Using Ink to ID Discs

[kae]

Has anyone experienced any bad effects from using say a Sharpie marking pen to write on DVD discs? I was wondering if the opacity of the disc would allow the writing to bleed through and cause reader problems. Thanks.

[Gazorgan]

I have dead CDR's from Sharpie markers. Less than 3 years old too!

[Bodene]

DVD discs are made differently than CDR's. The CDR's top layer is the layer that gets written, so using a sharpie can damage it over time. However, all the data I've seen sez that dvdr's are ok to write on using a sharpie, since the layer that gets written is sandwiched betwixt 2 layers of plastic. That's what I use to label my backups, and peeps I know that have been burning DVD's for a year or two report that it's how they do it also.

[gmatov]

If a Sharpie is going to destroy a CD, it's going to happen "right now"while the volatiles are still able to penetrate the coating, whether laquer or whatever.

Actually, as the recording layer is a super thin layer of ddeposited aluminum that has a dye on it, I do not think the ink will reach the dye layer.

I also have CD-Rs that are no good, but some are painted such as AT&T, and the Sharpie did not eat through the paint.

Cheers

George

[Bodene]

If a Sharpie is going to destroy a CD, it's going to happen "right now"while the volatiles are still able to penetrate the coating, whether laquer or whatever.

Not necessarily. The chemicals in the sharpie ink can, over time, work their way into the surface, causing damage to the recorded layer days, weeks, or months later. This is pretty much common knowledge. Nuff sed.

[Curt]

I have hundreds of CD-Rs that date back to 1997 and were labeled with a sharpie marker. More than 20 different disk brands. Some brand marked, some white printable backed, and some unbranded. To the best of my knowledge, not a single one has been damaged by the marker. I have several that have degraded over time, and the coating or laminate starts to flake off. Most of these *still* work, but look bad. The couple of discs that actually have gone bad didn't go bad where they were marked. They developed small spots in the dye that look like little water droplets.

Curt

[gmatov]

Bodene,

Horse Puckey.

You think some alcohol based ink is going to linger for months? Common knowledge? That's another name for "Old wive's tale". "Well, everybody knows THAT". HA HA.

[Craig Tucker]

If a Sharpie is going to destroy a CD, it's going to happen "right now"while the volatiles are still able to penetrate the coating, whether laquer or whatever.

Not necessarily. The chemicals in the sharpie ink can, over time, work their way into the surface, causing damage to the recorded layer days, weeks, or months later. This is pretty much common knowledge. Nuff sed.

The recordable layer of a DVD is sandwiched between 0.6mm thick layers of polycarbonate, and not on the surface as is with CDR's. So there is no way that writing on a DVD with a sharpie could damage the recordable layer.