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06 Jan 05 - 09:45 PM (#1373510) Subject: CD labeling From: Gypsy So, for home labeling (yes we really are recording on a shoestring) what is the experience with the various labeling devices in the world. Checked out LightScribe from HP, which burns the image, and i don't think is available in a stand alone. Looked at Fellowes packages with the sticky label....what has worked for you? What might be a saleable quality? Just when we are twixt orders at DiskFaktory........or low on ducats! |
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06 Jan 05 - 10:06 PM (#1373532) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: PoppaGator I'm very happy with Neato's adhesive-paper-label system, which we use at work for computer-software CDs. Their patented little gizmo puts the label on the disk dead center, perfectly smooth, every time. Neato has some kind of business relationship with Fellowes, so it might be something you've already looked at. For complete info, see www.neato.com. Although I don't use this system for music CDs, I'm aware of the features they offer or those who do. Their software includes (among other things) a utility for automatically picking up the list of tracks on an audio CD and printing it on the label. Their software can be used by itself to handle basic text and graphics, but for those running PhotoShop and similar programs, they provide ways to easily import your finished work intact to their label templates. They also provide software options and nicely prepared blank stock for jewel tray covers and liners, DVD box covers, etc. Printing directly on the disk is probably a more attractive option, but too expensive for small-scale operations. Neato's paper labels seem to work perfectly fine, largely because their system for applying the labels makes it almost impossible to stick 'em on off-center or wrinkled (which would affect rotation in the disk drive). |
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06 Jan 05 - 10:22 PM (#1373547) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Gypsy Have you ever had problems with the labels coming off? The review that i read was on Neato, and that was the only caveat that i got. Have no idea what the other gadget $$$$$ but i bet yer right. Am just determining if it would be cost effective for an emergency run of 25 or so........not that i have ever been caught making business cards 2 hours before a gig! |
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07 Jan 05 - 01:33 AM (#1373647) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: dick greenhaus Why not just farm the job out to someone who prints them directly on the disk? |
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07 Jan 05 - 03:10 AM (#1373670) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: open mike i hqave had good luck with www.surething.com |
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07 Jan 05 - 12:42 PM (#1373734) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Cluin I use the CDStomper device and labels and have never had a problem in maybe 450 to 500 CDs I've used it for. But I make sure the labels are stuck down well by rubbing the whole surface with the side of my thumb after applying them. For printing, I didn't install the software that came with it. I just made a design template in CorelDRAW and that works perfectly for me. |
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07 Jan 05 - 12:42 PM (#1373735) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Bernard The problem with labels is they can pull the substrate (recording surface) off the CD, rendering it scrap. I only ever did one production run that way, and would never consider it again! Inkjet printable CDs are a good compromise, and the Epson R300 printer is capable of printing on them - it comes with a special carrier. I know of a couple of people who find them quite satisfactory, albeit a little slow. As for myself, I have a Primera Signature III dedicated inkjet CD printer which produces excellent results. Expensive initially, but prints a full colour CD in less than 40 seconds. It can keep pace with a 1-6 duplicator without any trouble. My only criticism - the editing software bundled with it is quirky (crap!). |
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07 Jan 05 - 06:36 PM (#1374105) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: treewind I've tried lots and my favourite by far is CD label designer from dataland software It's worth the ($20 ?) registration cost. Most useful is that is works with any brand of labels, and the process for telling where to put the labels on the paper is really simple. It also does circle text sensibly, assuming the centre of the label is going to be the centre of the text. It's easy to use and it does labels, tray cards and front cards if you want (the tray card is useful for the spine text feature) Anahata |
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07 Jan 05 - 09:46 PM (#1374263) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Charley Noble We've been using an Epson Stylus Photo R800 to print full color onto printable CD's. So far we've run off about 70 CD's with no major problems printing. The registration is dead on. The software we use is called Epson Print CD which seems to be reasonably straight forward. The printer and the software run about $400 US. We used to print the Fellowes labels and stick them on by hand but our old Epson printer wasn't consistent enough with registration to be relied upon. If we were planning to print 500 or more CD's we'd probably farm it out to an outside vendor but this appears to be a good strategy for experimental CD's or pre-release CD's. Charley Noble |
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07 Jan 05 - 10:08 PM (#1374279) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: GUEST,Arkie One major problem with stick on labels, besides the damage done to the CD is that some players will not play CDs with the stick on label. Players in vehicles may be the worst in this regard. I only have a few CDs with the adhesive labels because I just had to play with that concept, but I cannot use them in my Nissan truck. The Epson printers that print to CDs are really not all that expensive nor is the cost per CD. Some months back there were some articles on CD burners that would also print to the top side of the CD. They were to appear sometime in the fall of 2004. I have yet to see an announcement of their availability. |
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07 Jan 05 - 10:34 PM (#1374296) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: dick greenhaus CAMSCO will print the discs for you in quantities of one or more for $1.50 each. |
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08 Jan 05 - 12:51 PM (#1374490) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Uncle_DaveO I had "my" recording engineer, Cheap Tracks do it, with my picture. They burned the disks, printed both sides of a single sheet insert, and printed my picture and text on the disk, and provided the jewel case, all for I believe it was $2.50 (or possibly it was $2.75) per disk. This was maybe a year ago, so I can't swear that that's still the price, but I expect it's still good. Cheap Tracks did the recording for my CD, The Real Story, and did a good job. They charge $45 per hour, both for studio and post-production time. I've been very pleased. Check out their site; you may be impressed. You can also, if you're so moved, listen to a sample song from my CD (along with a number of samples from other recording projects they've done), and there's a picture of me listening to a playback in the studio during one of the recording sessions. Dave Oesterreich |
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08 Jan 05 - 01:05 PM (#1374519) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: DonMeixner Every paper label I have on any CD has eventually come off. Usually in the car stereo. Sharpie pens for me from now on. Don |
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08 Jan 05 - 02:44 PM (#1374608) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: GUEST I've had very good luck w/ the Memorex labels...I've sold about 2500 (over the course of 3 years or so) and no-one's had any problems thus far...better grade of adhesive, perhaps. |
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08 Jan 05 - 04:15 PM (#1374684) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Gypsy Sounds like i just need to make certain that i plan ahead...........we get ours made at DiskFaktory, which will go in lots as low as 100. Just thought if i needed to do the emergency run........since DiskFaktory is round about 2-3 weeks. Dick, is the price yer quoting at CAMSCO inclusive of jewelcase, etc, or just the disk? And what is the minimum? |
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08 Jan 05 - 04:40 PM (#1374713) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: WFDU - Ron Olesko Printing on discs is the way to go. The cost is not expensive at all. I purchased an Epson R200 for less than $100 at Staples. Epson has other more expensive models, but this one does the trick for me. The printable discs are just slightly more than a regular CD-R, but if you factor in the cost of paper labels it runs about the same, perhaps just a bit cheaper. (The ink on my Epson seems to go further than the ink on my old Xerox where I used Fellowes paper labels.) When I used the Fellowes paper labels, I never had a problem with them falling off. I've never even witnessed a paper labels falling off. Don, it sounds like you were using some sort of removable label. Paper labels can get stuck in CD players and they do not look as sharp as the printing directly on the disc. |
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08 Jan 05 - 04:45 PM (#1374719) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: PoppaGator As noted earlier, my company used the Neato paper labels for *software* CDs, and we've never had a customer complaint -- BUT our disks are pretty much one-time-use, for installations and updates. They may be needed for an occasional re-intall, but don't get nearly the wear and tear that music CDs undergo. I know that Neato has long *marketed* their products for use with music CDs, but that doesn't mean much. For anyone who is willing go with paper labels, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Neato -- I have co-workers who have used other competitors (including CD Stomper) and who now prefer the Neato. However, direct inkjet printing on the disk surface is better, if you can afford the investment, and there alternatives like Uncle DaveO's where you can farm the work out. |
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08 Jan 05 - 04:45 PM (#1374720) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Cluin I'll mention here that if you're planning to use a stick-on label, then don't handle the CD-R too much beforehand. Oils from your hand will prevent good adhesion of the label. Also, I've read articles that claim not all markers are good for writing on CD-Rs either. Some can migrate through the top layer to the data surface and corrupt it. |
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08 Jan 05 - 07:47 PM (#1374873) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Bernard If you really must use stick-on labels, you must also resist the temptation to try to smooth out any air bubbles - that's what rips the substrate off and wrecks the disc! I found out the hard way... Ho hum! |
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08 Jan 05 - 09:51 PM (#1374932) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: dick greenhaus Gypsy- That's discs only. Complete package is $5; minimum order is one. |
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09 Jan 05 - 08:34 PM (#1375504) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Gypsy Ah! Thanks, Dick. The other place is 2$ each, with the lowest order being 100. Will keep CAMSCO in mind for em-er-gen-cies, tho. |
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10 Jan 05 - 01:01 PM (#1375949) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Jeremiah McCaw Actually, what puts the entire debate to bed is that if you're sending copies of your CD out for promo many recipients - particularly radio stations -will NOT play an adhesive-labelled CD as a matter of policy (CBC being one major player). There are any number of places that are set up to do small runs of CDs at a reasonable price. My trio, EZEDUZIT, went to Eugene Rea (Guelph, southern Ontario). The service, quality & price were excellent (yeah, yeah, that's a bit of a plug, but the guy deserves it - www.reastudios.com). |
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10 Jan 05 - 03:19 PM (#1376076) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: BB We don't even try to play CDs with stuck-on labels in our vehicle CD player - the first time we tried, we couldn't get the damn thing out (this when the player was virtually new, and we thought we'd ruined it!) Never again! Barbara |
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10 Jan 05 - 06:46 PM (#1376230) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: JudyB What Charley didn't mention is that we went with a more expensive Epson printer for its "Epson 8-Color UltraChrome™ Hi-Gloss pigment ink for archival quality glossy and matte photos lasting over 100 years" - not that we care about that for the CDs as we don't expect that technology to be in existence then (though it would be kind of neat to know that our great-great-great-great nieces and nephews could at least see the artwork on Charley's "Uncommon Sailor Songs" CD, even if they had no means to play it!) - but we were in the market for a printer that would make long-lasting photo-quality prints, and this met both needs while only taking up one technology-unit of desk space in the office. If all we were planning to do with the printer was print CDs, we would have happily plunked for a more modest model. JudyB |
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14 Jan 05 - 02:45 PM (#1379135) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Cheap Tracks For Uncle DaveO's CD I used an Epson R300 printer, Taiyo Yuden inkjet printable blanks, and SureThing software for composing the label. And a few corrections to the rates Dave mentioned - I charge $30/hour for recording services and $2.50 per copy for CDs - a burned & printed disk in a jewel case. An additional $.50 for liner notes - photo quality print on coated, glossy paper. http://www.cheap-tracks.com For graphics work I use Paint Shop Pro, MS Publisher, and Corel Draw. |
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14 Jan 05 - 02:49 PM (#1379139) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Uncle_DaveO Sorry, Karl. They say that memory is the first thing to go. Dave Oesterreich |
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18 Jan 05 - 05:42 PM (#1381700) Subject: CD printing/labeling From: PoppaGator Anyone interested in this subject should check out this company, which provides equipment to "do-it-yourself" as well as a full range of services for those who prefer to job-out their production and/or labeling: http://www.discmakers.com This is *not* a personal endorsement. All I know about these guys is that I somehow got on their mailing list and just received their catalog. That said, their website is very informative (especially the "FAQ" section) and anyone shopping for CD labeling/packaging services or equipment should be aware of what they offer. |
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28 Jan 05 - 10:47 PM (#1391941) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: GUEST,geoff.espeland@dictaphone.com I accidently got one of my printable cd's wet. The ink washes right off. That's depressing. Anyone know how to make it more durable? |
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29 Jan 05 - 05:26 PM (#1392622) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Gypsy Well, after being given some cd's with the labels on them for Christmas, and having our player vomit them out again.......will stick with DiskFaktory for making the demos and retail items. Anything i am doing at home, i'll just write upon. BB, thanks for the heads up.....tried the cd in a drawer type player FIRST......my 'suck it in' player in the van would have been ruined! |
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30 Jan 05 - 09:09 AM (#1393150) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Cheap Tracks "I accidently got one of my printable cd's wet. The ink washes right off. That's depressing. Anyone know how to make it more durable?" I did quite a bit of experimenting with different coatings on printable disks. You need to be very careful because the solvents in some coatings may not show effects on the plastic for weeks after the application. The best I found was DEFT glossy spray lacquer (look in wood-finishing products). It goes on fairly well, dries quickly, and disks that were coated 6 months ago still look good (no crazing of the plastic). If you are only doing a disk once in a while, this is probably an OK way to go. I make too many disks to deal with the hassle. The disks have to be protected from dust until the lacquer is dry, the fumes when spraying many disks (even in the garage) is pretty bad, and masking is important so overspray does not get on the data-side of the disk. A batch of 50 or 100 is just not practical for spraying. An easier option that I have not tried would be to put a clear label over the injet printing. Might be worth a shot. |
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30 Jan 05 - 10:04 AM (#1393188) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: dick greenhaus BOthclear sprays and transparent overlays are available from many disc supply outlets. One possibility is using an Epson printer (with the six color cartridges) advertised as Dura-bright. They claim water resistance. |
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30 Jan 05 - 04:04 PM (#1393539) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Cheap Tracks The printable surface is very un-water resistant - I don't think resistant ink will be much of an advantage. |
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30 Jan 05 - 10:28 PM (#1393864) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: GUEST,geoff.espeland@dictaphone.com Thanks to all for responding. FYI, I'm using an Epson R320 with the six color cartridges so they are definately not water resistant. Is it super expensive to get into silk screening or doing it by what ever process the pros use? |
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01 Feb 05 - 07:47 PM (#1396280) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Bernard A thermal CD printer may be the answer, but they aren't cheap - and colour is fiddly. |
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10 Mar 05 - 01:02 PM (#1431660) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: GUEST,Chris Kelly No one has made any distinction between matte and glossy labels. I've gone to printing direct onto labels with my Epson, but people who've seen the newer CDs express disappointment that the new ones don't have the appeal that the gloss photo labels did. |
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10 Mar 05 - 01:36 PM (#1431690) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: JudyB They're a bit harder to find (mail order from MacConnection and similar places rather than pick up at Staples or Circuit City), but we like the silver matte CDs better than the more common white matte for printing. Of course, it depends on the design - Charlie's CD is shanties and songs of the sea, so the label has a watery look that's enhanced by the silvery highlights. JudyB |
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13 Mar 05 - 07:03 PM (#1433911) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: The Fooles Troupe FYI: A new Harvey Norman (Aust) flyer has turned up advertising a HP M1299A Media PC that incorporates a Lightscribe*6 ™ Dual Layer DVD Burner - "burn labels directly onto DVDs & CDs" |
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15 Mar 05 - 11:33 AM (#1435321) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: YorkshireYankee I've worked with the folks at Oasis in the past, and was impressed by their honesty & their sincere interest in the music (particulalrly folk). It's been a few years, so I don't know how their prices compare with others, but they are good folks & definitely worth checking out, if you're thinking of doing a CD. |
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16 Mar 05 - 09:13 AM (#1436017) Subject: RE: CD labeling From: Charley Noble I'd certainly recommend a professional group such as Oasis if you really wanted to print 500 or more. They are good to work with. However, if you're still in the pilot stage, doing something that involves testing yourself as a performer or a market for a special set of songs, then a home-based run of 100 or so still makes sense. The Epson Photo R800 with its "Gloss Optimizer" cartridge and "permanent" inks printing on Silver Matt printable label CD's, is the best system we've experienced. This system also makes sense for producing "proof" CD's for solcititating reviews for the commercially printed CD. You can send something out that looks professional, assuming you have those design skills or have friends you can badger into providing them. However, even runs of 100 or less are labor intensive. You may decide that it's just not worth the extra expense of a high quality printer and the time and skill level it takes to package the results. Cheerily, Charley Noble |