Advice on choosing printable media...

Just wondering what the difference were in the printable media available. I was interested in the Taiyo Yuden media and saw that there was white inkjet hub, and white thermal hub.

Also wondering any differences between silver thermal lacquer and silver lacquer media.

I want to be able to print pictures and not put any labels on them and was just wondering what type of media and with what type of printer you have had the most success with.

If this has been discussed many times just point me to the links.

Originally Posted by Fandim

Thermal printables are for thermal printers only. Since you're printing pictures, you're definately going to want inkjet. (Epson R200 and R300 are the most popular. R800 is better, but several hundred $ more.)
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If all you want to do is print DVDs, then the R800 is overkill. The main advantage of the R800 is the pigment inks it uses; pigment ink is much more resistant to fading than dye ink. This doesn't really mean much for printed discs, unless they are going to be put out on display where the sunlight can hit them.

The extra "colors" in the R800 (the 'other' black and gloss optimizer) aren't used on discs. There are other neat little features, like firewire, auto-alignment (when changing ink cartridges), edge-to-edge printing, etc.

Having said that, I do love my R800. Discs are georgous and photos come out great. The only downside are the ink cartridges. I haven't seen a single retail store with them in stock; you'll have to order them online.

I thought pigment ink don't adhere to the surface of the printable discs as well as dye ink?

Spiffy

Originally Posted by spiffy

I thought pigment ink don't adhere to the surface of the printable discs as well as dye ink?

I think you're right, but I don't have a dye ink printer to compare with. I have noticed that if I rub a disc back and forth with my finger, some ink does come off. However, in everyday handling of my discs, it hasn't become a problem yet. Playing the discs at high speed (8x+) does not cause any smearing or distortion, and no ink has flown off into my players.

If it ever does become a problem, I can always use a spray on sealant to protect the disc. If I ever get a hold of an R200, I'll run some tests. I suspect that even with dye ink, some ink will rub off if you try.

Now, one thing that is definately problematic is water, but I've heard the same complaint with dye ink printers.

other then the dvd lamination machine from Primera(i believe) The r800 when it comes to dvds arent water/smudge resistant. A buddy of mine printed some on his r800 waited a couple of days then did the finger test and it still smudges. for now i just use my r200 and spray with Patricia Nimocks clear acrylic sealer. (got it from either wallmart or kmart)

I use Tayo's inkjet hub printable, let's you print almost to the center, gives you a nicer finish. I also use the Epson R200, depending on where you live, it will be the only CD/DVD disc printer available ( there is a Canon (i865 i think) model but it's not available to the US or Canada ) Gives great results.

Thermals are for use with a thermal printer, and that's big $$$$$.

Hope this helps