Lightscribe issue with DVDs but not CDs

[Des]

I have a Samsung SH-S222L burner with lightscribe. I don;t use the LS feature often, but I have a client right now who wants that on 5 disks I am producing. I have probably burned about 50-100 labels in the past 2 years. I use Verbatim LS discs.

Last Thursday, I burned a label with no issues. Sunday, I opened up a new package of disks and it went through the process but no label was there after 26 minutes. Dug deeper into the cake of DVDs to try again and same problem.

As a test I used a Verbatim LS CD and a beautiful label was produced.
Figured the LS surface must be a bad batch.

Went back to the store, and decided to try Phillips lightscribe DVDs. Same issue as the Verbatim. Tried an LS CD again and again got a good label.

I am using Surething (vers. 4 I think) to create the labels. I have the latest LS drivers/control panel since June. No errors are thrown and the diagnostics show nothing. The drive and software both recognize that a Lightscribe DVD is in the drive.

Any thoughts, suggestions or hopeful solutions?

I do have a newer Samsung burner with lightscribe that I have yet to install; may do that tonight, but in theory, at least I think this drive is still good, no?

--dES

[mike20021969]

Strange one this, as the lightscribe surface would be the same for a cd or dvd.

See here for a similar problem (particularly post #10):
http://club.myce.com/f123/i-cant-burn-my-lightscribe-dvd-labels-217730/

[Des]

Thanks for the link mike20021969, I don't have PowerDVD, but I will check to see what background tasks may be running and shut them down. The only thing I can think of that has been updated since last week is Potplayer and Comodo, I'll check there as well.

--dES

[jman98]

Back in the day I used to be a big backer of Lightscribe when printers that could print directly to discs were something like $300. However, those days are LONG gone and honestly, you're a little bit nuts in my opinion to still be using this technology. But to be fair your customer is even crazier for paying you for doing it. I'm sorry but the reality is that you simply cannot get the kind of quality that ink jet printers offer with direct printing to discs. Even worse, EVERY Lightscribe drive I had (I used 3 different ones over about 3 years I guess) eventually developed weird problems. One wouldn't burn CDs at all but would burn DVDs. The other 2 stopped burning DVDs correctly but could burn CDs OK. Burning the Lightscribe side of it just got worse and worse on all 3. I've got Lightscribe discs from 3-4 years ago that have been protected from direct sunlight and stored under temperature controlled conditions and some of them are starting to fade very badly. Given how at best it took 20+ minutes to burn those labels, it really sucks to see those labels disappearing. And I only used Verbatim by the way.

Your drive is probably very close to the end of its useful life now. I read all the stuff that manufacturers say that claim that burning Lightscribe discs in no way shortens the lifespan of the burners, but my experience was that it did. I suspect that this is going to be your "weird problem" that your drive is going to give you and you may not ever get it resolved. I did some pretty good work with Lightscribe in the past but even my very best jobs are still inferior to printing with an ink jet printer to Taiyo Yuden's Watershield CD-Rs and DVD-Rs.

[fritzi93]

I have a Samsung burner (SH-S202N) that has occasionally done what yours is doing. Suddenly it just won't burn the label. A couple times a reboot fixed it, and a few more times I re-installed the LightScribe software, and that fixed it.

This started almost two years ago, and I thought the drive was on its last legs. But it keeps going. And from time to time, I have problems with LightScribe. Dunno what to tell you, maybe just coincidence.

I still burn LightScribe discs now and then, but not nearly as often now that I can do hub printables. When my supply runs out, I doubt I'll buy any more. They're okay if all you need is largish text, but fancy graphics stink with LS.

[Des]

...honestly, you're a little bit nuts in my opinion to still be using this technology. But to be fair your customer is even crazier for paying you for doing it.

Jman98, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time As always, I appreciate your candor.

And, you're right of course. Honestly I have no real opinion on the LS thing. There are some applications/artwork where I like the look, but definitely color inkjet has a much slicker and finished look over all.

I don't know why the client wants it we're just doing simple text, or how he knows about it. He described it as, "Where it's not a label but it's like part of the disk." And then the sample he showed me was Lightscribe.

I have a HP C5280 for printing on disks but it rarely seems to function when I need it. Another thing to deal with at another time, and in a different thread.

Will mess around with background programs and such in a little while and see what turns up.
fritzi93, I'll try uninstalling and re-installing the LS drivers, etc. and see if that helps too. Thanks!

--dES

[Des]

Well, no joy so far in finding the issue. No unusual background tasks or services running. Uninstalled PotPlayer and Handbrake which I had updated the day before the issue began. Disabled Comodo, and uninstalled and reinstalled the LS drivers and software.

Took Jman98's advice regaring the benefits of inkjet printers, and ordered an Epson Artisan 725 for $89 from Epson's site (with coupon code BTB15)

Used my wife's laptop to burn the remaining LS labels I needed.

Never had these problems before computers

--dES

[mike20021969]

Did you try with your newer Samsung mentioned at the bottom of post #1?

Are you using internal or external drive?

If it's an external, make sure you connect direct to the USB port and not via a USB hub - even so that wouldn't explain why cd labels burn and dvd labels don't.

[Des]

Did you try with your newer Samsung mentioned at the bottom of post #1?

I haven't yet, but I will try tonight. It's an internal drive, and I will you use it to replace a Pioneer 116D that is not LS in the tower.
The existing Samsung seems to be still reading and burning disks fine, except for LS DVDs of course

Will post how it goes.

--dES

[Des]

I installed the other burner I have a Samsung SH-S223L, I think it's the SATA version of the other LS drive. This one burns labels onto DVDs and CDs But the 222L still only burns labels onto CDs
Pretty messed up.
Well, I guess I am covered all around now, I can do LS labels on CDs, DVDs with one drive (for now??) and tomorrow my Epson should arrive so I can do proper color labels now too!

What a mess

--dES