Does anyone here print CD or DVD inkjet labels directly?

[Andy Axnot]

I thought about this a few years ago and pretty much decided it wasn't worth the trouble or cost, but two friends separately asked me about this recently and renewed my interest.  I said I would look into it.

What they and I would like to do is use an inkjet printer to directly print labels on white surfaced CD or DVD discs sold for this purpose.  The result is a "professional" looking label with color and much better contrast and readability than lightscribe discs.  I'm not talking about paper labels that are applied to the disc.

Not all inkjet printers can accommodate CDs, and it wasn't easy to find affordable printers that do.  There are special purpose printers that are primarily designed for this purpose that are simply beyond our reach, but I was able to find a few that are affordable enough.  Two I found were the Epson Artisan 725 and 835, both All-in-ones.  These seem to be available discounted to $150 or $250 USD.

I don't currently have an inkjet because I print irregularly, occasionally quite a bit then nothing for quite a while.  So I have bought monochrome lasers, a Samsung and a Brother, both of which print fine and don't mind going a month or more between uses.

Anyway, does anyone here print CD/DVD labels directly?  If so, do you have any recommendations for printer, discs, or software?  Among us we think we would be printing about 100 to 300 discs or so.  I would prefer doing this in Linux, of course, but I know it might not be possible.

Cost is, as always, a consideration.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Andy

[gandy]

There was a thread about this a long time ago it's probably gone now. If I remember correctly Epson is the only co that makes these printers. I think they own the license to the technology.

I think the general consensus was that it could be done with a standard graphics app by manipulating the position of the image. I don't know if anyone actually had any success with it. The thread kinda died out.

Amazon has the Epson Artisan 725 for $111.

http://www.amazon.com/Epson-Artisan-Color-Inkjet-C11CA74201/dp/B003XDU8O4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306620187&sr=8-1

[The Chief]

The cost and rarity of the printers (and the printable CDs) pushed me into LightScribe.  Of course, it's monochrome but I guarantee you it won't wash or wear off.  Don't know if you can say the same about the ink jet labels...

An external LightScribe capable CD/DVD recorder was considerably less than the printers (at the time) and I needed one anyway.

[T6]

cd? dvd?  printer?

what are you talking about???      

[Andy Axnot]

Thanks for the suggestions!

It's not just Epson that makes printers that can handle CDs and DVDs.  HP also does, and probably other companies as well.  Epson does seem to make the most.

I have, and occasionally use, a Lightscribe burner.  It's OK and certainly quite smudge proof   
but not anywhere near as attractive as inkjet direct printed labels.  I have seen examples online at product websites for printers and software and they look great.  Whatever you can print on paper you can print on a disc, allowing for its shape, and the hole in the middle, of course. 

I have only handled one such printed DVD and that was a five dollar pirated DVD being sold by a street vendor some years ago.  I was very impressed with the label but quickly found out it was  NOT  waterproof or smudge proof.  Definitely not good for someone curious who had sweaty hands.  I felt obligated to buy the disc after smudging the label.      

But it depends on the ink and the disc.  One customer review on NewEgg was very definite that his discs were quite waterproof and that he had put them to the test.  OTOH, a few years ago, when I first looked into this, I read one user recommend spraying the printed disc with a clear aerosol coating available in stationery stores for permanence.  This is why I was hoping someone with actual experience could comment.  I have done online research, but I still have questions.   

Andy

[T6]

5 dollars?!?!?

hah, here each pirated disc is 75 cents or less    and the qulity is usually dvd9 to dvd5

the weird thing is that i don't watch movies on dvd anymore, my dvd player is just collecting dust for more than a year

if i don't go to the movie theater i don't watch it 

[Andy Axnot]

5 dollars?!?!?

hah, here each pirated disc is 75 cents or less    and the qulity is usually dvd9 to dvd5
...

That's exactly what it was.  He probably spent more on the label than on burning the disc.

Andy

[gandy]

I was looking at the Page Setup section in the print dialog box for my HP Photosmart P1000 printer. In the paper size selection area, it does give the option for 3" CD, 5" CD and Custom. My Epson Stylus Color CX8400 shows the same option.

I don't know if that means anything but it looks encouraging. My printers have no capability to print on CDs but, if you have the correct model, it might work. 

[Wildman]

Epson RX680 or the Artisan 810 works well..

[Andy Axnot]

Epson RX680 or the Artisan 810 works well..

This sounds like the voice of experience.   

Any thoughts on the durability of the finished product?  That is, do they smudge easily or run in the humid summer months, that sort of thing?  And can they be done in Linux?

Any info appreciated.

Andy

[T6]

"That's exactly what it was.  He probably spent more on the label than on burning the disc"

this is why printers capable of print on cds are not popular, the cost

this is why i wrote my first reply here

[Wildman]

Epson RX680 or the Artisan 810 works well..

This sounds like the voice of experience.  

Any thoughts on the durability of the finished product?  That is, do they smudge easily or run in the humid summer months, that sort of thing?  And can they be done in Linux?

Any info appreciated.

Andy

So far durability is in the good range, no smudging or humidity runs. Color and application of ink is excellent. I haven't tried a disk print in Linux, (lazy),
I run XP in a virtual desktop so I can use the Epson software. Also T6 is correct about the cost. Factory ink pks are 20$ ea. I use Print Pal inks, 9$ ea.

Hp makes good printers also, I don'tt use them but they are Linux friendly. Might want to check them out as well.

[Andy Axnot]

So far durability is in the good range, no smudging or humidity runs. Color and application of ink is excellent. I haven't tried a disk print in Linux, (lazy),
I run XP in a virtual desktop so I can use the Epson software. Also T6 is correct about the cost. Factory ink pks are 20$ ea. I use Print Pal inks, 9$ ea.

Hp makes good printers also, I don'tt use them but they are Linux friendly. Might want to check them out as well.

OK, Mike, thanks for the information.  I think I'm going to give this a shot, though I have a few other things to take care of first.

Andy

[Wildman]

Your welcome, hope it helps and does well for you. When you get ready to buy take a look here, sometimes you can get a good buy, and with a 20$ warranty you get the same as retail.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/BuyEpson/ccProductCategory.jsp?oid=-13262

[Andy Axnot]

Thanks again Mike!

Andy