I was wondering if anyone had ideas on some ways of printing on demo CD's without having to use labels which look bad and have a tendency to get stuck in car CD players. I've thought about making stencils but a cheap CD printer would be even better.
i leave it in your hands
Cheers 8-)
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Epson R200 can be had for just a little over $100 - if you don't
Epson R200 can be had for just a little over $100 - if you don't do a lot of solid color stuff, ink usage is not bad. You need to use injet printable media, and the print is not water resistant - but considering the price ...
If you aren't doing a lot of disks, and want the few you make to look REAL good, I've found gloss DEFT lacquer works well on CDs. The trick is to keep the dust off - I have a simple system - I can elaborate if you like.
The lacquer makes the injetted CDs look 100% first class and protects the print from water. I tested many different coatings a while back - many of the caused the plastic to deteriorate after weeks or months. The DEFT-coated disks look like new after more than a year.
The down sides - lacquer stinks, and it is too time consuming to do large quantities of disks.
Yes, Karl; do tell! (Laquer fumes, eh???? :twisted: ) I ha
Yes, Karl; do tell! (Laquer fumes, eh???? :twisted: )
I have the EPSON 960 system (a predecessor to the R200, I believe), and it does a good job (for the price) of printing on the label, once you've set it all up. You can design labels with the included software, or you can make up your own in other programs (I use MS Publisher 2003) and then save/import them as JPGs to the EPSON software.
The main thing I've run into is the Ink Jet cartridge problems in general. (this could fill a whole forum on its own). I've learned a lot over the years about inkjet nozzles, clogging, cleaning, replacing & long-term use/storage, etc. It's a helluva world out there if you're going to that route. It's tempting/deceptive to think it's "Cheaper", when all that pain is lurking for ineperienced InkJet users, but it does work if you play by the rules....
We take 4 routes with marking our CDs:
Grease-pencil for the lowliest, inhouse, temporary ID'ing, (these never leave looking like that, of course)
High quality paper labels for the easiest route, using a good applicator that centers the label properly, with no bubbles. (Have to have good paper stock, as well....NOT OTC stuff from Staples, etc.)
Ink-Jet Printable, (White or silver, both have their merits) or finally
On-disk printing from a third party in quantity; black on silver, or full color, etc.
The cost goes up with each, but you do get what you pay for.
I have to laugh about those warnings with on-disc Ink Jet printers that they're not waterproof. Ok, fair enough....they'll run if they get wet. But THINK about it: When was the last time you dumped water, coffee or tea on your CD? My thinking is that if you or your client(s) are spilling liquids on your CDs, you may have a bigger problem than just the ink running from the label.... :twisted:
lacquer on CDs The issues with spraying CDs: Lint, and Overspra
lacquer on CDs
The issues with spraying CDs:
Lint, and Overspray on the back side
My latest attempts have worked pretty well - there is still room for improvement. I use a slim CD case to hold the disk. I hold the cover horizontal and let the disk and the back of the case hang vertically. This helps shield the disk from any dust that is falling through the air, and the fact that the disk is vertical makes lintage less likely.
Holding the disk like this, I give it a light spray of DEFT lacquer - just enough to gloss the surface. Makes the matte silver of a silver blank have the nice silver, spectral appearance. Color saturation is boosted big time.
Now set the disk & case on a clean surface to dry like this - / the CD facing down - keeps dust off. Obviously too much spray will cause it to run - but it doesn't take much. I haven't had that happen yet. DEFT dries pretty quickly - you can handle the disk after maybe 10 minutes - probably less.
Any overspray that gets on the back of the disk will leave a big dark spot when you burn the disk. There is still a little overspray that sneaks behind the disk in a slim case. Might be good to make a special case by laying a bead of silicone caulk around the rim of the pocket on a CD case. Then press a sacrificial CD into the case to shape the silicone as a seal against the rim of the disk - don't know if silicone spray lube would work as a mold release on a CD - you'd need to do something to prevent the CD from getting glued in place.
That might make a tight enough seal around the disk to prevent any overspray from getting on the back.
One more thing about printing CDs on Epson printers. The driver lists two types of CD media - but selection of those options is NOT required for CD printing - all of them are available, and you can get much better results out of your printer with the other options.
I print on Taiyo blanks (both white and silver). I use Colorlife Photo Paper as the media type, Photo RPM as the print mode - Manual Feed and A4 size. Print is much denser than the CD media modes, and colors are a lot better.
I use SureThing software for creating labels - works well with the printer - by far the best label software I've used.
The stamp idea is great for demos, or something like that, becau
The stamp idea is great for demos, or something like that, because there is no limit to how many you can make. you just need to buy the blank CDs, and a new ink pad every once in a while
As far as where to go, just look up "rubber stamps" in the local yellow pages. there should be a few in any decent sized city.
This little guy is pretty rad: http://www.primera.com/signaturez
This little guy is pretty rad:
http://www.primera.com/signaturez1.html
IMO it is way better than writing, labeling, stamp, laquering, etc.; and is still pretty cheap. Maybe not quite as cheap as labeling or stamping, but looks better and is easier. I've played with the one at work it it does text pretty well and can do some simple logos fair. And....It's Thermal! 8-)
$140 bucks for the printer and $20 bucks per print ribbon.
Here it is!!! I located a place online that makes the stamps fo
Here it is!!!
I located a place online that makes the stamps for @$35 dollars
they said turna around is about 2 weeks. I'm gonna try it hell thats pretty cheap.. They say to use stayz on ink also..
anyways this could work out good for alot of people.
I have the R200 and the R300 and I have printed hundreds of DVDs
I have the R200 and the R300 and I have printed hundreds of DVDs and I love them. The ink really lasts and if you want to get cheap ink you can try inkdaddy.com and get a 40% coupon with daddy40. I have not tried other brands of printers but, because of the price of the ink I have been choosing Epsons. Keep that in mind when making your choice.
who do you use for your on disk printing? what paper labels woul
who do you use for your on disk printing? what paper labels would you suggest? The ones I've used will get caught in car cd players 98% of the time. anyways
Greg, for the paper labels, I use a company in East Berlin NJ called "Tip Top Office Products" they're on the web at: http://www.ttpi.com. The have a thermal system & a dupe system for short runs. (They also sell blanks, cases & trays, ink jet cartridges, etc.)
They also have a house-brand paper label package (250 sheets, 500 labels) that's a great deal for the cost. I've never had a single paper-based reject in hundreds, if not thousands of uses with these labels in about 5-6 years of use now. (and it's a much better deal than OTC stuff in Staples or Office Max.)
The trick to paper labels is a good applicator (the older Neato applicators are good, if you can still find the basic one), and a good peel-away technique. (Few people grasp this, and it's so silly once you learn the trick.) The common mistake is to peel the label away from the backing, face up. What you get is a messy, curly & difficult label to put on a CD. (No wonder people hate 'em!)
The REAL trick is to lay the entire label sheet FACE-DOWN on a clean smooth surface, and gently peel the backing AWAY From the label. Use one hand (finger) to hold & stablize the label face down against the surface, and gently (you'll get good at this in no time at all) pull the backing up and away from the label. Voila! The label is now FLAT and non-curly, perfect to apply to your CD. Pop out the middle circle with your other hand, and your'e good to go.
The label will now lay perfectly in your applicator, so you can now to smoothly apply the label. (Make sure you don't trap any bubbles, either).
It's also good (when you can) to burn the CDs FIRST, then apply the label. (This is even more critical with DVD'rs, which spin much faster, of course...)
I do a lot of on-disk printing now as well, with the Epson 960, and as long as you keep ahead of the curve with their ink system (quite a mess at times!) it works great.
I've heard about the Pixia printer from some company...in the ad
I've heard about the Pixia printer from some company...in the ads it seems to be able to print CD's. I was thinking the same thing myself...and am looking into it. It would be swell to be able to provide colour demo CD services for clients and for my own short runs.