Printable blank discs

[Dave2002]

I see that some blank discs (CD-R, DVD-R etc) are advertised as printable. What does that mean? Is a special printer needed, or are they simply white so that they can take a transparent label from a conventional printer?

I have no experience in this area, but I do have a need for such coming up.

I think that producing stick on paper labels might work, though could snag up CD or DVD players if the paper comes loose.

[johnb]

From memory there used to be two types of printable CD-R/DVDs - thermal and inkjet, though I am not sure whether that is the case now. In both instances they are designed for printers capable of printing CDs/DVDs. Many years ago I bought a cheap Epson Stylus Photo R220 printer specifically because it could print CDs/DVDs.

The problem with sticking labels on the disks is that they often (arguably always to an extent) cause the disk to be unbalanced which, when spinning, can result in additional wear on the drive (and perhaps tracking difficulties in extreme cases).

[Bryn]

From memory there used to be two types of printable CD-R/DVDs - thermal and inkjet, though I am not sure whether that is the case now. In both instances they are designed for printers capable of printing CDs/DVDs. Many years ago I bought a cheap Epson Stylus Photo R220 printer specifically because it could print CDs/DVDs.

The problem with sticking labels on the disks is that they often (arguably always to an extent) cause the disk to be unbalanced which, when spinning, can result in additional wear on the drive (and perhaps tracking difficulties in extreme cases).

I think the disc for thermal printing are now a thing of the past. I too got an Epson printer with a disc printing adapter but never got round to using it for that purpose. Perhaps if I wanted to produce small runs for the use of others ... . As to self-adhesive labels, not only is there the potential for eccentric mass distribution, there is the possibility of the adhesive degrading the lacquer layer, leading to damage of the reflective layer. I have on occasion used a 'John Bull' type printing kit with printable discs.

[MrGongGong]

I have a Canon printer (Pixma) that does on body printing of CD-R/DVD
Much better than any sticky label nonsense and produces high quality printed discs either with it's own software or photoshop templates
There are several sorts of discs that work with it but the process is quite slow if you have lots to do.
The "expressit" sticky label thing I used to use is a pile of cack and should be avoided at all costs.

[Lordgeous]

Agreed. i started with sticky labels but since discovering printable discs have always used Canon printers that can print on suitable discs. They do the job very well, despite pausing rather too often to clean their heads. Have always used cheap compatible inks with no problems. One thing to note, there are two types of printable discs I prefer "full face" that prints the entire surface unlike some others that leave a large circular area around the centre hole. I use an excellent design programme called "Discus" (from Magic Mouse) which has templates for every type of label imagineable.

[Dave2002]

I don't think any of my current printers do CD/DVD labels or printing on discs. What is the cheapest/most reasonable model of printer which does this? I may know someone who can do this for me, but if not I'd appreciate some advice as to what kit to buy.

I'm also looking for a good supply of blank discs - probably manufactured by Taiyo Yuden or Kodak, but there may be others which are good. I'm not sure which discs are the current favourites for reliability and longevity. Also, are the recommended manufacturers for DVD-Rs the same as for CD-Rs?

[Frances_iom]

I've been using stick on labels, as supplied by my local copyshop as I have no printer, for more than 10 years on the CD of Manx genealogy/archive material I supply - never had any comments back re spoilt CDs etc (other than an american postie who apparently 'folded' it to place in some mail box) on the 250+ I've supplied - some CD's would appear to have been in use for near all the 10 years as I get requests along line that 'had it for n year thought it time I get a new CD' as the material is added to + updated

[DublinJimbo]

The only printable discs I'm aware of are for inkjet printers. I use Verbatim photo printable with my Canon Pixma printer and get good results.

A difficulty when purchasing discs is knowing the extent of the printable area. Since the usual packaging does not provide a view of the actual disc, you need to do some research to find reference numbers from disc manufacturers, the aim being to obtain the largest possible print area. Another limitation is the apparent unavailability of a glossy option, which would produce much better print results. Verbatim did produce these, but have now discontinued the option.

As has been said, the process is quite slow, and is unsurprisingly greedy when it comes to ink.

Having said all that, I am happy with the results that I get. Stick-on labels are to be avoided at all costs.

[johnb]

When I was using CD-R and DVD-R discs I used to get Taiyo Yudens from dvdshoponline. These days I don't bother with burning music or video to disc but stream from my server's HDD.

Most of the Taiyo Yuden discs come in 50s wrapped in clear material so it is useful if you have a couple of empty 50's tubs to decant the discs into. Having said that, I see that dvdshopline carry some 100 and 50 tubs of Taiyo Yuden that are branded as JVC.

As has been said, it is a good idea (though not essential) to get "Full Face" printable discs, where the printable surface extends across all the disc. (dvdshoponline carries both inkjet and thermal printable discs.)

If you are giving the discs to other people perhaps you could remind them that the discs should be treated with care and certainly not subjected to strong daylight and are best stored in the dark, e.g. in a box.

[Lordgeous]

I still use rather ancient (Pixma series) Canon printers that i usually pick up cheaply on Ebay (currently an IP4850), so no knowledge of current models. As for blanks, I buy in bulk - usually cheapest i can find as I've found no difference in quality or longevity between the cheapest and most expensive (as born out by a Pro-Audio magazine survey many years ago). i do use Taiyo Uden for archiving though (just in case!) but always keep at least 2 backups (on different brands of discs). CD pressing plants prefer masters to be sent in on 'gold' discs but only HHB seem to supply these now (and none with extended length). As I understand it there are only a few CD blank factories and most of what is available are merely 'rebranded', so you never really know what you're buying - there are even Taiyo Uden 'fakes' around! Its a jungle out there!! My archives, dating back to when burnable CDs first became available, and kept in controlled, dark conditions, still produce the occasional disc that wont play, and I have had whole batches of CDs/DVDs, from previously reliable brands, that won't burn at all! Its all a bit pot luck I feel.

[Dave2002]

Thanks to recent posters for some clues and advice. I have a Pixma Canon MP560 - but I don't think that model can do CDs - or maybe there is an attachment. As I wrote earlier, I don't think any of my printers do have disc printing capability.

Possibly I may not need to do this anyway, as it is for some CDs and DVDs of a live concert which I prepared and am still in the process of editing. The person who requested this has a printer, though it may be out of order right now. I would be reluctant to buy a specific printer just for this one job as I'm not doing this for profit and I would not expect to have any further use for such a printer. I may be able to forward on appropriate CDs and DVDs in labelled packets with blank surfaces, and the recipient could then put labels on or print as desired. I am prepared to obtain some new high quality blanks, and pass the costs of those on - hence the interest in which CDs or DVDs are thought to be good - though that does, unfortunately, seem to be a bit hit and miss.

Maybe I should issue instructions that the contents are to be uploaded to other media (e.g hard drive or memory stick) ASAP if anyone has a long term interest in the material.On balance I'd guess that hard drive would be the safest - though even those have been known to fail.