Lightscribe verus labels?

[ozzy667]

What are you folks using to label your discs?

I'm still trying to get the label software and my printer to agree on exactly where to print...

Can anyone suggest which would be the preferred way to go with Lightscribe versus Printed Labels?

I've read that printed labels (I'm using Memorex) can cause problems with the DVDs being off balance - which can damage the DVD player. I've also seen sites on the web (and we all know that everything on the web is reliable....) talking about the danger of the labels coming off due to the heat generated by the DVD player. I am using the "Memorex Patented Applicator" that came with the kit, so they look pretty straight to me.

Now on the other side I assume Lightscribe discs are a little more expensive. And lastly - there are no dual layer Lightscribe discs.


Any imput would be appreciated.

[Ken Berry]

I have a lightscribe burner on one of my computers, but have never burned/engraved one... I have never been attracted to the monochrome look, quite apart from the other factors you mention.

I personally have tried applying sticky labels to DVDs and found some worked, while others didn't. No catastrophic failures ruining the burner, though. But the hit or miss nature of the exercise put me right off. When I applied such labels to CDs, however, they always worked. Something to do with the fact that CDs being less sensitive to balance questions...

I bought a Canon printer which prints directly to printable discs. I have had it now for over 2 years, and have never looked back. Excellent results, even when using non-Canon ink...

[DVDDoug]

I've been using labels on CDs for many years, and on DVDs for a couple of years. I've only had two problems.

1. The labels don't stick well to printable discs.

2. My car stereo's feed-in machanisim had trouble with glossy labels, because they were too slick and the CD wouldn't always get pulled-into the drive.

I don't know why some people have "out-of-balance" problems. The paper should have uniform thickness/weight, and if it's centered it should be balanced. Maybe it's the ink... But, that would be a problem on printed-discs too.

And, I wonder if some of these balance problems are with data discs. Most of the time I'm playing-back my audio CDs and DVDs at normal "1X" speed. I don't make nearly as many data discs, but Ive never noticed a balance problem with these either...

When my printer dies, I'll replace it with one that prints directly on discs. I think that's the best overall solution.

I use Neato software, labels, and tool. (Well, I usually use less-expensive "Neato Ccmpatible" labels.) The software makes it very easy to align the text/artwork to the label. It prints exactly what you see on the screen (WYSIWYG). ...Of course there's an outline of the label on the screen. If you import an image, there's a one-click "fit to label" option that re-sizes the image and aligns it at the same time.

I'm not saying this software is "great", or better than anything else. I bought it several years ago, shortly after I started burning CDs and it's always been "good enough". So, I've never tried anything else.

I've never actually seen a lightscribe disc, but I've seen pictures. I might get a lightscribe burner at some point and give it a try. It looks like a nice option, but I don't think I want to label every disc that way... I want a full-color option too.

[heinz-oz]

Like Ken I have bought a Canon printer which prints to printable disks. Never looked back.

[Bobm03]

My CD burner died at the end of June and I bought an HP Lightscribe DVD writer (dvd 1040i) from Staples for C$79.95 to replace it. Project # 1 was to burn 40 DVDs for a high school rugby team. The actual copying of program material took about 15 minutes burning on my older burner at 4x. (The HP burner can go to 20X. I know from experience that hi-speed burns can be troublesome for some older DVD players.)

Printing the label took about 25 minutes per DVD. Unlike burning the program on a DVD where you really shouldn't be doing anything else, you can do other stuff while printing. The latest Lightscribe software offers a really black "black" which is really nice.

I personally like the "look." It makes for a unique presentation especially with a printed case.

Now on the other side I assume Lightscribe discs are a little more expensive. And lastly - there are no dual layer Lightscribe discs.

Actually, they're not that "pricey" when you get them on sale. Staples sells Verbatim discs, 30 for C$45, sometimes on sale for C$ 25. I have also picked up some Memorex from Future Shop on sale, 50 for C$ 30. Best Buy (US) sells Verbatim 30s for US$30. (I really like the fact that our $ is now at parity with the US$

A quick scan from a DVD of the first game in the 2007 Rugby World Cup can be seen HERE
My scanner doesn't like shiny (or is it "glossy'?) material. Buit you get the idea.

Bob

[a097005]

I've been using the Lightscribe feature for about a year now, and I've not been very satified. I like to put some kind of graphic on the disc rather than just text, and it has to be a very high contrast image to even be very visible. I haven't seen the Canon printers mentioned above, but I saw an ad for a new Epson AIO printer that includes a CD tray for printables. I'm seriously considering it. Here is a link:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/cons ... d=63069505

[skier-hughes]

I've had epson printers printing my discs for years, with no trouble.
I have many friends who like the canon ones.
I now have a set of professional printing machines to do my work, I do thousands of discs each month.

Some of my very early stuck on lables are now peeling off, this won't happen with my printed discs

[Black Lab]

I used to use printed labels and never had a problem, with the exception that they didn't look professional enough. I now use an Epson R800 that prints directly to disc and I love it.

[ozzy667]

Thank you all for the input.

I'm outside the 14 day return period for my HP printer, but I only paid $60 for it anyway - and it has a scanner so I'll hang onto it.

I need to add a second DVD drive - I'll pick up one with Lightscribe in it for a few extra dollars and try it out.

And lastly I've got my eye on an Epson printer at Best Buy for $100 that will print directly to discs.

I agree with the last post from Black Lab that my labels don't look very professional... I'm going to end up picking up the second printer.

[2Dogs]

Save yourself a ton of money and get a new burner from somewhere like NewEgg - you should pick one up for less than $35 with shipping.

I have several burners, of which three have Lightscribe, but I've never been tempted to use it - it's just far too slow.

Whatever burner you end up with, you need to choose the right media for it. All my own burners have "favourite" media. For example, my Samsung SH182-M burns really well, at 16x, to Imation 16x DVD+R disks that are made in Malaysia, having the Daxon AZ3 media code, whilst in general, my Pioneer DVR-111D gives the best results to the widest range of media types. (both those models have now been replaced by later units)

It seems to be an oft-repeated myth that burners always give a better burn at lower speeds. Bear in mind that when burning at the lower speed, the laser power is reduced. In my experience, all of my burners give the best results when writing to media at the rated maximum speed, with only a few exceptions.

If you buy a Liteon burner, you'll be able to run disk quality checks with the freeware CD-Speed utility, and also with Liteon's own K-Probe program. Samsung burners can also be made to run CD-Speed checks with a registry tweak.

[ozzy667]

Picked up an LG burner - the Lightscribe one was within $5 of the non-LS - $39 I think I paid.

Despite the lack of Lightscribe fans I picked up a 10 pack to see what they're like... And a whole bunch of CD labels.

For now I'm going to focus on creating the DVD's (12hrs of baby footage) and tinker with the labels off and on.

Hopefully Best Buy will have a decent sale on a printer that prints onto DVDs some time after Christmas.