They're okay for that type of use.

Only as good as what you put in them (I would hope a compliant, error-checked RedBook disc using high-quality media).

i personaly do no think that they are worth the monney that you would pay for one. while i dont know where your from i do know that you can get that stuff out sourced for cheaper then the labor involved in qcing all thouse cds.

The lower-end printer/duplicators usually incorporate inkjet printers, which are kind of a pain in my book. The burner is probably the least likely piece to cause a problem.

Does someone have suggestions for checking for errors and quality for all those burned CDR's? Also, does someone know of a thermal printer that works for Mac OSX? All the thermal printers I've found require Windows.

Plextools will check errors on PC.

Clover is a stand alone checker, big bucks.

Just to add, it is also a good idea to use low speed media with lower speed drives. For example, if you use 52x media in a realtime burner, you'll either end up with a lot of errors or a coaster. The newer 52x media isn't really bad media per say, but it will not work well with lower speed professional burners. In other words, keep the low speed media with the lower speed burners, and save the high speed media for the faster burners.

-Erik

Again, if you are making replication masters for a living, it's worth it to have some kind of error checker. Every batch of CDR's I get is different from the last. Some are not acceptable for use as masters even if they seem to play fine, they could still fail. A PC with plextools and a plex premium drive can be had for not much. If for nothing else, it's a good indicator that everything is working well and you can sleep at night a little sounder.

I don't know about using Plextools to check ALL of your duplicated CDs. I think that would take far too long. Some of those autodupers have some kind of verify step in the burning process I think. But it would be nice if they didn't skimp and instead put Plextor Premium drives in all of them. I mean, it wouldn't be that much more costly to the manufacturer. Anyone who knows anything about them would be glad to pay an extra $50 for a premium CD drive; but I guess most people just want cheaper. :cry:

I didn't say ALL dupes should be checked. CDR's destined for replication should be. And if you're running dupes off, it would be nice to throw some in along the way to make sure everything is AOK.

i good ratio is run the error checker of your choise on every like 1/10 CDRs listen to 1 from every batch. also make sure you look at every CDR to make sure that there is a track on it, if you dont see a track test it. i used to do short runns for local bands, by hand with my extra computer. never will i do it agien, for two resones, first im at the age where i do NEED to sleep, and second to mutch QC.

I'm with you Frob,

Speaking of sleep, time for some.

Short-Run CD Duplication has been a large part of my business for the past 5+ years. I use several 1-7 duplication towers running in tandem to complete my jobs. My towers all use Plextor drives. Laa units are run by a controller card that can to error checkin at specified intervals. I have my system run a check after every four passes through the towers. I also do random listening checks to throw in the much needed human element. My first priority, however, is to burn a duplication master from wavelab to a Plextor Premium drive and then do a full error check with PlexTools. Whith his system of checks inplace I never get coasters unless the actual media is bad. When that is the case then the twoer will stop that single drive dead in its tracks and eject it separatey from the rest of that partiular batch.

To answer the original question I can say that I've used a couple Primera and Microbards branded units for all-in-one desptop publishing. I've never had luck with any of these units performing very well. One part of the system always seems to have a problem. If it's printing wel then the burner will have issues. If it's burning ok then the printer will suddenly go out of whack. Too many things going on in one device is never a good idea. Of course, YMMV.