Who really believes labels ruins your DVDs?????

[kirpen]

I would always ruin my cdrs by not putting the label on right. Thats why I stick to sharpies. The paper lables will come unstuck one day.

[macleod]

I believe that there is at least some truth to labeling "ruining" a dvd (this is supported by a greater than 1 person saying it does).

Me personally, I wasn't looking to use labeling on my backups anyway (I'm a sharpie guy), because I dont care how the dvd physically looks as it is in a case for x period of time and then in the player for X period of time.

When I got into converting peoples' vhs home movies to dvd, however, I saw a business need to economically create a more professional look over scribbling on the dvd. Taking other peoples' experience, I elected not to go with full blown labels. I was in Compusa awhile back and saw that they had hub labelers ($10 for 58 pack). Did some research and learned that this would accomplish my goal and have been using them with no complaints

So others can benefit from my experience, I never could find them at Bust buy, Fry's, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, etc. The ONLY place I found them was at Compusa. I would really recommend getting the hubs over the labels.

[glenrey]

No problems yet with my labled DVD's.

[goirish!!]

When I got into converting peoples' vhs home movies to dvd, however, I saw a business need to economically create a more professional look over scribbling on the dvd. Taking other peoples' experience, I elected not to go with full blown labels. I was in Compusa awhile back and saw that they had hub labelers ($10 for 58 pack). Did some research and learned that this would accomplish my goal and have been using them with no complaints

I would be VERY interested in the hub label as an alternative to my current issue. What software are you using for these? I am going to look on Compusa's site for these.

[LeoNapier]

I had probs with labels on Samsung -r media from a couple yrs ago. DVD skipping, freezing etc.
I came to realise that the media itself waz unevenly painted on the top surface with some crappy Samsung logo thingy and as a result the label was coming off causing playback probs.
No probs with the exact same media marked with a sharpie.
Also no probs (yet!) with labels on evenly painted media.

LeoNapier

[dicktheprick]

the difference between putting a label on a CD and on to a DVD is that the recording layer on a CD-R is on the very top of the disk, a DVD has the dye sandwiched between two platic layers, so there is no way a label could effect the playablity of the DVD. I could see how a label could change the balance of the disk, but ive labeled over 200 disks and havent had a single problem. most of the non playable DVD can be associated with bad media.

[goirish!!]

the difference between putting a label on a CD and on to a DVD is that the recording layer on a CD-R is on the very top of the disk, a DVD has the dye sandwiched between two platic layers, so there is no way a label could effect the playablity of the DVD. I could see how a label could change the balance of the disk, but ive labeled over 200 disks and havent had a single problem. most of the non playable DVD can be associated with bad media.

I guess I'm at a loss for your point. If the balance is effected by a label, then the playability can and will be effected as well. I disagree that most of the problems can be associated with bad media. Ritek are accepted as some of, if not the best DVD on the market. My failure rate for non-labeled Ritek is next to none where as labeled Ritek will from time to time have failures. (same lot, same spindle, same project being burned)

I believe it is more a combination of factors more than any one variable. I have seen labeled media work perfectly on one stand alone but fail on another. The very same stand alone that had never seen a problem with a labeled DVD may all of the sudden simply refuse to play a particular project. Take that same DVD to another stand alone and it may run perfectly.

As I had mentioned earlier I have been in contact with Memorex R&D and they acknowledge seeing the same problem in their labs but are unable to reproduce with any level of confidence. They have a theory on the thermo dynamic effects the laser has on a disk as it spins and how this may cause balance issues. We also discussed the issue of perfect centering of the label and lastly how any trapped air, no matter how small or unseen, can cause expansion through heat thus throwing off balance.

In other words, lots of engineering theories but none they can prove out.

[Gazorgan]

Sharpies are worse than lables. Tehy litterally eat through the plastic into the dye area. I only use them on the inner ring, unless the disk is silkscreened.

[macleod]

I would be VERY interested in the hub label as an alternative to my current issue. What software are you using for these? I am going to look on Compusa's site for these.

Actually, the labels that I buy ALREADY have the software included AND an applicator to put the DVD on.

It is foolproof for attaching the hub labels to the dvdr and getting it right the first time.

Its in the $10 range for 58 or 64 of them. The software that comes with it is super easy to use. It even lets you pick which hub on the sheet you want to print and if you want to print more than 1 copy. [/quote]

[GKar]

I peeled the labels off some disks that had problems and the DVD played fine. It was because I didn't center the label properly.

[i am x]

I was curious, how long did it take to get your English degree? I was just wondering because I am cosidering persuing that
field.Caio

Then you might wanna start with spelling "persuing" correctly.

P-U-R-S-U-I-N-G

[goirish!!]

Its in the $10 range for 58 or 64 of them. The software that comes with it is super easy to use. It even lets you pick which hub on the sheet you want to print and if you want to print more than 1 copy.

Thanks, that was what I'm looking for.

BTW - If you goto http://www.surething.com/ST/Product.asp?ProdCode=20006 you can get 260 of these for $9.80 (my shipping area).

Based on what they are charging for the software on the site I'll prob order from Compusa to get the label and software package and then goto the manufacturer site to buy refills.

Thanks

[overloaded_ide]

I don't have any experie3nce with labels on DVD, but I had a Panasonic E50 DVD settop recorder!

Play a 2 Hour DVD and it comes out of the player very warm! Leave it in over night like the wife and kid have done and it comes out VERY HOT for a disk! SO I truely beleave that can not be good for the glue on a labeled disk!!! Also add to the fact the label will most likely cause the disk to hold more heat and get even hotter. I decided not to take the chance of a hot disk losing a label and destroying a player and built a Lexmark mod disk printer as shown in the guide on this site. I love it!

No matter how you figure it, printable disks and a few drops of ink are cheaper than labels! Build it right and make a good disk caddy and the results are great, faster and easier than labels too. For $19 plus tax for a lexmark Z23 at wallmart, alittle time, and a couple dollars for a caddie, you really can't beat it

I'm only using ritek disks now, printables. They are not that much higher than standard disks, maybe $20 per hundred more for printables. Maybe less. I would be paying nearly that much for labels, worring about posible problems, and having the extra time to apllie the lable. Maybe mess up a few like when they fold over and stick to themselfs, happend a few times for cds and had to trash the label.

Mod the printer to take full 8.5 wide sheets and then make a caddie to hold 2 disks like a fellows label sheet. Then any program that prints fellows labels will be set up for your disks

Easy as making labels to print directly to the disk then
I made a 1 disk caddie this way last night and it worked great on the 4 disks I printed.

Use the printer mod guide as a guide for making the printer print disks, then mod that to be a full 8.5 wide printer (just lager cuts really)

[irvie]

A lil Off Topic but anyone knows where to find DVD labels on the net?

Thanks!

[vtecwil]

Gazorgan wrote , " Sharpies are worse than lables. Tehy litterally eat through the plastic into the dye area. I only use them on the inner ring, unless the disk is silkscreened. " . I have hundreds of burned DVD discs all labeled with sharpies and none have failed so far . The oldest of these discs is about eight months . I have used this method on several different brands of discs including plain silver topped Ritek GO3 ' s . The disc manufacturers even recomend this method of labeling . Please tell me the theory behind your views that sharpie ink eats through the 0.6 mm thick layer of polycarbonate and destroys the foil recording layer of a DVDR .

[crusty]

From experience sticky labels suck.. since i have been printing direct to the disk i have not had one failure.

[irvie]

From experience sticky labels suck.. since i have been printing direct to the disk i have not had one failure.

Wow! How do you do that? What do I need to be able to print label directly to the discs?

[presto]

I peeled the labels off some disks that had problems and the DVD played fine. It was because I didn't center the label properly.

What brand of player do you have? It is a heck of a lot more sensative than my cheap Apex. As I mentioned in my previous post I cut a circular label in half and applied only one half and the DVD played fine.

[crusty]

Look here : http://www.nextag.com/Casio_CD_Title_Printer~55412394z0znzz3z1zzcasio_cd_printerzmainz1-htm

[macleod]

goirish,

thanks for that information. I was willing to pay the $10 for 58 or 64 of them, but am even more willing to pay $10 for 260 of them .

God bless the internet!!!!!!

[pbanders]

Gazorgan wrote , " Sharpies are worse than lables. Tehy litterally eat through the plastic into the dye area. I only use them on the inner ring, unless the disk is silkscreened. " . I have hundreds of burned DVD discs all labeled with sharpies and none have failed so far . The oldest of these discs is about eight months . I have used this method on several different brands of discs including plain silver topped Ritek GO3 ' s . The disc manufacturers even recomend this method of labeling . Please tell me the theory behind your views that sharpie ink eats through the 0.6 mm thick layer of polycarbonate and destroys the foil recording layer of a DVDR .

I, too, would love to hear the "why". It seems that when people are using a Sharpie, and they have a read problem, then they blame the Sharpie, when anyone who has burned discs for a while knows, there are LOTS of reasons other than labeling as to why you might have a read problem.

I have seen no evidence from my own experience, nor have I seen any reasonable explanation, based on facts and not conjecture, as to why using a blunt-tipped Sharpie to write on a disc will affect its playback. I also haven't heard from anyone else who has tried my suggestion - using a Brother TZ labeler, with it's film-type labels - who has encountered any problems with playback or peeling of the labels in normal use.

[overloaded_ide]

Wow! How do you do that? What do I need to be able to print label directly to the discs?

You haven't heard of disk printers?
If you want to print to cheapo generic or even good normal disks like gloss tops there are several printers that will do that. There is one that prints just titles in a little strip and another that will print an entire disk, I think those types are a thermal printer and use a ribbon type cartrig and do only one color though you have several colors you can buy.

Other choice is an inkjet disk printer and buy printable disks. Cost a little more for the disks but you can do professional full color full disks if you want and the refills for an inkjet cost a heck of alot less than the ribbons for the other type printer. Also you can refill an inkjet cartrig very cheaply too!

If you don't want to spend $150 or more for a real printer ready to run, then read my earlier post here (you must have skipped over that one if your surprised you can print on a disk). I turned a cheap Lexmark Z25 ($35 at wallmart) into a disk printer with very common cheap tools (screwdriver, file, knife hacksaw or rotory tool etc..) using the guide posted on this site by The Village Idiot. Do a little extra moding and playing around with it and see what you can do. The Z23 lexmark is exactly the same printer inside as far as modding and only costs $19 at wallmart! Cheapest high quality disk printer you will ever build
Since this is an inkjet printer you will need to use inkjet printable disks. Considering the profesional results the extra few cents per disk is well worth the cost! I test print on Printable CDs to make sure everything is working correctly and caddie alingment is correct, then if I want I can also put a label over the printed CD latter. Also I use junk glosstop DVDs for testing, the printing wipes off but it will show if the caddie is linged up and eveything working correctly, then clean disk and use coaster again latter

As for sharpies and markers I use those all the time on cheap gloss tops I bought before I started printing my disks. Never had a problem and none of them ever ate into a disk! Soft tipped or fine point when I can't find the others. Get a 4 or 5 pack of colored disk markers for a couple bucks. Should be safe, they are made for disks supposedly. I don't use the stinky permantant type though, since the smell so bad like a solvent anyway I might think those could eat a disk although I dought it. I have used them on other plastics and acrylics with no damage visable, though it wasn't disks.

Hub labels would be a nice option for those wanting to use cheap disks and not wanting to use a thermal printer if they work as well as several people have said. I never heard of anyone so far saying those caused problems. I will probably get some myself for the disks I already burned. Plus I still have alot of gloss tops I am using for other peoples camcorder conversions when I do freebies. I have to get rid of those disks somehow
And if I am doing the work free they shouldn't complian if I don't print the disks

As for normal full disk labels, I would never trust them myself. Even if they worked perfect I am sure sooner or latter with all the heating and cooling disks may go through durring play that the glue will give out. It would be my luck it would be in the best and most expensive player I ever buy myself! At least with the hub labels I would feel safer since they are under a clamp holding the disk and can't flop around inside the player like a full disk if they ever come loose.

[Tommyknocker]

For those of you who believe labels do not hurt disks, what's causing this?

[presto]

For those of you who believe labels do not hurt disks, what's causing this?

For all we know, he put the label on the wrong side.

[Tommyknocker]

"There are none so blind as those who will not see." (The italics are mine.)

[johns0]

I tried printing one of my discs with the printer and it made a hell of a racket going thru.

[tweedledee]

[quote="presto"]I read where some said that if the label was applied a little off center it would introduce wobble and cause the DVD not to play. As an experiment I cut a label in half and applied it to a DVD. It played fine all the way through a two hour movie. quote]

This is a bit like saying "I put my car tires out of alignment, drove around the block and they were okay." I believe CONTINUED use of a maligned label will damage the bearings on the drive as they spin at high speed.
It's not going to happen in one day.

[presto]

This is a bit like saying "I put my car tires out of alignment, drove around the block and they were okay." I believe CONTINUED use of a maligned label will damage the bearings on the drive as they spin at high speed.
It's not going to happen in one day.

If an out of alignment sticker damages a DVD drive then removing the sticker wouldn't fix the drive. Many people ARE claiming that a slightly out of alignment sticker will cause a DVD not to play at all. I was curious to see if DVD players are really that delicate. I agree that playing a very out of balance disk often might damage the drive but I think the idea that a label that is "slightly" out of alignment is going to cause a DVD not to play is an urban legend.

(Remember, I'm talking about labels that are applied with an alignment tool but because of a little play in the hub might be a tiny bit off)

[johns0]

Before that happens dvd/cd`s that have wobble in them to begin with will do more damage then that,why do you think some cd/dvd`s freeze and stutter(not counting bad burns)?

[Roll Tide]

www.surething.com for hub labels. They work well, but I still prefer the inkjet printable route. I've seen way too many reports of problems on here about full face labels to risk using them.