Hub printable surfaces: "shiny vs. "rough"

[boomer1027]

Has anyone else noticed this? Some H.P. surfaces (e.g. TY, Optodisc) have a kinda rough textured surface that doesn't take ink very well. The ink dries without any problem, but the overall look of the printed disc is flat and not bright at all.

But some other discs I've printed on (e.g. Longten) have a clean shiny surface that takes ink really well. These discs have a very crisp bright look after they've been printed.

I've fiddled around with my R200 settings, and I've concluded that it's not the printer's fault. There just seems to be noticable differences between different disc brands.

[p_l]

How about Verbatims: shiny or rough?

[boomer1027]

Haven't tried the Verbatims ... anyone?

[SCDVD]

This has been an age-old problem for the media manufacturers. Since their inkjet printable media must be designed to work with a variety of printers, this creates the problem. Printers that use the Lexmark printer engine such as the Primera printers have ink that requires a more absorbent printable surface. The more absorbent surface is unavoidably rougher. The ink used in Epson based printers performs well even when the surface is somewhat less absorbent. These discs have the advantage of being smoother and yield better looking discs with higher resolution. So the media makers dilemma - Make it too smooth and some users complain that the ink smears or never dries. - Make it too absorbent (rougher surface) and others complain that the resolution isn't good enough.

[boomer1027]

Ah! Good post scdvd!

So am I right in concluding that the R200 suffers from a lower resolution rate in order to achieve the better absorption? Based on my prints on various different disc types, I think I would rather have the higher resolution / shinier prints.

Can anyone suggest a media type that produces clean, shiny prints?

[SCDVD]

I have found that Ritek and Prodisc print with better resolution. The print quality of the R200 is terrific. Might as well take advantage of it.