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A Brief History of the CD-R and a Compatibility Overview of the CD-R
The Compact Disc Recordable (or CD-R for short) is an optical media that is based on the original CD format invented by Sony and Philips. CD-Rs started becoming mainstream in the mid-to-late
1990’s (around 1996) and were widely used for storage, distribution, and playback of music and data by the late 1990’s. In the early days of the CD-Rs, compatibility was a major issue.
The CD-R format was not fully support by manufacturers of CD players. In these early days, many readers and players did not initially support the Recordable format. The only option for
100% compatibility in those days was to “Manufacture” or “Press” a disc. A Manufactured disc differs greatly from a CD-R in the method and materials used to make the finished disc (refer to
the section PRESSED CD versus BURNED CD to learn more about the difference, or click here to view a video of a CD being “Pressed”). However,
as time passed, more manufacturers of CD players and CD Readers updated the technology in their devices to fully support the CD-R media. By the mid-2000’s (approx 2005), the vast majority
of players supported CD-Rs and many of older readers were eventually replaced in the market. However, some older-model readers and players still persist in the general public and some of
these devices will not play CD-Rs (although the number is now small and continues to shrink).
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CD Copying 101
A CD-R is a Write Once, Read Many (also called WORM) format. The CD-R is written to by a laser in a CD writer connected to a computer. The CD Writer requires burning software installed on its
host computer to initiate and perform the writing. Current operating systems now come with this capability built inherently into the Operating System. In older computer systems, it was necessary to install dedicated burning software to accomplish the task (Software products such as NERO, ROXIO or GEAR).
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It is possible to make multiple CD copies with a single CD drive connected to a computer by repeating the procedure and inserting a new CD-R into the CD Drive each time to generate subsequent copies. However, there are devices and systems designed to duplicate multiple copies at once, called “Tower Duplication Systems”. These Tower systems are usually standalone systems (i.e. not required to be connected to a computer), and can come equipped with 2 drives, 4 drives, 8 drives, or 10 drives. The first drive in the tower is usually a READ-ONLY drive and the others are Recordable Drives. For instance, in a 4-drive tower there would be one drive dedicated for “reading” the source Master CD, and 3 drives for “writing” to the recordable media, thereby outputting 3 copies each cycle. These tower systems are equipped with an on-board controller that allows you to set basic functions, initiate the copying and monitor the progress of the copying process. Such tower duplication systems could increase your duplication production tremendously (perfect for those rush time-sensitive requirements), but they still require manual loading of the CD-Rs into the trays. To circumvent manual loading, some tower systems ship with Robotics built in to load and unload the CDs for unattended operation! An automated duplication system will increase productivity and output, but the upfront cost of such a system is often a high and maintenance of the robotics system can be costly as they do tend to breakdown and fail over time. Note: these automated duplication tower systems often only accept regular full-sized 5” discs only. They will not duplicate mini-CDs (3” CDs). You can also use most tower duplication systems to duplicate DVDs, assuming the model is equipped with DVD-compatible drives.
The length of time it takes to copy CDs depends on the Drive speed, Media speed, and the amount of data on the Master disc. The Write time for an 80 minute (700 MB CD-R) at 1X Speed is actually 80 minutes (real time). At 4X Speed, the time to burn the same 80 minute (700MB) disc drops down to 20 minutes. The fastest available speed for a CD drive and CD Media is 52X… it would take just 1.5 minutes to copy an 80 minute (700MB) disc at 52X.
What Speed Is the Best To Copy Compact Discs at?
Although it is tempting to copy discs at full speed (there is a substantial time savings to burning at 52X), this is not recommended for mass production. When copying Audio CDs at full speed, there is a greater potential of producing popping and clicking noises in the final copies. It is better to copy a disc at a slower rate , such as 10X or 16X, to avoid this problem. Data CDs can be more forgiving, you can generally copy these at 16X - 24X speeds without cause of concerns. When burning Master CDs, though, stick with 1X or 2X… it takes longer, but remember GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out)!
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PRESSED CD versus BURNED CD
Although the discs may look very similar, there is a world of difference between a Recordable disc that has been burned, and a “Pressed” (or “Glass Mastered”) disc that has been manufactured.
Before going into the specifics of RECORDABLE versus MOLDED DISCS, it would help to explain the very fundamentals of how a disc plays music or video. Let’s use the AUDIO CD as an example.
How an Audio CD plays “music”?
First, a standard Audio CD is said to have 16 bits and 44.1 khz/s. These specifications actually refer to a digital alphabet. But, unlike the English alphabet with 26 letters, this digital alphabet only has 2 letters – which are 0 (off) and 1 (on) ! The term 16 bits refers to the number of letters in each digital word (Example: 0101010101010101 would be a 16-bit digital letter! A 16 bit digital alphabet would actually provide 65,536 possible combinations (the digital “vocabulary”). The 44.1khz refers to how many of these “digital letters” would be read in a second off of a compact disc (44,100 per second). In effect, the laser reading a CD is actually reading 44,100 words made up of 16 digital letters per word (“1’s” and “0’s”) each and every second! That data forms the information that the computer translates to music from an Audio CD.
Now back to our question… how is a recordable CD-R or DVD-R different from a Pressed CD or DVD? For a recordable disc, the digital letters ON (1) and OFF (0) are represented by holes that are shot through a layer of DYE on the CDR by a recording laser. The laser shoots this hole to represent an OFF (0) letter and leaves the DYE intact to represent an ON letter (1). This is why this process is refered to as “burning” a disc... i.e. the disc is actually being burned with holes by a laser in the photo-sensitive dye layer of the disc!
On a pressed disc, however, the disc is manufactured with microscopic bumps (ON) and valleys (OFF) to represent the two digital letters of the digital alphabet. A Glass master is used to produce a piece of nickel that acts as the stamper for the CD (same applies to DVDs and even Bluray). Each manufactured CD would have a unique custom nickel stamper. The stamper has all of the hills and valleys of the Master CD on it, and is used to transfer the information to the finished disc in a molding process that molds plastic pellets (polycarbonate) to the finished product. To watch a video of the CD/DVD/Bluray molding process, click here.
Although these discs are all the same size and similar colour and shape, the underlying technology and manufacturing process differs tremendously. So now you know…. CD-R (recordables) and CD-ROMs (read-only memory) are not all the same!
To recap: A “pressed” disc with music or video on it would be manufactured with the data imprinted right on the copies. A Recordable CD, DVD or Bluray disc is actually manufactured with a DYE that can be written to with a laser device. Before there were recordable discs, the original CD and DVD players were only able to PLAY discs and not WRITE to them. These players used lasers to read bumps and pits on the surface of the disc and convert the data stream to binary for a computer or a chip to translate into sounds, videos, images, etc.
Recordable CD , DVD and Blu-ray Drives have the added ability to burn holes in the DYE of a recordable disc, thereby allowing small scale production of CDs and DVDs.
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So, should you burn or should you press your CD?
The question of burning versus pressing (particularly for a Music CD or Audio CD) is actually not a complicated one. Simply put, if you anticipate you will sell more than 500 discs during your lifetime, it is cut and dry…. Get your discs professional pressed! The cost will often be lower than burning CDs at this quantity. If you don’t think you can sell (or even giveaway) 500 discs if your life depended on it, consider getting 50 or 100 burned discs made up.
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A NOTE ON LIFESPAN OF THE PRESSED CD VERSUS A CD-R!
Because recordable CDs contain a photo-sensitive DYE layer in them, these discs have a limited lifespan. Some tests have indicated that a CD-R may only last as little as 10 years before errors begin to affect playability. There are some better-quality media (gold CD-Rs being of the highest quality), but these are rarely if ever used in duplication projects. A Glass Mastered (pressed) CD does not use a DYE in the manufacturing process. The shelf life of a properly-manufactured “pressed” CD is therefore much higher than its CD-R (recordable) cousin. Fact: Samples of the first pressings stored and handled properly and sold in Europe in the early 1980’s remain playable and error free today (those were pressed CDs). That is over a quarter of a century and still going! CD-Rs have not existed as long, but there are many reports of early degradation.
The advantages of a pressed disc are many:
Five reasons why you should Press your CD, not burn it:
- A professional can tell the difference at a single glance
- The discs can be tracked by radio stations (using the ISRC code system)
- The discs will have important identifying codes inscribed in the mirror band, which help identify counterfeits!
- The cost is actually lower (but you’ll have to run a minimum 500 or more discs)
- The quality of the finished product is better.
- The lifespan of a Pressed Disc is longer than that of CD-Rs. If your music means anything to you and your fans… this is reason enough to get it pressed!
Conclusion: Since it costs less, and offers the advantages listed above… why not have your CD manufactured in the same way as all of the famous big-named artists? At least if you become famous in 15 years, your first CD release from 15 years prior will still play!
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The Different Formats of CDs
Although the discs may look very similar, there is a world of difference between a Recordable disc that has been burned, and a “Pressed” (or “Glass Mastered”) disc that has been manufactured.
CD (Compact Disc):
CD (or compact disc) is a broad term used to describe all 12cm (5”) discs that have a capacity of 650MB/700MB or hold 74/80minutes of Audio. The exists several formats:
AUDIO CD – the standard music CD format which plays in car stereos and boom boxes,
MP3 CD – a newer format that works with select players that support MP3 audio only, the MP3 CD can be used to play music in computers and audio players that support MP3 playback.
DATA CD – this is the standard computer disc format used for storage of data. It can be further broken down into different burning formats, such as ISO, DDP, Mac, PC, etc.
Enhanced CD – this is an AUDIO CD that has a data section which can be used to store video, pictures, MP3s or other computer-related data also.
Mini-CD (mini compact disc):
A mini CD is a 3” round disc that can be used to store audio, video or computer data with a capacity of 180MB/200MB or 20 – 22 minutes of CD-quality audio. The mini-round disc can be used in most tray-style and clip-on style drives, but their use in drives that suck the disc in for playback are not recommended. Always refer to your player’s instruction manual before using a mini-CD in your player.
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Different Printing Options for the CD Label
There are dozens of CD printing technology options to choose from to print either black only, or photo-realistic CD labels. Perhaps the most widely used method (and the one you should avoid the most) is the peel-and-stick label, printed on a laser or inkjet printer on pre-manufactured sheets and applied directly to the CD surface. The warranties provided by most Manufacturers of players and readers include a clause voiding the warranty of the drive or player if a label peels off and damages the drive. In other words, any user of a CD that has a peel-and-stick label on it is actually using the CD at his/her own risk! Granted, if the label is applied firmly and no edges are lifting up, the chance of a problem is minute. However, the probability of an issue arising with CD labels increases when CDs are stored in high temperature environments, such as a vehicle on a hot sunny day! The temperature in a vehicle can easily rise above 40 and sometimes even over 50 degrees Celsius on a summer day. This level of heat can potentially melt the glue that binds the paper to the CD, and can actually lead to problems such as a disc getting trapped in a vehicle’s CD player. So, unless you are making a disc for your own personal use with the full understanding and acceptance of the risks, you should never sell or even give away a disc with a paper adhesive label on it to anyone else. It is better to send your project out to someone that has the proper equipment to get the job done right.
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Now that we have established what NOT to do, here are some options for printing directly to your disc (sans label):
- Inkjet Printing
- Thermal Transfer Printing
- UV Digital Printing
- Silk Screening
- Offset Printing
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Inkjet Printing
Several Inkjet Printer Manufacturers have adapted their Inkjet Printers to print on CDs (such as EPSON). These inkjet printers usually contain a slot that is designed to accept a pre-formed carrier to guide the CD through the print mechanism. The drawback with this technology is that the discs require a special Matte coating in order for the ink to stick to the surface of the media. The cost of the blank media, therefore, is slightly higher than a standard blank disc. However, the ink cost is typically not very high (particularly if you use a bulk ink feeding system, or refill your own cartridges). Print quality is generally very good (particularly for photo-quality images), but these systems can be quite slow unless your system has robotics and automation. For mass duplication though, the speed of these systems is often a deterrent (ok for small runs, but once you start looking at mass producing 500 or 1000 CDs, time and cost become prohibitive). This si a good working solution for small short runs.
Thermal Transfer Printing
The advantage of using a thermal transfer printer to print CDs is that you can use regular shiny silver or white compact discs (no special coating is needed for thermal printers). Thermal printers are available in Black and Colour. They work by transferring ink from a ribbon directly to the CD face using heat and pressure. The print results can be very good and the cost (of a black ribbon) is not excessive. However, colour ribbons can be expensive and for larger runs of CDs, this can be cost prohibitive. For large runs in Black only, thermal transfer can work well, but for colour discs, cost becomes prohibitive. This is a good solution for short runs in colour and short-to-medium-sized runs in Black.
UV Digital Printing
UV Digital Printing technology is the newest technology to hit the CD printing world. These digital print heads spray Ultra-Violet inks directly onto the disc’s surface. The inks dry instantly when exposed to the UV light generated by a UV mechanism in the machine and the resulting print quality is excellent, particularly for photo-realistic images! There are even machines available that will print over 1000 discs an hour, so the technology is fairly fast. The drawback is that the technology is still new and very expensive, with machine prices for some machines exceeding $1 million (US dollars). In addition, the UV light poses some risks of UV exposure and some equipment manufacturers even require the operator to wear special eye goggles during machine operation. Regardless, for mass production, these systems are robust and the cost per unit is relatively low for a full colour disc. Setup is almost non-existent because there is no need for films, and no need for costly screens, and there is very little setup required for each project.
Silk Screening
Silk Screening is the oldest and most prevalent printing method of disc faces in the CD industry. Chances are, if you purchased a Music CD or Software CD in a retail environment, the disc has been printed using the process of silk screening. Silk Screening works by passing ink through a fine mesh screen that has an image of the finished product on it. First, the artwork is separated into its fundamental colours (either into single spot colours, or to a CMYK breakdown – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black). Once the colours are separated, films are output on a film processing device and these acetate films are used to expose a mesh screen (one mesh per each colour). The mesh screens are then loaded onto the silk screening machines with the correct inks added on top of the each mesh. The discs pass through the machine under the meshes and a squeegee device presses the ink through the mesh leaving an imprint on the disc. The inks used in this process are UV-curing inks which dry under a light which is used to expose the disc to UV rays after each screen pass. The process can be very quick, with some machines capable of printing as many as 5000 discs per hour! The biggest drawback with silk screening are the long and costly setup times (particularly for full colour CMYK jobs). But once a job is setup, the process is very cost-efficient for large runs. The print quality is excellent for spot colours (but silk screening does handle full colour jobs as well as the some of the other technologies). Hands down, silk screening provides the best result for spot colour CDs.
Offset Printing
Offset printing fills a void that was left by silk screening… it handles full colour artwork tremendously well! Offset disc printing is also designed for high volume output (just as silk screening is). With offset printing, printing plates are output from a plate processing devise and loaded into the press. Similar to traditional paper offset printing, these machines separate the colours into CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black). The drawback with this technology is the setup waste… it typically takes hundreds of discs to setup a print job! Once setup, though the speed and print quality are well worth it! One thing Offset CD Presses cannot do, though, is print a specific pre-mixed colour. For that, silk screening is still the best and only option!
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Packaging Options for CDs! I have a Disc and it is printed… now what?
There is a wide variety of CD packaging options to complement your artistic vision! The most common and widely used is the CD jewel case. The CD jewel case’s popularity stems from its low production cost, and high perceived value, making it an ideal choice. The jewel case is also available in a slimline version, and can ship with different coloured trays. However, in this “green age” of environmentally conscious manufacturing, there has been a great push to provide more eco-friendly options. As a result, you can now find a large selection of eco-wallets, eco-sleeves, eco-packs, and other environmentally-friendly packaging choices.
Eco-sleeves and eco-wallets are made entirely of cardboard manufactured from post consumer waste (i.e. 100% post consumer recycled material). IMPORTANT NOTE: When choosing an environmentally-friendly package, you should be aware that these enviro stocks have imperfections in them and do not always print as cleanly as their non-eco counterparts! If this is a concern to you, one option is to choose a stock that has a percentage of post consumer waste (PCW) rather than one that is 100% PCW! A 30% or 40% PCW content will give you a great looking product and has a reduced environmental impact. Also, choosing a sleeve that has no plastic in it is also more environmentally friendly than a case that incorporates a plastic tray. A digi-pak, for example, is a cardboard sleeve that uses a plastic tray (or multiple trays) to hold the disc in place. These cardboard/plastic combos offer good protection for the disc, and are more easily mailed than jewel cases (i.e. there is less chance of breakage than the brittle plastic used in jewel cases, when used for mailing purposes).
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Another option that is gaining popularity is the use of a soft plastic case made of polypropelene, instead of the hard brittle CD jewel cases. Similar to the soft movie dvd case plastics, these CD polypropelene cases (or poly cases, for short) offer a CD-sized case that is break resistant, and has a clear outer overlay for insertion of a printed slipsheet to form the artwork cover, spine and back of the case (similar to the DVD case, but the size of a CD jewel case).
If you are looking for simpler, cost-conscious options, you can always opt for a generic sleeve. These are provided in paper, polypropelene, and vinyl. But these are not generally considered retail-ready. However, these sleeve options are available in models that can be inserted into binders, or with peel-and-stick backings to adhere into items such as greeting cards, booklets, and printed guides!
Are all CDs and DVDs equal?
The short answer is No. Not all CDs and DVDs are created equal. Besides the difference between recordable discs and pressed discs, there are a variety of different injection molding machines ranging from the original manufacturing lines of the late 80’s and early 90’s to the much more efficient, faster and automated manufacturing lines manufactured in the past 5 years. The technology has advanced tremendously over the past couple of decades, and continues to evolve. Some manufacturers are still running the same lines from the early nineties. It is best to work with a CD or DVD manufacturer that has updated manufacturing lines. Click here to see a video of a plant running the latest technology for CD/DVD.
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