Best paper for cover printing?

[SilverBlade]

What is the best type of paper to use when printing DVD covers? Photo paper?

[Richard_G]

http://svp.co.uk/products-solo.php?pid=676

[IKnowNothing]

Why not just use ordinary 80gsm photocopier paper and a paper trimmer?

A lot cheaper that card and will look just as good behind the clear poly of the DVD case

[progrocktv]

I actually use card stock, maybe a little more expensive than regular paper but much less ink bleed-through.

[p_l]

http://www.blankmedia.ca/proddetail3.asp?id=864

I use this all the time. Very happy. Tiny perforations so I don't have to use scissors or my paper trimmer anymore. Great glossy prints.

[DarrellS]

I use 24# paper with my new printer but my old printer would only use legal paper since it would not print to edge. Both papers look great inside the DVD cases.

As IKnowNothing stated, regular paper will look just as good behind the clear poly of the DVD case. The paper in your store bought DVD paper is no thicker. Besides, thick paper will use way more ink which is the most expensive part of this process.

[SingSing]

I actually use card stock, maybe a little more expensive than regular paper but much less ink bleed-through.

I though card stock is stiff, and it won't work with ink-jet printer.

[lordsmurf]

I use 28lb Hammermill 8½14 legal sheets. It's thick, absorbs both ink and toner well, high brightness, and lasts quite nicely. Pretty easy to find at most paper or office supply stores, especially online ones.

Scissors are uneven, perforated edges are ugly and amateur, and paper trimmers misalign after a while. I use a metal ruler and an exacto knife on a cutboard. Never screw up that way, and it looks perfect

"DVD case inserts" sold online are such a gimmick. Reminds me of "DVD rewinders". It's a lot of money on a lot of nothing. You can avoid this expense if you want to. The paper is overpriced.

The paper in your store bought DVD paper is no thicker. .

That's not correct. Most paper is at least 24-28lb or better, and it's a special coated stock. It's not crappy "plain paper" (20lb) you get from a copy machine or the average home inkjet.

I actually use card stock, maybe a little more expensive than regular paper but much less ink bleed-through.

What's the weight on those? Too thick and your case and printer will reject it.

[DarrellS]

That's not correct. Most paper is at least 24-28lb or better

I knew somebody would refute that statement but like I said, I use 24# paper. The Hammermill 24# paper does seem to be feel a little better than most 24# paper I've used. I haven't seen the 28# Hammermill legal paper though. I'll look a little harder next time I'm buying paper.

[ozymango]

I actually use card stock, maybe a little more expensive than regular paper but much less ink bleed-through.

My experience also. I bought a 500-sheet pack of plain white card stock, 8.5x11 (65lb) for doing Christmas cards last year (got a good deal) and had several hundred sheets still left so I thought, wonder if it makes nice DVD covers? And it does!

If your printer can handle photo paper it can easily handle card stock, at least in the 65lb range, and it's not expensive, at least in basic white. It has a bright surface, and you don't get any "paper curl" from ink saturation like with thinner paper; it trims and fits nicely in your standard DVD case.

[classfour]

IMHO: Of all the papers that I've tried - using photo quality, ease of cutting and fit, price, etc:

HP Brochure & Flyer Paper

48lb weight, 98 brightness

I've used matte, glossy, 10ml, you name it - even DVD Inserts (which I hated).

[mowermanEd]

Office Depot Brochure Paper (presentation paper) has nice glossy finish almost as good as photo paper and it's not too heavy. Best of all it's cheap. 150 sheets for around $20 I think.

[hech54]

Ditto that.
I use HP Brochure paper as well for my inserts. I don't print many at all but that is my favorite insert paper.

[DarrellS]

What people are failing to see is that there is no need for glossy paper since the polymer gives the plain paper a glossy look. Glossy papers won't soak up the ink as well and will smear easier and leave fingerprints (watercolor paper or high dollar photo papers are best for portraits, not the overpriced photo papers that flood the paper aisle).

As for people who use card stock and other poreous papers because of bleeding on normal papers, correct your print settings and you won't have this problem.

Bristol and card stock work great for CD inserts but are not the right paper for DVD covers.

As for cutting the paper, a steel ruler, a mechanical pencil and a paper cutter still work the best for me.

[ozymango]

As for people who use card stock and other poreous papers because of bleeding on normal papers, correct your print settings and you won't have this problem.

It's not bleeding, it's just that when I print large areas of image, the moisture in the ink causes the paper to "soften" a bit in the printed area -- before the ink dries -- and it just causes a slight change in the surface of the paper. Again, it's only for large areas of paper, but sometimes I print larger DVD covers and the card stock works fine.

Also again I happen to have a lot of extra card stock, and it makes nice DVD covers, so that's really that simple.

Bristol and card stock work great for CD inserts but are not the right paper for DVD covers.

Because ... ? No offense, but if a paper works for a person, then use it. But don't tell peple card stock is not the "right" paper for them, if it works just fine for them.

As for cutting the paper, a steel ruler, a mechanical pencil and a paper cutter still work the best for me.

And a standard paper cutter works well for me!

There's a lot of stuff out there that works just fine for people, and they should check and see what works best for them. You're not gonna get me cutting out DVD covers with an Xacto knife! :P

[hech54]

What people are failing to see is that there is no need for glossy paper since the polymer gives the plain paper a glossy look. Glossy papers won't soak up the ink as well and will smear easier and leave fingerprints

Patience my son....patience. Wait 'till it dries and cut it...what's the problem?

[progrocktv]

I actually use card stock, maybe a little more expensive than regular paper but much less ink bleed-through.

What's the weight on those? Too thick and your case and printer will reject it.

Same as Ozymango. It's all purpose stuff I buy from Office Depot which is compatable with most Ink Jet printers. My HP does pretty good ad printing to the edge. It's maybe about 1 centimeter too short but works good enough to not really tell.

[classfour]

The HP Brochure Paper simply has the right look and feel - plus it dries faster than any other that I've tried - without having to wait three days.

[j1d10t]

I work for a company that sells laser copiers, so I get to print out all my cases and inserts for free at work Not exactly photo quality (about 600dpi), but close enough for me, especially for the price :P As for the paper, I print on either a nice legal size (8.5x14) glossy paper, or sometimes I'll use a "presentation" paper (not as heavy as photo paper, but thicker than regular paper) that is kind of a semi-gloss on both sides (for when I use the clear cases and I put a design on the inside of the cover too) that looks very nice. When I've used standard legal size paper it just doesn't look as good in the case - the images don't look as clear/sharp, to me. Then I have a nice paper cutter that I use most of the time - I used to use a metal ruler and a (very sharp) knife, before I got the paper cutter. If you line the paper up just right on the paper cutter you can get an almost perfect cut.

[DarrellS]

Because ... ? No offense, but if a paper works for a person, then use it. But don't tell peple card stock is not the "right" paper for them, if it works just fine for them.

Because it is way too thick for DVD covers. If it works for you that's fine but the OP wanted to know the best type of paper for DVD covers.

Presentation paper may be the best paper for the job, I don't know, I haven't used it but for the money, 24# to 28# inkjet paper at $6-$9 for 500 sheets is alot more economical than $15 for 50 sheets or $30 for 150 sheets of presentation paper.

Using a newer HP photosmart printer like I have now, I don't get that too wet black ink like I used to with my old HP Deskjet 812c. It uses a photo gray ink cartridge for doing photo printing.

[ozymango]

If it works for you that's fine but the OP wanted to know the best type of paper for DVD covers.

Ah, I'd forgotten about these kind of threads, where somebody is looking for THE BEST (DVD blank/VCR/printer/computer/encoder/editor) and somebody else knows the correct answer.

[DarrellS]

and somebody else knows the correct answer

I never said I knew the correct answer. I gave three options and 90# card stock wasn't one of them. Presentation paper may be the best paper, I don't know. My major concern is price. If people can afford the higher priced papers or can afford to buy ink every week or two, then fine. I can't.

Experts might be able to tell the difference between store bought DVDs and my back-ups but the average person can't.

[j1d10t]

Ah, I'd forgotten about these kind of threads, where somebody is looking for THE BEST (DVD blank/VCR/printer/computer/encoder/editor) and somebody else knows the correct answer.

Probalby the OP should have asked "paper options for cover printing?" instead of "best"

[ozymango]

My major concern is price. If people can afford the higher priced papers or can afford to buy ink every week or two, then fine. I can't.

That's cool, and I'm pretty much the same way -- that's why I used the card stock, I had a bunch left over and it works great.

Sorry for the crossed wires, and I do agree the bottom line is there are very often multiple (and affordable!) options to doing a lot of this stuff. Creativity and a little thought/ingenuity go a very long way towards making quality products, so if you don't mind taking a few minutes to experiment to see if you can get decent results with cheaper paper, the results can often pay off in the long run.

[overloaded_ide]

I use plain paper sometimes, don't like it normally as well as card stock. But how many types of plain paper are there?? Various brightness, weights, virgin or recycled etc.. some works better than others.
When I buy paper it works well, but I still like card stock better, when the wife buys it I don't like it. I think she buys the cheaper crap to save $1 a pack, you can see light through it easier.
I spend the full $5 for the good stuff. Luckily I buy most the paper normally.

Cardstock is also my preffered paper. I have no problem printing it in my Canon printers, heck it should print in any inkjet printer really unless you get a nutty heavy stuff. I only have Wallyworld local to buy from here so I get Greatwhite or Gorgia Pacific I think as the brand and whatever weight that is, they don't sell much variaty at our rinky dink store here. It looks good and works well. Nothing fancy, just a bright white card stock.

I don't like most photo papers, I have had bad luck with some. Have a moist finger and wash the ink off or leave a nasty fingerprint, but I did not print them so maybe they used junk inks or the paper was junk? Really, I have had what looked like glossy photos given to me and when I was drinking a cold drink on a hot day my hand was a bit moist or wet, moved the picture and the ink washed right off the corner!

I think I tried some glossy paper I had here in some cases once, though it looked nice I think it stuck as I recall. So when I decided to put disk 1 and 2 in a 2 disk case the insert was stuck to the clear plastic, kinda messed up the case alittle and the insert allot.
That'll teach me not to go out and buy the movie sequels any more!

I never liked the perferated stuff. Too expensive for too little stock and I don't like jagged edges though some may not be as bad as other perhaps.

So like most things, what's best depends on whos doing it and what it's for. For me best is card stock and my daughter makes a pretty darned good straight cut with good sissors, though I use a straight edge and a razor knife if I do the cutting.

[ntscuser]

A friend of mine worked in the printing industry for many years and now makes his own freelance DVD and CD covers. He strongly recommends 160gsm card from Staples. I now use it for my own covers and am very happy with it. Anything thinner tends to warp due to the large amount of ink absorbed by covers.

As mentioned above, he also uses a steel ruler, sharp blade and self-healing cutting board in preference to fancy trimmers.

[Krispy Kritter]

I use high quality ink jet picture. Picture quality is excellent with great color reproduction (similiar to many of the photo paper I've used). http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16828103049

Just print, then trim to fit.

[weaselguy]

been printing covers for 3 years and the best paper has been Epson Matte Heavyweight Paper(45lbs, 97 brightness, 9ml thick). dries quickly and looks great. once a month you can usually find them on sale at staples for 5.99/50pk.

[Jake802]

"I use 28lb Hammermill 8½14 legal sheets. It's thick, absorbs both ink and toner well, high brightness, and lasts quite nicely. Pretty easy to find at most paper or office supply stores, especially online ones."

I am having difficulties finding this online, any suggestions? Also how much does it usually cost? Thanks!

[pl992077]

Does anyone know what type of paper manufacturers use for their DVD covers? This type of paper I cannot find at the stores. It is very very thin and glossy on both sides almost plastic like, also non porous. These type of paper is also used in magazines and calendars. It is weighted less than 20lbs and is very thin. Regular printing paper you buy at the store is porous and photo paper is too thick.

If you were to take out a store bought DVD cover verify it. Also for the magazines you have in the house take a look at the front cover of each and also the calendars you have hanging on the wall, check the individual months. These types of paper are not found at the stores. I searched everywhere.

As far as I know the only way to buy this type of paper is to go to office depot/staples and ask for them at the specialty print/copier department where they make calendar and special stuff to your needs. There they have these types of paper but they want a lot $$ for them due to their needs and will not sell to you in packs like you would normally buy.

Please reply back if anyone knows where this type of paper can be purchased. I am maticulous and want my DVD's to be professional looking like the real thing.