Thermal Printing ?

[hockeytown9321]

Forgive me if this is a stupid auestion, but I searched thru the archives and couldn't find a clear answer. Does a thermal printer work for any media or is it necessary to buy the special printable discs. I know for the inkjets the ink will not stay if its not a printable disc.

[OldAmateur]

My experience is limited to the Casio disk label printer, which uses a single-color thermal-ink ribbon. That one works just fine on "ordinary" CD and DVD media, preferably glossy or semi-gloss with no manufacturer's label or other "printing" that would present an uneven surface.

I have had good results with TDK and Sony 8X DVD-R blanks -- the kind that CompUSA and Best Buy have on sale frequently. They have some trademark labeling, but it's limited to small areas which do not overlap the areas where the Casio printer works.

I'm guessing that the more elaborate thermal printers operate in the same basic way, and will work on pretty much any disk with a "normal" smooth surface.