and copies of the document, add "P" for WordPerfect, "U" for Unformatted or ASCII, or "F" for a fully coded file, to the billing code: Example 2: Billing Codes for documents accompanied by disk submissions. When you include a Text (ASCII) file with the document: BILLING CODE 4000 01 U When you include a WordPerfect file: BILLING CODE 4000 01 P When you include a fully coded file: BILLING CODE 4000 01 F See sections 1.3, 2.3, or 3.3 for more information about billing codes. 5.3 What are the additional requirements for a fully coded disk submission? The Government Printing Office (GPO) offers a $75 page rate discount if you take the extra step of adding GPO typesetting codes, also called locator codes, to the file that you submit on disk. If you would like to consider submitting these "fully coded" files, your Federal Register Liaison Officer should consult with the chief of OFR's Daily Issue Production Unit. Before you begin submitting coded files to the OFR, you must attend a coding class given by the Government Printing Office. In order to receive the $75 page rate discount for a fully coded document, you must submit: The signed paper original and two certified copies, or three duplicate originals, that we require for any Federal Register document. A disk that contains a file, identical to the original document, coded with GPO locator codes. It can be either a Text (ASCII) file, or WordPerfect 6.1 file, as described in section 5.2. A verification/certification letter, as described in section 5.2 Microcomp page proofs of the document, created from the fully coded file. When submitting a fully coded file, you must comply with all labeling and disk preparation requirements in section 5.2. What are Microcomp pages? If you plan to submit fully coded files, you must purchase the Microcomp Program from GPO, and use it to print the page proofs that accompany your documents. Microcomp creates a Postscript file from your fully coded file. This Postscript file, when printed on a Postscript printer, produces proofs that are typographically identical to Federal Register pages. GPO gives you the $75 page rate discount only if the Microcomp program successfully creates Federal Register page proofs from your coded file. OFR staff uses your Microcomp pages to determine if you have met all printing style requirements for publishing in the Federal Register. 5.4 How do I make changes to a disk submission? To correct any document that you have submitted for publication, you must follow the procedures in section 4.2. The following requirements also apply to documents accompanied by disk submissions. Changes to uncoded files. If you submit an uncoded file with your document, GPO gives you a $30 page rate discount, and you are allowed more flexibility to make changes before publication. The GPO staff will correct the electronic text before printing. If the changes are extensive, we may require you to submit new pages, a new computer file, and a new verification/certification letter, or we may return your submission to you for correction and resubmission. The GPO decides whether you receive the discount on printing costs if they must correct your file. Changes to coded files. We will make no changes to a coded file, other than computing and inserting dates and completing the file line at the end of the document. To make other changes, you must submit a corrected file, a new verification/certification letter, and new Microcomp pages. The GPO decides whether you receive the discount on printing costs if they must correct your file.