Labeling DVDs--Cheap

[solarblast]

I would not like to label DVDs by hand (pen) or with sticky labels. I know there are printers that will do the job, but I don't want to buy a multi-purpose printer that has the feature included. Is there an inexpensive printer that only handles DVD labels by printing them directly to the DVD?

[gshelley61]

Thermal CD/DVD printing units are pretty inexpensive...

http://www.supermediastore.com/casio-cw-100-cd-dvd-label-printer-cw100-disc-title-printer.html

http://www.supermediastore.com/u-print-cdp78-cd-dvd-printer.html

http://www.supermediastore.com/casio-cw-k85-cd-dvd-label-printer-cw-k85-disc-title-printer.html

[jman98]

Thermal printers are probably your easiest choice. I'm not saying that it's better, but if you're interested in making labels that are more than just simple text, buying a Lightscribe burner drive and Lightscribe discs is another option. You can get some info at
http://www.lightscribe.com
You can do things like scan labels from CDs or DVDs and burn them to Lightscribe discs. You can create your own labels. It takes some time, but it's not that hard. I recently recorded a very old LP I have that has never (and probably never will) come out on CD and I scanned the record label and used that as the basis for a really cool new Lightscribe label for the CD.

If you decide to go with Lightscribe, I strongly recommend using Verbatim Lightscribe discs. I've had to start mail ordering them because BestBuy in my city is not doing a good job of keeping them in stock.

Having said all this, if you are OK with simple text labels, thermal printing is the way to go, but I wanted to give you a choice in case you didn't know about Lightscribe and might be interested. There's even one more possibility - Canon makes a printer that can print color labels to special discs, but the printer is expensive ($300+ the last time I checked). I decided that it was too expensive for me and went with Lightscribe.

[jman98]

P.S. This thread is really in the wrong forum. It should be in Media.

[solarblast]

Thanks. Thermal. Interesting. Actually, those are about the same price as I saw at Staples for an HP double-purpose printer, CD/DVD + regular paper. I could be wrong about the double purpose. It looked a little on the big side compared to the ones you linked to. I'll give them a call shortly and ask. Thee was no one around, and I was in a bit of a hurry. I recall they did use an HP cartridge. That's always kind of a put off, since the prices are a bit high, $30-40 usually.

Thanks for the note on Media forum. I didn't know it existed.

I'm never sure if I can respond on the thread directly to the post I'm reading. I'm acutally commenting on the first post to this point.

Regarding the lightscribe site, it looks a bit over designed. It's not immediately obvious what I'm buying. Hardware, software, media? I don't see a physical printer. No prices? b/w is fine. I really don't need anything fancy. My writing is OK, but that's another issue, and I'd like something that has some decent text on it.

[stantheman1976]

For Lightscribe you just need a DVD/CD burner that has the feature. They are not very expensive. The only downfall to LS is the time it takes. Burning a full label usually takes 30 minutes or so. If you are going for quantity this may not be your best bet. I really like the look of the LS labels and other people I've given them to like it also.

[classfour]

I mostly use an Epson printer with inkjet printable media.

Otherwise, it's a LiteOn lightscribe for mono printing.

[Rich86]

I use an Epson R320 printer. It works great - professional looking multi-color labeling using inkjet printable media. Inkjet printable media is as inexpensive as any other media. Using 3rd party color cartridges makes them very reasonable also. I've seen Epson R2xx printers capable of printing directly to inkjet printable media as low as $80.

[solarblast]

Thanks. I just looked at the only CD/DVD printer, HP 5160, at Staples. It does 4x6". The latter has no appeal. $80. How long does it take to print on a CD/DVD? I'm not sure if you pic above is of a dog or panther. It sort of looks like a flat coated retriever we had several years ago.

Well, tonight I'll be going 30 miles from here to attend a talk, and will stop in at Target. I'm a long way from the big cities. I'll hit Amazon later today, or Tiger Direct.

[solarblast]

That's interesting. With a rebate at Tiger Direct, $30.00. I may change my mind about the idea of little need for the photo side.
<http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=2474075&sku=H24-Q7091A>

[srenaud]

I got three Epson R220's clearanced at Target for $25.
Best Deal I've ever found.

I use one strictly for DVD's. One for the wife for school.
The other is a spare for when mine wears out.

The newest model:
Epson Stylus Photo R260 can be bought now for $100 with a $20 rebate. Use generic inks and it is still a good deal.

[SCDVD]

There are a couple of things to be aware of about LightScribe. Even if you don't mind the drab mono color, the time it takes to "print" the disc is extremely slow. It will take you much longer to "print" your disc on a LightScribe burner than it will take you to record the disc. Also, the price of LightScribe media is much higher and none of the really good brands of media come with a LightScribe coating on the top.