Printable discs VS Lightscribe

[omega_weapon]

Hi. what do you think its better for selling to customers, ink printable discs, or lightscribe labeled?
The situtation is, that im putting a Cyber coffe, and like many services, we are offering disc labeling. But my cousin and I are thinking whats the best way. I like lightscribe technology because it looks more modern, and you dont spend ink or paper labels, just need the disk. on the other hand, the printable offers color labels, but you need a special printer, and you spend ink, and the label can erase or damage easly.

I think the cheapest way it with printable disk, if i manage to get a printer, because the media is cheaper. lightscribe dont need a expensibe printer, only a burner (wich is not too expensive), but the media its not as cheap as

[aedipuss]

lightscribe takes an additional 20-30 minutes to burn after you make the data portion. it also rubs(scratches) off fairly easily, and the discs are more expensive.

don't get me wrong i like them but....

[jman98]

I like lightscribe, but I would suggest going with printed discs. Many here have raved about the Taiyo Yuden WaterShield discs, saying that the printed image looks great on these discs and doesn't run when wet. Additionally you have Taiyo Yuden quality in the discs. The downside is that you'll have to mail order the discs from http://www.rima.com and other various online stores.

I got into Lightscribe late in 2005 because at that time the printers that could print to discs were all outrageously high and lightscribe was a lower cost alternative, but now with printer prices dropping, you might as well go with printed discs. The use of color on printed discs can make your discs look even more professional than lightscribe.

[omega_weapon]

Ok. but, how long does it take to print the disk with an ink printer? i guess not too long... hope so.
I agree that the color looks greater.

[classfour]

Print time is a few minutes. I haven't tried watershield TYs, but feel Verbatim has a better printing surface than TY.

[jman98]

Having only use lightscribe, I couldn't comment on how long it takes to print to these types of discs.

Classfour - If you're still reading, what type of Verbatim discs do you like to use for this? I'm considering moving away from lightscribe to this type of printing on the disc and I'd be interested to know what type of Verbatim discs have worked well for you.

[dadrab]

I haven't used either, but when I do take the plunge, it's going to be inkjet printable.

I've seen both and don't really care much for the lightscribe discs. I do understand that not all discs are created equally and that multiple burning can greatly enhance the contrast of the images.

Still, for CDs I design my own stuff, for the most part, and print high quality labels. I'd really love to have prints on my DVD discs, but stick with "Sharpie power" for now - until I can do better.

[dunamis]

I use watershield disks and print with an Epson printer. It takes about 30 seconds for a full color disk that looks absolutely amazing when completed. I would never mess with any other system as mine is completely foolproof and works beautifully for me every day.

[jman98]

dunamis - Thanks for the followup info. I was still interested in knowing this.
Unfortunately classfour doesn't seem to participate real often here and he's not real interested in following up on old posts either. That's not meant as a criticism, but just to point out that at least one person appreciates your post in this thread as if you hadn't followed up, probably nobody would have.

[KameleOnOff]

Lightscribe is made with a DVD burner, which you must have anyway, is cheap, but take much longer to process.
A printer is an aditional investment, but not so expensive, and you offer a very professional look. If the ink price is your concern, set your price accordingly.

My experience: offer both. If you want to make money, don't be afraid of investements.

[KameleOnOff]

Time:
Lightscribe = up to 30 min, depend on image physical size
Printer = up to 1 min for a full color disc.

[Cosmichrist]

After reading this thread, I'll stick with ink. I like the watershield disks, I just wish they came in colors other than white.

[jman98]

To follow up on my previous posts with some relevant (I hope) comments...

I originally got into Lightscribe for reasons of cost. At the time (late 2005 I think) Lightscribe burners and discs were significantly cheaper than buying printers that could print to discs. Despite what the nay sayers say, you can get very good results of out Lightscribe if you know what you are doing, but it does take up to 30 minutes to burn them.

I recently bought a Canon printer (ip4500) that I now use to print to blank CDs and DVDs. I've been using Verbatim white blanks for inkjet printing. Worst case it takes about 1 minute to print to a disc, usually much less. I'm very pleased with the results of disc based printing and when I use up my last few remaining Lightscribe discs, I don't think I will go back to Lightscribe.

Cosmichrist - Taiyo Yuden only makes white watershield discs, but Verbatim and other manufacturers do make silver inkjet printable discs. There are no other choices but silver and white. I believe Taiyo Yuden does also make silver inkjet printable discs, but not watershield.

[SCDVD]

Many regard Lightscribe discs as butt ugly. The excessively long print time which has been mentioned is a problem but another serious problem is the media quality itself (recording side). Taiyo Yuden and Verbatim are head and shoulders above other brands of media as far a recording quality goes. Taiyo Yuden doesn't make Lightscribe media but Verbatim does. If you do decide to use Lightscribe media, make sure to use Verbatim; you will saver yourself a lot of problems if you do.

[dadrab]

After reading this thread, I'll stick with ink. I like the watershield disks, I just wish they came in colors other than white.

Ever bought any printing paper (i.e. paper that will have printing put on it)? It comes in one color - white. Colors look better on a background of white. The brighter the white, the more the colors pop.

[solarfox]

Maybe not other colors, but it'd sure be nice if they came with the silver printable surface available in some of TYs other CD-R/DVD-R product lines. The metallic reflections combined with the colored inks give a really nice effect.