Opinions on DVD labels?

[Black Lab]

If you click on the Lightscribe link above it will take you to a Google search results page. The first result, Lightscribe; An Easy Guide, should answer all your questions.

[Ken Berry]

And if you have a HP, as I do, then my experience suggests that just about any print program on that computer should have detected the LightScribe burner, and offer you the chance to burn to those special discs. It will inevitably off you the option of 'LightScribe'. You have to buy the special LightScribe CDs or DVDs, of course, put them in upside down, then burn.

And while I accept Steve's approval of them, my own reaction is more reserved -- find if the template you are using has lots of contrast. But you have to remember that it essentially is burning in shades of monochrome. Can look effective on some titles, and incredibly bland if not lost on others.

[Coral]

I have been using LightScribe media for quite some time now. I heard all sort of things about them. That they will (in time) fade. That the images lack contrast. and I cant't remember what else.

It is for sure that if left constantly exposed to lighe they will truly fade. An other must not, store them in PVC sleaves, It will affect the printable surface.

The images to be printed must have reasonable BW contrast otherwise the image will not stand out at all. You can always re burn, providing that you use the same, identical template. The disk has a digital starting point and will always start the print from that point. Re burn at a low intensity.

This is the download site. It contains A stack of templates and a very decent freeware application. Help is almost non existant in their forum.

Code: Select all

http://www.lightscribe.com/downloadSection/

[neonbob]

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 quite agree. The idea that paper labels are somehow going to destroy your disk or your drive is one of those awfully blown out rumors that has been shot around the net for years..... but never actually proven in any wide sense... AT ALL.

People simply go with cd/dvd printers because they give you a more professional look and feel. I for example spend a lot of time on the artwork for the face of a disk and I want it to look it's best when finished. I do inkjet printing to glossy waterShield disks for the best quality output available... but it's really a matter of preference. Either way however I wouldn't be too concerned about the guy who claims his machine flew apart into hundreds of shards of steel and peppered the walls in his room, killed the cat... blah blah blah.... all due to an out of balance disk with a paper label.

[Ken Berry]

I am certainly not claiming that. But I have found that paper labels can unbalance some DVDs (which are more balance sensitive than CDs in my experience), and that this unbalance can lead to some (many?) DVD players reading them erratically and sometimes not at all -- they stop or jump.

[skier-hughes]

None of my cd labels are still stuck on properly. All of my early printed discs are still printed and looking good.
I've been printing from the early consumer years and also have professional printing machines now.
I wouldn't use a stick on label.

[Ken Berry]

And as I mentioned earlier, one of my own compilations on CD of favourite music, with a paper label which still looks as though it is properly affixed, no longer plays smoothly as once it did on a variety of players. Luckily I can remake it -- but this time on a printable CD!

[Coral]

I'm not all that keen on lables for my media. However I have often seen what Ken has desctibed in his post, about unbalance. I have also seen lables getting partly unstuck. CDs could suffer more if the sutface layer becomes damaged.

[sjj1805]

.....
I quite agree. The idea that paper labels are somehow going to destroy your disk or your drive is one of those awfully blown out rumors that has been shot around the net for years..... but never actually proven in any wide sense... AT ALL........

Dangerous advice.
A DVD can get quite hot whilst spinning in the DVD tray - especially over a long period. Just like the heat from a wallpaper steamer the adhesive CAN work loose and it only needs a small bit to tear off and clog up the DVD Drive, or worse still cause the disc to oscillate it COULD damage the laser.

Whilst this is of course UNLIKELY to happen it remains a POSSIBILITY.
There are other methods of marking a disc.
1. Lightscribe - with the cautions mentioned above about heat/light affecting the artwork.
2. Printing directly onto the disc.
3. A simple marker pen.

DVD drives are delicate instruments and never mind damage caused by a loose bit of paper, one of the main reasons I have had to change drives over a period of time is the problem of dust intrusion due to the fact computers are like dust magnets - full of static electricity.

[painterskip]

My 2 cents about this....

I've had an Epson Stylus Photo R220 for a couple years now. Started off with an R200, I think. Here's what I did....

I like this printer for it's quality and especially because it will print directly to printable CDs and DVDs. Yes...it drinks a lot of ink. So I got on Ebay and purchased a continuous inking system for it....cost about 45 bucks and installed easily. I haven't purchased a cart in almost a year and only just recently re-ordered bottles of ink.....six for 20 bucks that will last me another year.

However, the printer(s) are programed to stop working after a certain number of pages....something about the waste ink. So I downloaded a program called SSC Service Utility that will 'reprogram your Epson printer to think that you have 'fixed it'. HAd to do this twice. A simply mouse click. The continuous system automaticlly resets it's own supplied carts when the printer thinks they are close to empty. Works like a charm.

So I love my little Epson R220 and ink system for printing disks. My only problem is that it's been tough to find the printable disks in the big box stores lately, so I order online.

As for LightScribe...ugh. Ugly IMHO (I'm an artist....so I like color)

I've used labels before. In fact, I just recently labeled a DVD I made for my daughter and it seemed to have problems....possibly unbalanced?

Hope this helps someone....
Skip Dyrda
www.emurals.com
www.skipdyrda.com