DVD labeling

[Big GSM]

This probably sounds like a kindergarten question, but I just finished transferring my first disc (home movie). What is the best way to label a disc without risk to the player/recorder?

[Tommyknocker]

And he tosses another match into the ol' gasoline tank. Let the debate begin! Here is my "shot across the bow". Surething hub labels!

[tyoneXXl]

Ok here is my shot I ordered some of these no-wobble DVD labels and they work, great super thin too. http://www.americal.com/ they are like 40.00 for 100 labels.

[mowgly10]

In my opinion, the only reliable system for DVDs is getting printable media and a printer like epson 900 to print right on them. I've tried all kinds of labels (even the little hub ones) and they all caused problems for me. Some people say they label their dvd's and have absolutely no problems so I guess it's probably the media and your standalones sensitivity. After seeing the results I get from my epson 900 printing on ritek printable dvd's, I can imagine ever dealing with labels again. The results are truly proffesional looking and the software and caddy system give you perfectly centered labeling every time.

[overloaded_ide]

I like to use my rotary tool and a diamond bit to engave the title on the top side, looks nice and pretty and sparkly

But I think I need to buy better quality disks, becuase these show to burn well, but they never work for some reason

Naw, seriousily, I am suffering from lack of sleep right now. I just use a Sharpie marker (felt tip pen) and write on mine. Lots of people report problems after using a label, but some say it works for them.

Those hub labels look nice and probably work well without problems. Haven't tried them myself yet.

Some say the thick CD labels cause problems, but thin mylars will work.
But then others say they have problems with those too.

You can get a disk printer for $200 (maybe $150) and use printable disks.

That probably somes up about 400 pages on the site about disk labels.

If you do a search for labeling disks you will find alot more info too.

[andkiich]

This is what I do, and is nothing more than another option to consider.

1. Go to office supply store/hobby store and get some plastic lettering templates(various sizes).
2. Buy some DVD/CD safe(or Sharpies - thin tips) markers.
3. Create letters using template.

[Big GSM]

Wow! Thanks for all the advise. I didn't realize there were so many creative options.

[overloaded_ide]

Yes depending your use and time you wish to put in on the project of labeling, there ARE creative ideas to be had!

DO NOT use MY idea of the rotory tool to engrave your disks! DO NOT!!
That WILL trash your disks, and maybe even a player for out of balance or if it shatters! That was only a joke of course about doing it!
Now I am sure no-one really would beleave I'd do such a thing, but I want to be sure!

Now some you could try if you want a nice looking logo on your disks!
Print a simple design that is easy to cut out into a stencil, then get multie colored Sharpies and stencil the logo onto the disks. Just place stencil on disk and color in cut out area! Then write the title on the disk.

I haven't done that yet, But I will let my duaghter do it. Like maybe a nice Gun logo for the shootem up movies! Maybe a sword for moives like Lord of the Ring, Three Muskateers? Ect..

Would be a quick way to Identifie the type of movie without reading all the titles as you scna through a stack looking for a certion one.
Just don't use any APPLES

Curious off topic question, Could the Beatles sue me if I used Strawberries for a logo? Or just if I use a logo of a Girl Named Sally standing in a Strawberry field?

[mkelley]

Yes, and since no one here has actually spoken *for* this option (although many have spoken of it) I'll say that I just go ahead and use CD/DVD normal labels from Neato.

Two years and hundreds of labels without one problem, playing back in a dozens of machines with a variety of makes and models. Nearly any newer machines have no problems with playing back labeled disks in any way. I've had many labeled disks I've played dozens of times, and some that have just "sat" in the machine, cycling nearly endlessly, over days. Obviously YMMV, but IMHO even if you have a problem with a labeled disk so what? I mean, these are backups, for Christ's sake. What's the big deal if you need to make another one?

Some folks have said they may ruin a machine and while I admit it's a possibility (although highly unlikely) I again say -- so what? With quality machines much less than $100 they are commodities that are replaced every few years anyway.

For me life is too short to worry about these things -- I need big labels, I need them easily, and I need them on disks I get on sale which aren't printable. It works great for me.

[overloaded_ide]

I think I'll give those a try just for the heck of it

Wallmart has an APEX 3 disk changer for about $69 I wanted to try out

I'll take a cheap disk I know works well, try it in the APex, if it works I'll stick a label on it and see if it still works. Then if I don't trash the Apex, I will put it in my Norcent and see if it still plays

If I trash the APex though, no problem! I have 30 or 90 days to take it back for a refund anyway

[Tommyknocker]

I really hope it works for you. That being said, I still kick myself when I think of the time back when I first started using the large labels. I thought I could go ahead and tape over my old tapes. Then one day, I was going to play back one of my wife's shopping trips I had filmed and transferred to a CD-R. You guessed it. I tried the othert disks I had labeled. The music ones survived most of the assault. The video ones were routed. I quickly went back and reviewed my old tapes. Too late. I had recorded over most of them, including my favorites.

[mkelley]

Ah... but excuse me, that's just crazy.

Forget labels -- what if you had scratched that DVD? Or broken it (one time one shattered on me as I *carefully* removed it from a case). Or it just stopped working? (Reports from CD aging tests now show these things don't last nearly as long as we thought -- it's quite possible DVDRs will fare even worse). Or a dozen other things that would require you to remake that DVD.

Rule of thumb is to *never* get rid of your source video: we've been following this for over 25 years now and it's saved our butts professionally and personally on more than one occasion. As technology changes (what heppens when you want to go to blueray?) it will always be important to work with the original.

Lessons for us all.

[Tommyknocker]

You are entitled to your own opinion. So, all my labeled video disks "just stopped working, became scratched, or were broken", and none of the unlabeled ones suffered such bad luck? I beg to differ. I was a newbie at the time, and yes, I broke a cardinal rule with taping over raw video. I know better now. I also know that large labels make good scratch paper, or for labeling anything other than my disks. Two simple truths I will always adhere to.

[mkelley]

No, you're missing my point (either on purpose or otherwise): I didn't say labels did not cause you problems, I said it was ridiculous to think that not putting labels on would grant you license to erase your originals.

Or, to put it another way, labeling a disk and then saying it was the cause of you losing precious memories is like buying a car and blaming it for taking you somewhere you didn't want to go. Labels don't work for you -- that's fine, and I don't disagree with the fact that putting labels on is risky TO THAT COPY. But it is NOT the risk that erasing your original material is, and as long as you have the originals putting labels on is no big deal if they cause problems.

It does sound now as if you aren't getting rid of your source, so I think you learned your lesson. But I would hope that any other people following this also learn: labels or not, do NOT ERASE YOUR SOURCE MATERIAL. Too many bad things can happen by following that path.

[RabidDog]

Ahh but what happens when you can no longer play back your original material eg in the computer world try and play back your 8 floppy disks or even 5.25" ones! everything decays, the more modern the media the faster it decays. We can still read papyrus from the pharoahs but books printed 20 years ago are unreadable. Don t trust CD's to last 10 years! dvd's who knows?

[mkelley]

That's a problem -- but you're mixing apples with oranges.

Digital media on some format that can go obsolute can *always* be transferred (while it's still readable :>) without loss. So, to take a more relevent example to this forum, if you are into digital photography (as I am) you'd better be backing up your images to many CDs (not just one) and perhaps DVD media as well, and when the next generation of media comes along you had better back up to that as well.

That's a perfect copy, with no loss, so it makes a lot of sense to keep a lot of backups on hand. Recording to videotape is more problematic, because there is nothing that can preserve the quality exactly when you are recording analog (digital is another matter).

In those cases it's a definite problem when, say, you are no longer able to find a beta machine to play your beta tape originals. We keep three or four beta machines we don't even use except for the purpose of transferring old footage as needed. They seldom get used, but are maintained well and treated like trusted old friends. I have no doubt we'll be able to keep at least ONE working for the next couple of decades (at which point I'll lose interest in what happens in the world :>)

So for people still recording analog, the rule stands: always keep your originals. For those putting their "originals" in digital format, the rule can be modified to: Make new "originals" in a perfect transfer to whatever the format de jour is. And, always make more than one "original". You never know.