Where can I find super high quality DVD disc labels????

[Ausar]

Hello everyone, i'm a newbie and Ive been burning for about 4 months now. I currently use CD Stomper brand labels but I want higher quality disc labels. I use an HP printer (HP deskjet 5550) and a Plextor PX - 708UF burnerand I use Memorex 4x DVD-R discs. The disc label quality I am looking for is that of a retail DVD. When I make backups of my store bought DVDs, I like to label them. CD STomper labels are okay but they have a faded look to them. Is it my printer or the labels. Does label thickness play a part? (Thick labels vs. Thin labels) I notice that retail DVD disc labels are super thin and the ink is super sharp. I would be willing to get a new printer if necessary. I just like my stuff to be high quality, plus it's a fun project for me to do whan i'm bored. Any recomendations are greatly appreciated.


ps-I did a forum search and could not find the answer that I was looking for.

[Ausar]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I use Surething CD Labeler software (I think it's great!) And I retouch some images in photoshop, ie. brightness, sharpness, etc, nothing too serious.

[SLK001]

Drop the idea of labels, and get yourself a CD/DVD printer (they are fairly cheap - look at the new Epsons), plus the quality that they can produce is supurb. Labels have been known to cause playback problems. There is a thread going around here for the last year about playback probs with labels.

Anyway, commercial DVDs don't even have a label. The artwork you see is screened on the disk at the manufacturer.

[Ausar]

Hey SLK001, thanks for the reply!! I didn't even know that they even made those types of printers! I will try and do a google search for some. Also, the labels on retail DVDs are labels. A machine places them super fast. I just wanna know where do the manufacturers get those labels, how much are they, can someone like you or me purchase them, and are they pre printed, or manufactured as blanks then printed, then applied. Thanks for your advice though.

[SLK001]

Also, the labels on retail DVDs are labels. A machine places them super fast.

Don't think so (at least, I have never see a commercial DVD with a "common" label). Why would they even want to do this with a label, especially when the silkscreening process is much cheaper (and usually comes with the pressing) and with all the playability issues with the stick-on labels. Maybe if the original label was miss-printed or wrong.

Read the threads here on the Epson R300 (?) and the Epson 900 printers. These (and others) do a fantastic job of directly printing on the disk.

[Ausar]

I stand corrected! Thanks again for the advice! I will search for those now. Can someone like you or me buy a silkscreening printer? How much? Please forgive me for the newbie type questions, just trying to understand things, thats all.

[Bob W]

I stand corrected! Thanks again for the advice! I will search for those now. Can someone like you or me buy a silkscreening printer? How much? Please forgive me for the newbie type questions, just trying to understand things, thats all.

Doing silkscreening at home is not an easy task and why do that when for less than $200 you can buy an Epson printer that will print directly to injet printable DVDR's.

[SLK001]

Can someone like you or me buy a silkscreening printer?

Well, not silkscreening printer (mucho $$$). But check out Epson's website. They have some disks printers for not too much. I have the Epson Photo 900 that I got for $169.00.

[Kolosus]

You're much better off with the printers SLK001 is suggesting.
Silk screening you're own DVD's is an expense you don't even want to
think about unless you've got plenty of money and time to waste.
And labels are a risky business as well. You'll win some. You'll lose some.
Regards.

[HeXeDOSOK]

I'm currently using the Epson R300 (however I heard their R800 is coming out this month). I paid 179.99 for it. The photo quality is unbelievable..on glossy I can barely tell it was printed. And the CD/DVD writing is excellent as well. You need to make sure you get good quality printable tops..I made the mistake of getting 100 printable top USDM DVD's..and they came out very blurry..and didn't hold much ink at all.

I recently got a 100 spindle of Memorex Printable tops.. To get an idea of the kind of print quality you can get with these printers and some good printable media..go here:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=195628&highlight=print+scan

This thread shows an actual scan of the print job on top of the printable media.. Some of them are awesome.. I hear BeAll, Memorex, and Ritek are some great print tops. currently use Memorex and love the way the prints come out.

[klsparrow]

Try the Epson photo R300. The local store had three left for $179. It seemed everyone on the web was sold out.

klsparrow