Designation: D 6787 – 02

Standard Specification for

Repositionable Note Pad1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 6787; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

1. Scope tions of Toxic and Hazardous Materials

1.1 This specification covers pads of repositionable, col- U.S. Government CID A-A-2546 Pad, Writing Paper (Re-
ored, note paper. Each sheet has a strip of pressure-sensitive positionable)
adhesive on the back side. 2.5 ISO Standard:
1.2 The values stated in either SI or inch-pound units are to ISO 9002 Quality Systems Model for Quality Assurance in
be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each Production and Installation6
system are not exact equivalents; therefore, each system must 2.6 Other Standards:
be used independently, without combining values in any way. Coalition of Northeastern Governors (CONEG) Model Tox-
1.3 The following safety hazards caveat pertains only to ics Legislation7
Section 14, Performance Requirements. This standard does not 3. Terminology
purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated
with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard 3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
to establish appropriate safety and health practices and 3.1.1 flagging—the lifting of an edge of a repositionable
determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to note from paper when the note and paper are wrapped around
use. a cylinder.
3.1.2 multiple lift—the condition in which removal of the
2. Referenced Documents top sheet on a pad of notes causes the unintentional removal of
2.1 ASTM Standards: a second sheet.
D 3715/D 3715M Practice for Quality Assurance of 3.1.3 postconsumer materials—a material or finished prod-
Pressure-Sensitive Tapes2 uct that has served its intended use and has been discarded for
D 3951 Practice for Commercial Packaging2 disposal or recovery, having completed its life as a consumer
D 4332 Practice for Conditioning Containers, Packages, or item. Postconsumer material is a part of the broader category of
Packaging Components for Testing2 recovered material.8
2.2 TAPPI Test Methods:3 3.1.4 recovered materials—waste materials and by-products
T 410 Grammage of Paper and Paperboard (Weight per Unit that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, but such
Area) term does not include those materials and by-products gener-
T 411 Thickness (caliper) of Paper, Paper Board, and ated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufac-
Combined Board turing process.9
2.3 Executive Orders:4
4. Significance and Use
Executive Order 13101 Greening the Government Through
Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition, 4.1 Repositionable note pads consist of individual sheets of
September 16, 1998 paper with an adhesive strip on one edge. The adhesive will
2.4 Federal Specification:5 temporarily hold the note to another sheet of paper, a file, or
Code of Federal Regulations, 16 CFR Part 1500.3 Defini- other surface without damaging or otherwise modifying the
surface of the sheet or file. The notes display a written message
or reminder.
1
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D10 on 4.2 This specification is based on the U.S. Government CID
Packaging and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D10.14 on Tape and A-A-2546, which was cancelled in 1999.
Labels.
Current edition approved April 10, 2002. Published June 2002.
2 6
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 15.09. Available from American National Standards Institute, 25 W. 43rd St., 4th
3
TAPPI standards are available from the Technical Association of the Pulp and Floor, New York, NY 10036.
7
Paper Industry, P.O. Box 105113, Atlanta, GA 30348. Available from the Toxins in Packaging Clearinghouse, c/o the Council of State
4
Available from The White House Publications Office, New Executive Office Governments, 2760 Research Park Drive, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY
Building, White House, Washington, DC 20500, Att: Publications. 40578–1910.
5 8
Available from Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing US Executive Order 13101, section 203.
9
Office, Washington, DC 20402. US Executive Order 13101, section 205.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

1
 D 6787
5. Apparatus 11. Color and Graphics
5.1 Roller, Hand-operated: 11.1 The color and graphics of the repositionable note pads
5.1.1 A steel roller 85 6 2.5 mm [3.25 6 0.1 in.] in diameter shall conform to those commercially available.
and 45 6 1.5 mm [1.75 6 0.005 in.] in width, covered with
rubber approximately 6 mm [0.25 in.] in thickness, having a 12. Materials and Manufacture
Shore scale A durometer hardness of 80 6 5. The surface shall 12.1 Construction—A minimum average of 100 sheets of
be a true cylinder void of any convex or concave deviations. paper shall be assembled in the form of a pad. No individual
The mass of the roller shall be 2040 6 45 g [4.5 6 0.1 lb]. pad shall contain fewer than 97 sheets. The pad of paper and a
5.1.2 No part of the apparatus shall increase the mass of the backing sheet shall be securely fastened together by means of
roller during use. The roller shall move either mechanically or the repositionable, pressure-sensitive adhesive coating.
by hand at the rate of 10 6 0.5 mm/s [24 6 0.5 in./min].
5.2 Cylindrical Mandrel for Flagging Test: 13. Physical Properties
5.2.1 The mandrel shall be a smooth cylinder, 51 mm (2 in.) 13.1 Paper:
in diameter and a minimum of 20 cm (8 in.) long. Suitable 13.2 The paper used in the construction of the pad shall be
materials include wood, plastic, and aluminum. The mandrel of the color as specified in the ordering description, and shall
may be a solid cylinder or a hollow tube. conform to the requirements shown in Table 2.
13.3 Adhesive Coating:
6. Test Materials
13.4 Each sheet of paper in the pad shall have a coating of
6.1 Multi-purpose Copy Paper—Hammermill Fore DP, repositionable, pressure-sensitive adhesive located on the back
Multi-Function Paper, White #10326-7 or equivalent. side of the sheet. The adhesive coating shall be applied flush to
6.2 Double-coated pressure sensitive adhesive tape, with one horizontal edge of the sheet, shall extend the entire width
permanent adhesive on both sides of the tape. of the sheet, and shall have a minimum width of 6.4 mm (1⁄4
in.).
7. Conditioning
7.1 Condition the pads of repositionable notes in the stan- 14. Performance Requirements
dard conditioning atmosphere as described in Practice D 4332 14.1 Writing Quality:
for a period of not less than 24 h. 14.1.1 The sheets of pad paper shall not exhibit feathering,
7.2 Conduct tests in an atmosphere of 50 6 2 % relative spreading, skipping, beading, visible discontinuities or fading
humidity and 23.0 6 2.0°C. of ink when written on with a metal roller, felt tip, fountain
8. Classification pen, permanent marker, or ball point pen.
14.2 Sheet Removal:
8.1 The size of the pads shall be as listed in Table 1. The 14.2.1 The sheets of pad paper shall release easily from the
adhesive stripe is located on the top of the horizontal dimen- pad without leaving any trace of adhesive on the underlying
sion of the pad. sheet.
9. Ordering Information 14.3 Multiple Sheet Lift:
14.3.1 When removed from the pad, the first note removed
9.1 The inquiry or order shall include the following: shall not remove another note when tested according to the
9.1.1 ASTM designation and date of issue, following method.
9.1.2 Type required (see 8.1), 14.3.2 A pad is securely mounted to a flat, hard, horizontal
9.1.3 Recycled paper content for government purchase (see surface with double-coated pressure sensitive adhesive tape.
19.1), The tape covers the entire back side of the pad and the
9.1.4 When testing and inspection certification is required non-adhesive side of the pad faces up. A random number of
(see Section 21), sheets between 1 and 60 are removed from the top of the pad
9.1.5 Packaging and marking (see 10.1), and and discarded. The sheet remaining on top of the pad is
9.1.6 Color of paper and graphics, if any (see 11.1). removed by grasping between the thumb and forefinger and
10. Packaging and Package Marking lifting off the pad at a 90° angle. The next 24 sheets are
removed from the same pad in a like manner for a total of 25
10.1 Packaging and package marking shall be as specified in sheets. Count the number of times more than one sheet is
the contract or order. removed at a time (multiple lift). Repeat the test five times on

TABLE 1 Dimensions of Notepads

TABLE 2 Paper Specifications
Horizontal Vertical
Type Tolerance
Dimension Dimension TAPPI
Property Unit Requirement
Test Method
1 127 mm (5 in.) 76 mm (3 in.) 61.6 mm (61⁄16 in.)
2 76 mm (3 in.) 76 mm (3 in.) 61.6 mm (61⁄16 in.) Basis Weight g/m2, 500 sheets 67, min T 410
3 51 mm (2 in.) 38 mm (1.5 in.) 61.6 mm (61⁄16 in.) (lbs/17 3 22 in., (18.0, min)
4 51 mm (2 in.) 76 mm (3 in.) 61.6 mm (61⁄16 in.) 500 sheets)
5 101 mm (4 in.) 152 mm (6 in.) 61.6 mm (61⁄16 in.) Thickness mm (in.) 0.094 6 0.013 T 411
6 Custom Custom 61.6 mm (61⁄16in.) (0.0037 6 0.0005)

2
 D 6787
the same lot of pads and average the number of multiple lifts the combined sample is mounted on the cylindrical mandrel.
to obtain an individual test result. Multiple lift shall not occur See Table 3.
more than one time per pad. 14.6 Repositioned Flagging:
14.4 Fiber Pull: 14.6.1 After repositioning notes to paper 10 times and
14.4.1 When adhered to a sheet of copy paper, notes shall testing for flagging, the note shall remain attached to the paper
not pull paper fibers from the copy paper when tested by the when tested according to the following method.
following method. 14.6.2 A sheet from a note pad is positioned on a sheet of
14.4.2 Place a sheet of multi-purpose copy paper on a hard, multi-purpose copy paper and adhered using the procedure
flat surface. Randomly select two test sheets from the note pad. described in 14.4.2. It is then removed and repositioned on a
Separately place the two test sheets of the pad paper on the fresh section of the copy paper and adhered as described above.
copy paper and adhere each by rolling once in their lengthwise This cycle is repeated 9 times for a total of 10 adhesions. The
direction (that is, once back and once forth) using the hand held sheet is then tested for initial flagging per 14.5. Repeat this test
roller. On one of the test sheets, write over the adhesive strip 5 times per lot of notes and average the results to obtain an
area with a sharp No. 2 pencil, using enough pressure to indent individual test result.
the paper. Remove each test sheet from the copy paper. 14.6.3 Repositioned flagging shall not exceed 60 % of the
Evidence of paper fibers on the adhesive strip shall be length of the horizontal edge. See Table 3.
considered as failure to meet the requirement.
15. Environmental Requirements
14.5 Initial Flagging:
14.5.1 The sheets of pad paper, when adhered to a sheet of 15.1 Bleaching—To obtain an acceptable brightness or
multi-purpose copy paper, shall remain attached to the copy color, chemical bleaching of the paper may be used. The
paper when tested as specified in the following method. bleaching process shall be elemental chlorine free. Certifica-
14.5.2 Adhere a sheet of the pad paper to the copy paper tion of compliance shall be made available upon request.
using the method described in 14.4.2. Hold the edges of the 15.2 Environmental Requirements—The repositionable
specimen so they do not lift off the paper before the timer is writing paper shall not contain toxic or potentially harmful
started. By hand, roll the combined sample around a cylindrical materials as defined in Federal Document 16 CFR Part 1500.3.
mandrel 51.0 mm (2.0 in.) in diameter with the horizontal edge The contractor shall certify that no heavy metals, defined as
of the sheet perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. See Fig. lead, mercury, cadmium or hexavalent chromium, are inten-
1. Flagging is defined as the length of the adhesive end of the tionally introduced into the repositionable notes nor are they
sheet that peels away from the copy paper due to stresses from introduced into the packages for this product as specified in the
being bent around a curve. Total flagging is the sum of flagging CONEG Model Toxics Legislation.
at both ends of the sheet. Mark the points at which the 15.3 Food Contact—Repositionable notes are not intended
specimen separates from the paper after 30 s have elapsed. Test to be used as food additives nor are they intended to be used in
five specimens from the same lot of notes and average the direct food contact.
flagging values to obtain an individual test result. 16. Workmanship, Finish and Appearance
14.5.3 The note pads shall not show a total flagging length
16.1 Sheets of pad paper shall be clean and free from dirt,
in excess of 25 % of the length of the horizontal edge 30 s after
foreign matter, holes, tears, wrinkles, and other defects which
might affect appearance or serviceability. The sheets shall be
uniform with respect to color and formation. Pads shall be
square cut with smooth, clean edges.
17. Sampling
17.1 End-item Examination—The lot size and sampling for
end-item examination shall be as called for in Practice D 3715/
D 3715M. The sample unit shall be one pad of notes.
17.2 End-item Testing—The lot size and sampling for end-
item testing shall be as called for in Practice D 3715/D 3715M.
The AQL shall be 2.5 %.
18. Specimen Preparation and Number of Tests
18.1 Specimen preparation shall be as specified in the
TABLE 3 Sheet Attachment Initial and Repositioned Flagging
Total Initial Total Repositioned
Sheet Size Flagging Flagging
mm (in.), max mm (in.), max
127 3 76 mm (5 3 3 in.) 32 mm (1.25 in.) 76 mm (3.0 in.)
76 3 76 mm (3 3 3 in.) 19 mm (0.75 in.) 46 mm (1.8 in.)
51 3 38 mm (2 3 1.5 in.) 13 mm (0.50 in.) 30 mm (1.2 in.)
51 3 76 mm (2 3 3 in.) 13 mm (0.50 in.) 30 mm (1.2 in.)
101 3 152 mm (4 3 6 in.) 25 mm (1.00 in.) 61 mm (2.4 in.)
FIG. 1 Flagging Test

3
 D 6787
appropriate test method. such conformance prior to first delivery and thereafter as may
18.2 Number of tests per unit of product shall be as be otherwise provided for under the provisions of the contract.
specified in the appropriate test method.
18.3 First Article of Manufacture—When a product is first 20. Certification
manufactured in a plant, it shall be tested and inspected to 20.1 When specified (see 9.1.3) in the purchase order or
determine compliance with all examinations and tests of this contract, the manufacturer shall certify that the minimum
specification. First article of manufacture examinations need recycled paper content standard of the paper of the reposition-
only be repeated when there is a change in materials, processes, able note pads are as specified (see 19.1).
or plant of manufacture. Specimens shall consist of at least five 20.2 When specified (see 9.1.4) in the purchase order or
pads representing a standard production lot. contract, the purchaser shall be furnished a certification stating
19. Government Purchase Requirements that the samples representing each lot of repositionable note
pads have been tested and inspected as directed in this
19.1 The contractor shall certify that the minimum content specification, the requirements have been met, and that the
standard of the paper and backing sheet shall be no less than repositionable note pads have been produced in a manufactur-
30 % postconsumer materials in accordance with Executive ing facility certified under ISO 9002.
Order 13101, section 505(a). As an alternative to meeting the
standards of section 505(a), the minimum content standard 21. Packing, Packaging, and Package Marking
shall be no less than 50 % recovered materials that are a waste
material byproduct of a finished product other than a paper or 21.1 Packing, packaging, and package marking shall be as
textile product which would otherwise be disposed of in a specified in the contract or order or Practice D 3951.
landfill, as determined by the State in which the facility is
located, in accordance with Executive Order 13101, section 22. Keywords
505(b). The Government reserves the right to require proof of 22.1 note pad: repositionable; paper; pressure-sensitive

ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentioned
in this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the risk
of infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years and
if not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standards
and should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of the
responsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you should
make your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.

This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,
United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the above
address or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or service@astm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website
(www.astm.org).