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COLAs Online eNews

November 2007
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The Public COLA Registry is accessible via TTB.gov and it allows the public to view information about Approved, Expired, Surrendered, and Revoked COLAs as well as images of the forms (a.k.a. Printable Versions) for most COLAs issued since 1999—even ones submitted on paper.  TTB provides this access in order to comply with the Freedom of Information Act, so no user name or password is required to access the Public COLA Registry.  Although the Public COLA Registry contains information going back to the mid 1960s, because of changes made to the label database, searches for data prior to 1996 may not produce complete results. 

Information about approved COLAs and links to the printable versions do not appear in the Public COLA Registry until 48 hours after a COLA is Approved, although the COLA holder may view electronically-approved COLAs without delay by logging on to COLAs Online.  This delay was built into COLAs Online as a result of requests from industry members who desired an interval before this information is made public.
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Greetings!

Thanksgiving is all about togetherness, love, sharing, and giving thanks for the blessings that bind you and your loved ones together! The Advertising, Labeling and Formulation Division would like to wish you and your family a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday!

System News

On November 7, 2007, TTB deployed into production COLAs Online version 3.1.  With this release, we hope to assist you to better understand some of the frequent issues we see regarding label image distortion and dimension problems.  We also made a few enhancements that should keep you from submitting eApps with certain errors.

The new version of COLAs Online allows users to view the Printable Version of the COLA and labels when an eApp is in the Needs Correction status.  As we have mentioned in previous editions, when the Printable Version of a COLA is created, it takes the dimensions that you supply for each label in Step 3 and applies them to the corresponding image file.  If you have reversed the dimensions or made some other type of dimension error it is only apparent when the Printable Version is viewed.  This release of COLAs Online will enable you to see the Printable Version when we return an eApp to you for correction so you may compare the image you have uploaded to the Printable Version.  We also anticipate that this feature will help you understand our correction remarks regarding image distortion and compression problems.

Two additional system changes are designed to keep you from submitting incorrect or inappropriate information in certain fields in the application portion of wine eApps.  The first change is a warning that you will see if you enter information in the Fanciful Name field.  This warning is there to make sure you do not enter a grape varietal or appellation in this field, as this is not the appropriate field for those items of information.  We will return your eApp for correction if you do enter either in this field.  Second, a new “system rule” for wine eApps prevents you from proceeding to Step 3 if you enter a vintage date but fail to supply the appellation (which is required for vintage-dated wine).  

The last change applies to all users.  This new “system rule” will prevent you from submitting an eApp unless you designate at least one label in Step 3 as the brand label.  Since the wine, malt beverage, and distilled spirits labeling regulations each mandate certain information to appear on the brand (or front) label, a brand label must be a part of your eApp.

We hope these enhancements will improve your COLAs Online experience and reduce the time it takes to get your labels approved.

You Aren’t the Only One Who Asked Us...

How do I check the status of my eApplications?

We send e-mail notifications to the submitter when the status of an eApp changes, but you may check on the current status of an eApp at any time by logging on to COLAs Online.  Your home page displays a listing of all the eApps you filed recently and their current status.  If the eApp you seek no longer shows up in your My eApplications box on your home page, you may also search for eApps by using the Search for eApplications link in the upper right hand corner of the COLAs Online screen. 

A few things to remember:

  • Always keep your e-mail address current in the My Profile section of COLAs Online. 
  •  If a third-party consultant submits your eApps, that party receives the e-mail notifications.

If (for some reason) you are still submitting paper applications, you cannot view or access any information about those applications through COLAs Online.

Tip of the Month

Regardless of the file format and file attributes that you or your graphic artist may use for other purposes, when submitting label image files in COLAs Online you will be less likely to encounter problems with your eApps if you follow these guidelines:

  • Use only TIFF or JPEG file formats (preferably JPEG)
  • Use only RGB color mode, also referred to as color space
  • Set the compression ratio at MEDIUM or LOW
  • If TIFF files are used, do NOT save them with JPEG compression
  • Set the resolution rate somewhere between 100 DPI and 200 DPI (ideally at 150 DPI)
  • Each image file may not exceed 450 KB

Using the suggested compression ratios and resolution rates usually ensures that a clear image is uploaded into COLAs Online.  Most users can find compression and resolution help by going into their image software Help menu, and searching for Compression Method or Resolution.  You should always review the compression and resolution settings prior to uploading a label image in COLAs Online, and you should also view the image after you upload it into COLAs Online.

How do I...

How do I find and print a previously approved e-filed COLA that no longer shows up in My eApps on my COLAs Online home page?

When you log onto COLAs Online, your home page contains a listing of all your recent eApps. Generally, eApps will remain on this list for 30 days following the date the applications are submitted to TTB.  However, applications that are still pending on the 30th day will remain on your home page for up to 90 days. 

With the exception of Saved but not Submitted eApps, which are automatically deleted if not submitted by the 30th day, all other e-filed COLAs remain in the COLAs Online database even if they no longer show up on your home page.  You may search for any of your e-filed COLAs that no longer appear on your home page by clicking on the Search for eApplications link in the user menu box, which is located in the upper right hand corner of each COLAs Online screen.  If you know the TTB ID number of the COLA you are looking for, you may enter it in the appropriate field.  If you do not know the TTB ID number we suggest that you begin with a simple search by choosing a specific status (e.g., Approved, Rejected, Withdrawn, Surrendered, or Expired) from the drop-down menu located at the bottom of the search screen.  A more complex search can be performed by filling in other search criteria until the application you seek is found.

You have the ability to print COLAs with a final status (Approved, Surrendered, Expired, or Revoked).  From the Search Results list click on the appropriate TTB ID number link.  On the Application Detail page click on the Printable Version link and use the print function from your Web browser.

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Questions or comments? E-mail us at COLAsONLINEeNews@ttb.gov

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