what do you use for CD labels? CD and DVD burners?

[Alan Dayley]

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Jeremy C. Reed wrote:
> I want to distribute some CDs and DVDs.
> 
> Please share your experiences and thoughts about labels for CDs. Should
> I use screen printing? Avery-style inkjet stickers? Other CD
> self-adhesive labels?
> 
> I have found companies to do screen printing for around 60 to 70 cents
> each (plus small charge for media). This seems like it will save time
> versus manually printing and sticking on labels. Do you have any
> suggestions of companies you have had good experience with?
> 
> But then again I may end up with a lot of wasted CDs (which I could put
> stickers on over later, I guess).
> 
> I think around here I have some CD labeling device for lining up
> stickers, but I have never used it. Any opinions or thoughts about these?
> 
> For software, I could use glabels (which I have used for business cards)
> or gimp plugins or kcdlabel or inkscape or other. Here are some links:
>  http://glabels.sourceforge.net/
>  http://shallowsky.com/software/cdplugins/
>  http://kcdlabel.sourceforge.net/
>  http://www.inkscape.org/  (maybe there are some templates?)
> 
> Any multi CD writers (so I can possibly burn a few CDs at a time) or DVD
> burners you can suggest? What have you had good experience with under
> Linux?
> 
> I wonder if it would be cheaper to outsource the work? But then I
> wouldn't have more control over my time and amount of CDs needed since I
> could always print, burn and ship on demand if I do it myself.

I have some experience for small things on personal projects.  I just
use the stick-on labels.  We bought the "TDK CD/DVD Labeling System"
mostly because we needed an alignment jig thing and this one came with
50 blank labels.  glabels works well but I had to create a new template
for this TDK kit.  It may have matched a previously defined template but
I could not tell with doing a bunch of test prints.  Making a new
template was not a big deal.

Some people say the stickers are not good because of balance or spinning
issues and that the adhesive degrades the media over time.  That may be
true but, what do I know.  If it's not important enough for a "real
label" I just use a sharpie marker, also a no-no.

This spring my wife and I produced the memory DVD and memory photo CD
for the high school band.  85 DVDs and 30 CDs.  To produce these we used
a service, http://www.starvideo.com (see Steve, steve at starvideo.com).
They have competitive rates and very good service.  They provided the
media and printed TIFF images we supplied onto the disks.  We also
provided them a TIFF of the DVD cover which they printed.  They look
very nice!

A significant per-disc price break kicks in at a quantity of 100, if you
have that much to do.  I think the band paid about 9.50 per DVD (burned
DVD-R, color printed on DVD, black DVD case, color printed DVD cover).
I don't remember the CD price but it was color printed on the CD with
jewel cases.

I don't know anything about high production burners.  Mine is a "no
name" DVD writer special from Fry's.  Works fine.

Alan
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