Dvd labels

[petrea]

I have been making labels then adhering them to the disc. Does it make any sense to move to Disc printers? (ink jet or thermal?) These appear to be safer as no damage from the label would occur.
If so are the printable discs of the same quality?
thanks
Pete

[THoff]

If you search the forum, you'll find that opinions on this matter differ.

Some (myself included) have moved away from stick-on labels because of the possibility that the vibrations induced by a slight off-center label can cause the laser to lose tracking, while others have not had any problems.

The quality of printable media doesn't have to be any worse than that of non-printable media -- the most important thing to watch out for is that you buy high-quality media from a reputable manufactuer, such as Taiyo Yuden or Prodisc.

[kebrinton]

Another factor I've heard discussed is the possibility of adhesive actually leaching through the disk and harming the digital information.

[DVDDoug]

Another factor I've heard discussed is the possibility of adhesive actually leaching through the disk and harming the digital information.

I've heard of this concern too. But, it cannot happen! On a DVD, the data-layer is smack in the middle of the DVD, sandwiched between two layers of polycarbonate. It is (almost) impossible to damage a DVD from the top.

CDs are constructed differently. The CD's data-layer is on top, so the chemicals could damage it. But, a label can actually protect a CD's data-layer from scratches!

I've labeled a few hundred CDs over several years, and about one hundred DVDs over the past year. The only problem I have had, is that the labels don't stick well to inket-printable CDs and DVDs. Most of my CDs and DVDs are used for audio/video, so they typically don't get played-back or read faster than 1X speed. The labels might cause balance problems at higher speeds. I suppose that ink applied directly to a CD / DVD could cause balance problems too if it's all applied to one area. ???

(At some point, I'm going to get a printer that prints directly on CDs & DVDs.)

[THoff]

DVDs can go bad, and sometimes it doesn't take poor handling or abuse through pens and labels.

For instance, my first copy of "Black Hawk Down", a pressed commercial DVD, succumbed to "DVD Rot". Somehow air got under the protective polycarbonate layer and oxidized the reflective aluminum layer holding the data. The disk started to discolor, starting near the outer edge, and moving inward.

I can imagine similar problems affecting the dyes in recordable disks.

[GeorgeBW]

Hi All,

Everyone has a point here, based on their own experiences.
I have used adhesive labels for many years, and have noticed that some manufacturers labels tend to de-laminate more than others... and of course a de-laminating label seems to wrinkle around the edges posing a threat of damage to the drive using it... So, as in all things..quality of the materials used, plays a big part in the performance of the product...

Wanting to try the 'direct to CD option,' I recently bought an Epson R200 which is quite a cheap but incredibly efficient little printer, capable of photo-quality resolution, and which will print directly to CD. I was astonished at the professional look to the printed CDs, and the apparent permanence of the inks on the surface. If you have the right printable coating on the disk, you find that the inks are quickly absorbed into it... which gives faster curing and promise of longevity.. Probably uses a lot more ink than with a paper label, but the finished work is sharper and more vivid in colour than any paper label could ever be..

However, the manufacturers of the highest quality recordable CD media don't all seem to want to produce printables.. which is unfortunate, because this might be the key to getting all types of recordables to play in the most unco-operative players, and be able to add that extra touch of class to the finish.

And, perhaps the bottom line.. Professional DVD Producers don't use paper labels..?

GeorgeBW

[petrea]

Thanks to everyone for your info. I also have used the paper labels with no problem to date and have been looking at the epson printer Lowest end is under $100 which is certainly reasonable enough. I have looked for reviews on the net but have not found much info. Only bad thing I heard about the epson printer is that if the disc gets wet the ink will run according to a clerk who was assisting me at Comp USA apparantly there was a change in formula made recently due to a patent issue?
Think I may try it out and see what happens. I will let you know what my experience is - I also noted that all the "professional" dvds have printed discs. The one thing I am still wondering about is the thermal printer.
Petrea

[THoff]

George, I have the Epson R200 as well, and printing onto inkjet-printable optical media should use LESS ink than printing onto paper labels.

Make sure you use the Properties button in the Epson CD Printer application after you select Print to make sure you have DVD media selected, that will choose presets designed specifically for printing on CDs/DVDs.

[GeorgeBW]

Petrea,

Hi again,

It sounds like the R200 you are talking about... Roughly the same price in UK (about 64GBP) which is a bit surprising. You ought to be able to get it a little cheaper than me. Maybe if you shopped around..? I hadn't heard about the formula change.. or in fact the smearing if the disk ever gets wet, although the reference guide does say moisture on the printable surface can cause smearing while printing. I don't expect any label would like to get immersed in water for that matter.

Thermal printing sounds like an interesting method, but also needs the right coating, and can it safely be used on recordable media..? Certainly gets used a lot on pressed disks.. but seems to fade a bit over time... just like thermal printing to paper does..

Here is a review of the Epson for you..
The R200 has a six colour cartridge printhead, so can cost an arm and leg to keep well fed.. I haven't used it extensively yet, but I can say it prints onto a printable CD beautifully... and is very quiet. I haven't used it on paper very much, but it prints B&W text documents quickly and quietly (In contrast to my Epson 1520 which is really noisy).. My one test printing a hi-res digital pic on photographic quality paper was excellent.. as I would fully expect from a Photo-Quality printer anyway. It has USB connectivity only. You need to bear that in mind if USB is an issue. I can confirm that the ink does smear if wetted.. certainly if within say 72 hours of being applied... It seems to get more resistant to smearing with time, but whether or not it becomes totally impervious, I can't say..

Best Wishes
GeorgeBW

[GeorgeBW]

Hey THoff

looks like we were posting around the same time.
Thanks for the tips... I know about the presets.. and have set the printer accordingly. I don't have it set as the default printer on my LAN because I mostly use my 1520.. This means that I have to select the R200 in Settings... or I end up sending the printfile to the 1520, which just shuffles and blinks, wondering what it is I want it to do..

I find using the R200 CD feeder tray to be a bit finicky... and you have to remember to power up and allow the printer to do its initial work-up before opening the CD printing hatch. But it is surprising how it becomes second nature when you have done it a few times.. The results are excellent, but there is doubt about the fastness of the ink if the disk accidentally gets into the washing up..

Best wishes
GeorgeBW

[THoff]

I've got a similar setup -- I have an HP PhotoSmart printer for correspondence etc., and I use the R200 exclusively for printing on CDs and DVDs. I have yet to feed a single document through it. And because my HP is the default printer, I also constantly have to select the Epson manually when using their Print CD application.

One thing I noticed is that if I position the tray correctly in the printing tray slot and then tell the printer to print, more often than not it screws up and tries to eject the tray out the back and into the wall against which the printer is positioned. What I do instead, and which works with 100% consistency, is to tell the Epson Print Monitor to print without the tray in the printer. The printer will look for the tray for a few second, fail, and the Print Monitor dialog will then pop up a warning. At that point I insert the tray and push it in as far as it will go, and it will work beautifully.

I recommended the printer to a friend of mine, and although her model is about a year newer than mine and has a few cosmetic changes, it exibits the same behavior, and my workaround works consistently with her printer, too.

[DVDDoug]

The one thing I am still wondering about is the thermal printer.

I believe that all of the thermal printers are monchrome. You can get ink ribbons in various colors, but you can only print one color at a time. The print should be more durable than inkjet "ink" (which is really a die).

Most stamped discs are either silkscreened with epoxy "ink" (which I think is actually a paint) or etched (on the inner-layer). You can do something similar to etching with LightScribe. From the pictures I've seen, LightScribe looks very professional, but again, it's monochrome.

[petrea]

I really appreciate the information from everyone. I'm going to give it a try and remember the set-up info as well. Like most of you it will probably only be used for disc printing as I use an hp for photos, etc.
Thanks again. This is only the second time I have used this forum and I think it is great. Have been scrolling through a lot of the past questions and have learned a lot.
Petrea

[CalifDude]

Does anyone use a specific software application for creating disc labels, or printing directly on the dvd's? I'm going to upgrade my printer soon as my current printer is an older one without many options.

[Ken Berry]

I have a Canon i865, now overtaken by the Canon Pixma series. All come with excellent disc label-writing software proprietary to Canon i.e. it can, AFAIK, only be used with the Canon printers. But it really works very well, both for labels and also for printing photos. I believe that Epson, which also has disc label printers, has similar software which comes with their printers.