Opinions on DVD labels?

flahagan · Post by **flahagan** » Mon May 11, 2009 10:11 pm

Everything I can pull up from internet searches is at least 3 or 4 years old, so I'm wondering if any of you label your DVD's.
From what I'm seeing, the answer is a definite "NO". However, I've been seeing these kits that look mighty enticing. How about DVD label burners?

2Dogs · Post by **2Dogs** » Mon May 11, 2009 10:22 pm

Any kind of stick-on label is a really bad idea for DVD's. The label can put the disc out of balance, which can lead to accelerated wear or damage to the DVD drive, as can any stray bits of paper or glue. Although the disc doesn't rotate that fast if you're just playing back a DVD, it can turn at a heck of a lick if you're copying data or video off it to your pc.

If you're not happy marking discs with a Sharpie, and want to achieve a more polished look, invest in an inkjet printer capable of printing on suitable discs.

I bought an HP5280 for that purpose, and it can produce great looking discs. I still mark up most of my discs with a Sharpie, however....

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon May 11, 2009 11:02 pm

I can only endorse 2Dogs advice in the strongest terms. The paper labels mostly work with CDs, but even there can over time unbalance it. One of my own compilations of personal favourites now basically jumps all over the place as a result.

With DVDs, it is just not worth it. I bought a Cqanon i865 soon after it came onto the market several years ago. It does a marvellous job printing direct to printable discs (I use Acoustica CD Label Maker to do this). It has been a most reliable workhorse, and best of all does not use ink tanks (five of them) with those embedded chips which basically force you to buy Canon replacement tanks that cost almost as much as the printer.

That being said, there is a wide range of printers these days that can print direct to disc. And here in Australia, I pay around US$12 for 50 printable DVDs.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Tue May 12, 2009 1:07 am

Just to play devils advocate, I used the adhesive labels on hundreds of DVDs and never had a problem that I am aware of.

With that said, about 2 years ago I bought an Epson printer that prints directly to disc, merely because I wanted a more professional look. I eventually upgraded to an Epson Stylus Photo RX595 all-in-one printer (prints, scans, prints to disc, etc.) and absolutely love it.

BTW, I still have the old printer (works fine) if anyone is interested.

flahagan · Post by **flahagan** » Tue May 12, 2009 1:17 am

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Saved me from buying one of those kits that would have caused me nothing but headaches. Think I'll wait and get a new printer.

2Dogs · Post by **2Dogs** » Tue May 12, 2009 8:42 am

Ken Berry wrote:I bought a Cqanon i865 soon after it came onto the market several years ago. It does a marvellous job printing direct to printable discs (I use Acoustica CD Label Maker to do this). It has been a most reliable workhorse, and best of all does not use ink tanks (five of them) with those embedded chips which basically force you to buy Canon replacement tanks that cost almost as much as the printer.

For anyone who does have a printer with such cartridges - such as many Epsons, for example, you can get a "chip re-setter", usually available for a few bucks online, which you can use to tell the cartridge it's full again. It's amazing the lengths the manufacturers go to with their cartridges, in an effort to get people to buy new ones every time. With HP, you have to go thru a sequence of taping over some of the contacts in order to restore the estimated ink level display. I don't bother, and just weigh my cartridges on a gram scale.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Tue May 12, 2009 2:26 pm

Thanks for that info -- I must look up to see whether those chip resetters are available here in Australia. Friends of mine bought a more recent Canon Pixma printer with the chipped tanks, and the Chinese substitute tanks come with instructions on a physical work-around involving removing the original Canon tank chips and applying them to the new tanks. But as you might expect, the English in the instructions is about as clear as ... well, the contents of the tanks!!

2Dogs · Post by **2Dogs** » Tue May 12, 2009 5:20 pm

Here's a link to a UK site that has one for some Canon cartridges. Probably available in the US too.

http://www.laserdesigns.co.uk/canon_car ... etter.html

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Tue May 12, 2009 6:28 pm

I keep waiting for my printer to die, so that I can buy one that prints directly on discs.

I've been using stick-on "Neato" labels on CDs since before I had a DVD player, and on DVDs since I've had a burner, without any major problems. The worst problem is that they don't stick well to printable DVDs/CDs.

If you read anything about the chemicals in the adhesive damaging the DVD, don't believe it! The data-layer on a DVD is in the middle of a polycarbonate sandwich.

CDs are different. The data-layer for a CD is on top (it reads through the entire thickness), so (in theory) the adhesive can damage the data. And, I may have damaged a CD by trying to remove a misaligned label. But, a paper label also adds a layer of protection which helps prevent the CD from being scratched from the top. (You can sandpaper the top of a DVD without hurting it, but the same thing will kill a CD.)

metmot · Post by **metmot** » Tue May 12, 2009 7:57 pm

DVDDoug wrote:I keep waiting for my printer to die, so that I can buy one that prints directly on discs.

I've been using stick-on "Neato" labels on CDs since before I had a DVD player, and on DVDs since I've had a burner, without any major problems. The worst problem is that they don't stick well to printable DVDs/CDs.

I'm with Doug and Jeff on this one. I too have produced hundreds of DVD titles with stick on labels with zero problem. I guess if you play it over and over again the theory may hold true and in some cases bad things can happen.

Having said that, what's the best value in a direct DVD printing printer these days for a small operator? I would also like a more professional look. Ink cartridge cost is for sure a huge consideration.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Tue May 12, 2009 8:27 pm

Having said that, what's the best value in a direct DVD printing printer these days for a small operator? I would also like a more professional look. Ink cartridge cost is for sure a huge consideration.

I can't remember the model # of the first Epson I had (R800 series ?), but it cost around $400 and produced beautiful discs. But it drank ink like crazy. I only used it for disc printing and had a separate printer for every other use.

Then my general use printer died. So as I was shopping at Staples I came across the RX595 all-in-one. It's fairly cheap to begin with and was on sale, so I got it for around $100. It was a no-brainer. The best part is it's output is great, but it doesn't consume nearly as much ink as the other one. I use this printer for everything.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Tue May 12, 2009 11:02 pm

I see that the Resetter mentioned above only appears to work with *refilled* Canon ink tanks that already have the chip. I was thinking more of substitute tanks...

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Wed May 13, 2009 1:23 am

An alternative is the use of "LightScribe" You will need a lightscribe capable DVD Burner and Lightscribe discs.
What this does is to burn the label onto the "label side" of the disc - a sort of etching effect.

Click for a larger image.

alanball · Post by **alanball** » Wed May 13, 2009 1:58 am

Nice layout Steve, what programs did you use or that?

bowana · Post by **bowana** » Wed May 13, 2009 7:04 am

sjj1805 wrote:An alternative is the use of "LightScribe" You will need a lightscribe capable DVD Burner and Lightscribe discs.
What this does is to burn the label onto the "label side" of the disc - a sort of etching effect.

Click for a larger image.

Ive got a lightscribe DVD burner on my newer HP pavilion Elite m9340f 64 bit, core 2 quad Q6700 but I cant figure out what program runs the lightscribe. Got any ideas ? ....LOL

Ha ha

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Opinions on DVD labels?

Opinions on DVD labels?

Just say no to disc labels!

Print Cartridges

Chip resetter