Marking a DVD with a Sharpie

[saspgmr]

I know that the subject of using a Sharpie to mark a DVD has been discussed many times here, and with no definite answer as to whether it can or can't damage the DVD. But I borrowed some DVDs from the local library and they put some ID info on the DVD, using a Sharpie, but limiting the writing to the clear section near the hub. So I was wondering, even if the Sharpie can do something nasty the DVD what damage can it actually cause if the Sharpie is only used on that center part? The reason its important to me is that I print covers for the jewel cases but my kids tend to leave more than one DVD out of the case at the same time. If I could ID the DVD with no risk I wouldn't have to play the DVD to figure out which case to put it in.

Thanks for your responses

[JohnnyCNote]

I've never had a problem with it...

[curryman]

use a cd pen, available everywhere, and cheap now

[Gazorgan]

Sharpies can penetrate the carbonate layer and affect they dye. I have over 100 CDR's thus damaged. And yes, they are older than anyones DVDR's are.

[Treebeard]

Sharpies can penetrate the carbonate layer and affect they dye. I have over 100 CDR's thus damaged. And yes, they are older than anyones DVDR's are.

Doesnt this depend on the brand of DVD's your using? some dvd's have (like ritek) have a better top coat than cheapo discs. and if you write on the ones that have a printable surface isnt that acceptable. I use sharpies and have not had problems with any of my old cd-r's? I just started burning dvd's and use sharpies, I'd hate for them to get ruined.

[drewson99]

if you write on the core you have nothing to worry about.

[Alan69]

And with 2000+ posts you should well know that a CDR has little to do with a DVD from a top damage standpoint. It has almost no top protection in comparison to a DVD. I can take a soldering iron and write on a DVD top without messing it up, which would be stupid to do on a CDR, so what is the point of relating your CDR experience that clearly doesn't apply? And he clearly spelled out writing in the center only anyway.

Even if the Sharpie solvent can actually wick through the plastic, it's a fairly fast solvent and very unlikely to make it far before it starts drying and wicking back out. Plus the polycarbonate is fairly dense, doubt it noticably goes anywhere before it dries in the first place. I still keep my marking to the center ring from force of habbit with CDR's where it is a good idea, but that's from habbit not necessity. I wouldn't be afraid to put far worse solvents than in a sharpie on a DVD top, especially in such a thin quick drying layer. Can't hurt to stay in the center though. But from there it's hard to conceive of any real damage from just a Sharpie. I've got tons of CDR written in the center with no damage, and they're far more sensitive to topside damage.


Now that I think of it, I think I'll make a DVD torture test webpage. Things like how long will the top stand up to a blowtorch before it won't work, etc. That could be fun! Wonder how long it would take to damage one with my 30KV power supply? Most plastic is insulative enough it might even be a trick to do it at all. And of course soak them in every solvent imaginable till I find the worst possible combinations then mainly test for them.

Alan

[Gazorgan]

I've found exactly Zero difference between CDR and DVDR polycarbonates. In fact my RITEK G04's look like crap compared to any of the 12 brands of CDR I have.

Who said the disks had to be printed on? Quite a few people write on the plain clear plastic tops.

Now I've never soldered my DVDR's, I suppose I could mark them that way. I have seen a Sharpie eat thought to the dye layer. In fact I've tested it several times on coasters. With a little care you can peel a disk apart to test it. Takes awhile, and the fatter sharpies are better at it than the thin ones. Writ eon it. Let it sit say, a week, the carefully using a razor knife section the disk. With a magnifying glass look at how far the sharpie has gone into the disk.

[lordsmurf]

Sharpies can penetrate the carbonate layer and affect they dye. I have over 100 CDR's thus damaged. And yes, they are older than anyones DVDR's are.

This has never been proven to be anything more than old wives tale or urban legend.

CD has no plastic on top. Writing directly on surface of disc.

DVD has plastic on top. Not touching mechanics of disc.

I have always labeled all disc with Sharpie-brand markers. No problems to date. Some of my oldest CD-R are from 1996.

[indolikaa]

I myself prefer the 2" magic marker for labeling my discs.

[JohnnyCNote]

Sharpies can penetrate the carbonate layer and affect they dye. I have over 100 CDR's thus damaged. And yes, they are older than anyones DVDR's are.

This has never been proven to be anything more than old wives tale or urban legend.

CD has no plastic on top. Writing directly on surface of disc.

DVD has plastic on top. Not touching mechanics of disc.

I have always labeled all disc with Sharpie-brand markers. No problems to date. Some of my oldest CD-R are from 1996.

I'm inclined to agree. Even my oldest CD's going back to '97 still work fine. I'd be more leary of the stick-on labels than Sharpies. Speaking of labeling, I saw one of those new Epson R300 printers at CompUSA tonight, however I didn't see any sample disks. I'm very interested, however. The sample photos looked great.

I should add that I have 2 Shar Peis as well (I couldn't resist).

[quantum_red]

Internet forums are often a great source of disinformation. I've used Sharpies on over 300 DVD-R's of varying brands over the last year. Never had a problem. I used labels previously and never had a problem with those either, but I switched to Sharpies due to cost and convenience. Worry about the brand of disk, not how you label them.

[Lobe]

out of curiousity, how do you know they used a "Sharpie."
The water based Dixon Redi-Sharp's look exactly the same on most surfaces, as do many other markers sold specifically for labelling media.

Again, as you noted this has been discussed already many times. I feel much safer with the water based marker, and of course safer still if you only label the hub. But chemical reactions happen so who knows, as shown buy the whole CD disc rot thing. And that was with actual CDs reacting to the ink of the printed inserts!

So in 10 years anything I say or someone else could be proved wrong.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I've used Sharpies on hundreds of CD's and none have failed yet.CompUSA sells a hub labeler for $10USD: www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=297785&pfp=srch1&sid=3FECCB805EA2E17F

[Alan69]

Gaz I think you REALLY need to study what's in a DVDR vs a CDR. Even if a DVDR has a top coating layer for text that seems like a CDR, that is no where near its inner writing layer that is in the middle of the disc. You appear to have no idea that what you're saying is like saying writing on the bottom surface of a CDR is going to eat all the way through to the top. No, it's not. A DVD has probably a hundred times or more what's on a CDR protecting its writing layer.

You need to take a NON coaster DVDR, peel off and screw up that top text layer, and then realize that no the middle data layer hasn't been harmed just from that. It is simply not the recording surface like on a CDR.

Alan

[cim]

My Sharpie just ate a hole through my desk! Now it's just sitting on the floor growling at me... Oh, wait, that's not a Sharpie, it's not even a Shar Pei, it's a Miniature American Eskimo...

Anyways... I've used Sharpies on hundreds of CDR's since 1998 and well over 100 DVD's since last March. Not one problem. Oh, and I write across the entire surface of the "non-data" side. I just bought a Sharpie Industrial Super Permanent, Extra Fine Point. Dries very fast!

[smearbrick1]

I label my discs with a nitro-celluose laquer. A little smelly, and it takes about 3 days to dry... but effective.

If you search the forum for this topic, you will find the Gazorgan frequently answers this topic in the same way. Maybe his/her markers are more harsh than the Sharpies I buy. Maybe he/she has the new ultra special high defination high res sharpie marker that is based some sort of concrete etching compound.

I have been making cd's since 1998 - all marked with sharpies... the ones that aren't scratched all to hell play fine, and have not "rot".

I have been making dvd's (which do not even compare to CDrs) since 2002 (?) ... all marked with sharpies, and all them play fine.

Can we possibly see a scan of this "rotted" disc you speak of. I would be interested to see it.

Also, anyone who is sitting around prying dvd-rs apart to examine the seapage of a sharpie in the polycarbonate, has way to much f!#king time on his/her hands.

[handyguy]

Sharpie used to say not to use them to write on DVDs....

But today, sharpie.com sez:
Is the SHARPIE marker safe for writing on CD's?
Sanford has used SHARPIE markers on CDs for years and we have never experienced a problem. We do not believe that the SHARPIE ink can affect these CDs, however we have not performed any long-term laboratory testing to verify this. We have spoken to many major CD manufacturers about this issue. They use the SHARPIE markers on CDs internally as well, and do not believe that the SHARPIE ink will cause any harm to their products.

[Alan69]

And that's still CD's, not DVD's.

"
Also, anyone who is sitting around prying dvd-rs apart to examine the seapage of a sharpie in the polycarbonate, has way to much f!#king time on his/her hands.
"

That's just it, I don't think he's ever really done this. He's pulled of the top layer thinking that was the recording layer just like a CD. I don't think he's ever actually gotten the right idea and split the disc down the middle and actually pulled of the upper solid polycarb layer that's on a DVD. He's just never gotten that a DVD has a far different layer construction than a CDR, even though it's been said to him fairly often. His comment back that I was talking about some thin printing layer like that has anything to do with protecting the disc more reaffirms that idea, he just doesn't get that there's a solid 1/2 of a disc thickness over the real recording layer. That top layer is just there for printing since it's easy to do that part just like on a CD. He apparently hasn't gotten that just because there's a layer there doesn't mean it's the active recording layer on a DVD like it is on a CDR. Also seems he has never looked at the edge of a DVDR as suggested many times, you can easily see the layer in the very center of the solid disc just looking at them.

Done it myself on a CDR though, they just peel apart. Got to hunt up one of my few coaster DVDs just to see how hard it is to peel to the center, it'll probably look cool if I can get a perfect split.

Alan

[gmatov]

Alan,

If you can get a perfect split, I think you will find the true reason the top layer is on the DVD. Someone mentioned in another thread that some brands were more more easily flexed than the "good" brands.

Because 24 thou of polycarb is so damn flimsy they decided they had to add more plastic just to stiffen it up, and maybe because the disk wouldn't stand the speeds they calculated they would need to spin at when X rates went up.

If they could, they would have made them .024 to cut the material cost in half. Recording layer on top, just as with a CD-R, just a laquer coat.

They had to move the recording layer to .024 for the focal length of the laser.

I confess, I don't know what they are going to lok like when the Blu-ray comes out. Has to be focused closer yet to the bottom of the disk. Maybe 12 to 15 thou, 33 to 36 top, "protective", layer.

And, if you do split one, less cool, as it would just be one piece of plastic with a dull finished dye, perfectly smooth, and another piece of what looks like frosted plastic, the bottom layer, with, probably, some of the dye attached to it, also.

Ain't no way a Sharpie will eat thru a DVD, and, if the "laquer" the FAQ sites mention is actually a laquer, alcohol based Sharpies will not dissolve either the volatile vehicle, "laquer thinner", or, most likely, the water based "laquer". We used water based insulating paint in a plant I worked in, and, after it dried, one of the solvents I used, that would melt a plastic screwdriver handle off the shank in minutes wouldn't even get a blush on a soaking wet rag of it..

Non issue. Good for an argument, that's all.

Cheers,

george

[lordsmurf]

This forum sure has some interesting stuff sometimes. Why I come back to read on a regular basis. Always something new.

[redwudz]

Try a test. Take a good DVD and write on that sucker with a Sharpie until it's black all over (Not the data side). Do it again. Wait a week or two, then wash it off with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Play it after writing, play it after washing off. If it still works, draw you own conclusions. (I use Sharpies).

[lordsmurf]

Try a test. Take a good DVD and write on that sucker with a Sharpie until it's black all over (Not the data side). Do it again. Wait a week or two, then wash it off with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Play it after writing, play it after washing off. If it still works, draw you own conclusions. (I use Sharpies).

I did that years ago when I copied Metallica's black album. But I never washed it off. And it still works. Keep that one in the car, original in house stereo. In fact, it's been in the car for 5 years now, not a single problem, and it's felt heat of 150 F and cold of -10 F ... plays great.

[indolikaa]

redwudz wrote:
Try a test. Take a good DVD and write on that sucker with a Sharpie until it's black all over (Not the data side). Do it again. Wait a week or two, then wash it off with 99% isopropyl alcohol. Play it after writing, play it after washing off. If it still works, draw you own conclusions. (I use Sharpies).

lordsmurf wrote:
I did that years ago when I copied Metallica's black album. But I never washed it off. And it still works. Keep that one in the car, original in house stereo. In fact, it's been in the car for 5 years now, not a single problem, and it's felt heat of 150 F and cold of -10 F ... plays great.

You guys have WAY too much time on your hands. :P

.indolikaa.
Uses White-Out
On DVDs

[johns0]

I think anybody who replies here has too much time on their hands,even me??oh-oh!!
Sharpies for life 8) 8)

[gmatov]

Smurf,
You been saying you're glad to live in a warm climate (Texas ).

Where you gettin' this 10 below?

I'm kiddin'. This whole argment is getting to be a crappy line.

Why don't you guys just use chalk, or a code, such as 1 dot, 2 dots a dot and a dash, and just check your ledger to see what they mean.

That's the Morse code. Don't just scribble on the disk and say, Mine work.

Ah, poop, gotta go to bed.. Hope something better here tomorrow..

Cheers,

George

[lordsmurf]

Smurf, You been saying you're glad to8 live in a warm climate (Texas ). Where you gettin' this 10 below?

I think twice for a few days each in the past 5 years it's been that cold. Once, in an apartment that sucks, froze my ass off. Next time in a house, with a fire roaring, heat pumping and wearing sweaters.

CDs and DVDs are weird when they are very cold, and they play like shit. But they lasted. Extreme heat and extreme cold on cheap silver CD-R covered in Sharpie ink.

Only thing I have NOT done is left it is direct sunlight.

They are truly BACKUPS. If one goes bad, what do I care? I'll just make another one.

[redwudz]

Lordsmurf: I think the bigger problem here is that you have been listening to the same Metallica CD for five years. I would be afraid of brain damage. (Although I like Metallica). Rock on. Sharpies forever.

[lordsmurf]

Lordsmurf: I think the bigger problem here is that you have been listening to the same Metallica CD for five years. I would be afraid of brain damage. (Although I like Metallica). Rock on. Sharpies forever.

It's in a changer.