 It's hard to envision a time we haven't used CDs and DVDs. In addition to delivering music and movies, these ubiquitous shiny discs have become an integral part of our computing experience. Whether you burn your own music playlists or distribute home movies on DVD, making your own discs has long since moved out of the lab and into your home. Now the final touch, professional-quality labeling for optical media, has arrived, as well.
 The Past
When recordable CDs first came on the market, computer users had two options for labeling discs: Sharpie markers or labels printed on an inkjet printer. The former relied on steady handwriting for legibility, while the latter depended on accurate placement via tools such as the CD Stomper.
The problems with both of these strategies were manifold. Handwritten titles and labels looked, well, handwritten. Expecting Aunt Sally to decipher your hurried scribbles was one thing—expecting a client or partner to do so was another. Adhesive labels were just as problematic. The labels looked decent (depending on your printer), but the paper labels would peel off over time and often jam in your optical drive.
How The Pros Do It
When you receive a commercially made disc, odds are the manufacturer used a silk-screen process. Silk-screen printing on discs isn't out of reach for small organizations that distribute optical media, but the costs can be prohibitive. Each print job will require a setup fee for converting your artwork to silk screen, and you'll be charged between 30 cents and 50 cents per disc. The setup fee can cost between $500 and $1,000, depending on the complexity of the silk screen and the vendor. If you want multicolor silk-screen printing, the per-disc charge can easily top $1, not including setup fees. Obviously, this is out of reach for most consumers, leaving them with relatively few options for professional-looking discs.
Thermal Printing To The Rescue
Recognizing this opportunity, several companies are marketing peripherals that give consumers the capability to create optical discs with labeling and printing that approaches that of professionals. The best of these do so without requiring hundreds of dollars in equipment or expensive setup fees. They achieve this with thermal printers that have driven the cost of labeling down to affordable levels.
To explore this brave new world of disc printing, we looked at two of the more popular units, Primera's Signature Z1 ($139.95; www.primera.com) and Casio's CW-75 ($99.99; www.casio.com). |
Thermal printers do a respectable job printing monochromatic labels and simple graphics onto your discs.
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Primera's Signature Z1. Using the Signature Z1 is straightforward. Connect it to your PC via its USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable, attach the power adapter, and install the CD/DVD Printer application. We tested the Z1 using Windows XP Professional Edition, but the Z1 supports Windows 98SE/Me/2000 and both versions of WinXP.
Thermal printers operate by heating ink (hence the name) and applying it to the optical media. When it dries, this ink is nearly permanent. We were able to scratch it off with a small knife, but most users can expect labels created with this method to
last indefinitely.
With the Signature Z1's software, you can print graphics or text in four distinct areas of the disc. One drawback to using thermal printers is the lack of multicolor printing. Each print ribbon is monochromatic; you can choose from any color as long as it's black, blue, green, or red.
We were able to successfully print on a wide variety of discs without trouble, though Primera does warn against using inkjet-printable discs. Evidently, the extra texture on these discs prevents the thermal ink from properly adhering to them. For the best quality, you should use media designed for thermal printing.
The Signature Z1 wasn't exactly speedy when printing, but this is highly dependent on the amount of graphics and text you print on your disc. We averaged around one minute for most discs. The quality varied, with text being acceptable and graphics being something to avoid if possible, because the Z1 is limited to 200dpi (dots per inch).
Determining the value of the Signature Z1 depends on two factors: the price of the unit and the cost of the ink cartridges. Each ribbon costs $19.95 and is good for up to 200 print areas (four make up the printable area of the disc). Assuming one color in all four areas of each disc, our best estimate is that our cost to print on a disc was 40 cents a disc in ink. The Z1 itself costs $139.95, and over its lifespan, you could probably print a thousand discs. Spreading this cost out, you should expect to spend about 64 cents a disc.
Casio's CW-75. After using the Z1, we turned to Casio's svelte CW-75. The CW-75 is a thermal ink printer that can print labels on your CDs in red, blue, or black. You can either connect the CW-75 to your computer through a USB connection or use its built-in QWERTY keyboard for standalone use. However, you can only view one line at a time through its LCD (liquid-crystal display), and only 12 characters at that. Using the PC-based software was much easier than trying to arrange multiline labels through the Chiclet-style keyboard.
One drawback to the CW-75 is its use of AA batteries for power. We didn't measure how long the eight batteries would last, but we're disappointed that Casio considers the A/C adapter an accessory that will set you back $24.99. Because the CW-75 has a retail price of $99.99, we felt that the power adapter should have been included.
Next on our list of gripes was the cost of ink ribbons. Casio claims that each ribbon should last through 50 CDs, but ours petered out at 39. In fairness, estimating ink coverage depends largely on how much text is printed, so Casio has to make a guesstimate as to the average person's usage. |
You can use Casio's CW-75 in conjunction with your PC
or as a standalone printer through its built-in keyboard.
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We were impressed with the print quality on the CW-75, which compared favorably to the Signature Z1. The printing process was quick and not as noisy as some of the inkjet-style printers we've evaluated. However, the CW-75 is limited to printing text, so clip-art images and other graphics will have to be bypassed.
To determine the cost of using the CW-75, we used the same methodology as with the Z1. The unit retails for $99.99 and should be useable for at least a thousand discs. Add in the cost of either the $24.99 for the A/C adaptor or batteries, and the per disc cost before ink comes in around 12 cents per disc. The ink cartridges come in packages of three for $24.95, averaging out to 17 cents per disc, assuming each lasts through 50 discs and only one color is used on each disc. The total cost should be around 29 cents per disc, again depending on how much text and graphics you print.
Alternate Routes
If spending over $100 for a limited-use peripheral is not in your budget, consider Epson's (www.epson.com) line of inkjet printers. With four printers capable of printing on discs, as well as paper, Epson is targeting homeowners who don't have the room or budget for specialized printers.
The most affordable is the Epson Stylus Photo R200 ($99). The R200 and its siblings feature a front-loading tray for printing on optical media. The R200 is bundled with Epson's Film Factory software that lets you create graphics and text for your discs.
The downside to using an inkjet printer for labeling your discs is that the inkjet process results in a finish that isn't as durable as the output from thermal printers. You're also required to use inkjet printable media that is more expensive than other blank media. The upside is that you can print multicolor images on your discs and the printer can handle traditional printing tasks.
Because of this flexibility, we highly recommend the Epson line for users who want to be able to periodically print a few discs. Users who plan to frequently print on optical media and don't need multicolor print capabilities should stick with the thermal printers.
For users unsatisfied with the current options in disc printing, a new technology could revolutionize the disc printing world. Dubbed LightScribe (lightscribe.com), this technology was developed by HP over the last few years and is coming to market in the first half of 2005.
LightScribe-enabled disc drives function just like today's recordable CD and DVD drives. The magic starts after you've burned your data to disc. Simply flip your burned disc over and reinsert it in the drive. |
LaCie is one of the first companies to bring a LightScribe-enabled drive to market.
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Next, launch your LightScribe-enabled graphics software and enter the text for the disc label. Add any graphics that will make your disc stand out, and you're ready to print. However, you're not really printing.
What happens when you use LightScribe to print your labels is vastly different from what we've come to expect from printing. LightScribe drives burn an image onto your disc using your drive's laser to strike a thin dye coating on the label side of your disc. When this dye absorbs the laser light, it creates a chemical reaction that creates an iridescent-label image on the disc.
With LightScribe, you're not limited to text or small regions on the disc. You can print graphics and text with silk-screen quality on most of the disc's surface area. And because the dye coating is inside the disc, the printing won't wear off over time. With laser precision, a LightScribe drive can create text and images that are far superior to thermal and inkjet printers, with no costly ink.
So how do you get a LightScribe drive? LightScribe isn't a brand name, but a technology that is being licensed by HP to drive makers and software developers. The LightScribe system consists of a LightScribe-enabled drive, LightScribe-compatible media, and LightScribe-supported software.
While most drive manufacturers are licensees of the LightScribe technology, the first to market will probably be LaCie (www.lacie.com), which has announced its LaCie d2 DVD+/-RW Double Layer. The suggested retail price is $179. As of press time, the expected ship date was February 2005.
Although LightScribe is an exciting technology, it has several drawbacks. The first is that it will require special media that will initially cost more than regular media. Over time, this should be less of an issue, and the savings in ink should help offset the additional media costs.
The second drawback is the need to purchase a new optical drive with the LightScribe technology. If you already have a working recordable drive, the added cost of replacing it with a LightScribe drive will be more expensive than using a thermal or inkjet printer. Finally, the LightScribe system is monochromatic. However, this is more than offset by the quality of the images created with the system.
Put Your Stamp On It
Putting labels and artwork on your discs has come a long way since the days of Sharpies and adhesive labels you could never position properly. Whether you choose an inkjet or thermal printer, your discs will have a professional look that will not only satisfy your creative side but help you keep your discs organized. And with the advent of LightScribe drives and software, hand-labeled discs will seem even more anachronistic then ever. 
by Chris Jackson
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It's hard to envision a time we haven't used CDs and DVDs. In addition to delivering music and movies, these ubiquitous shiny discs have become an integral part of our computing experience. Whether you burn your own music playlists or distribute home movies on DVD, making your own discs has long since moved out of the lab and into your home. Now the final touch, professional-quality labeling for optical media, has arrived, as well. 
