Is LightScribe dead?

[gastrof]

It's been months since I've switched my computer over from XP to Windows 7, and it only dawned on me a few days ago I need to put LightScribe software on the new installation.

I can't find any.

I'd used ArcSoft (which turned out to have some bad stuff included which it was like pulling teeth to get rid of) and "Sure Thing" software.

They were both freeware, but I can't find any out there. Can't even find the LightScribe website any more.

Sure Thing wants $30 for LightScribe software, ArcSoft apparently cut their ties, HP which is apparently big into selling LightScribe discs seems to have NOTHING, and as mentioned, the LightScribe website seems to be gone.

There are two or three programs on cnet for LightScribe, but people are saying they don't work, come with malware, etc.

Does anyone know of any LightScribe freeware still out there that's reliable? (I even checked to see if there was anything on my computer's old hard drive that might help me, but it seems I junked the old drive and then forgot having done so.)

[hech54]

Is lightscribe dead?......I certainly hope so.

[drjtech]

Here's what Wikipedia says about HP support for LightScribe. Remember that LightScribe was HP's brainstorm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LightScribe

As of November 26, 2013, LightScribe.com HP's official LightScribe website has been removed. This has been replaced with the following message:

“Thank you for your interest in the LightScribe disc labeling technology. This website is no longer active. LightScribe software and disc utilities may be found on a number of public websites.”

As of September 2014, the website returns a 404 error.

I can confirm that http://lightscribe.com/ returns a 404 error.

[jman98]

Acoustica's CD/DVD Label Maker program (NOT free) supports LightScribe. If you can't live without it, you may need to buy a commercial product at this point.

I used LightScribe when it first came out as the alternative, printing to discs, was insanely expensive with printers that could do that costing something like $300 US at the time. I used to support LightScribe here, but even I gave up after printer costs dropped. The quality of ink jet labels on discs like Taiyo Yuden's Watershield brand is a million times better than anything LightScribe can do. EVERY drive I ever used LightScribe with died an early death. It happened with 3 different drives. My burns were almost never really dark enough and once I tried the trick of burning the same image a 2nd time. It did make the burn darker - at the cost of seriously messing up my drive. The drive quickly went downhill after that little experiment, so I never tried that again. Although my old LightScribe labels are stored out of direct sunlight in temperature controlled conditions, many of my labels have already started to fade and some of them will be completely unreadable in a few more years. Given that it was taking 20 minutes to burn ONE LightScribe label and they rarely turned out dark enough, this format is just a loser all around. If you can find software then use up your discs as quickly as you can and abandon the format. I'm not sure, but I think I read somewhere that Verbatim may have stopped making LightScribe discs, and that's not good at all.

[fritzi93]

Apparently you can still find HP Lightscribe software from cnet, among other places. Do a search or go here:

http://download.cnet.com/LightScribe-System-Software/3000-2094_4-75206299.html

That's version 1.18.27.10. The small file linked above is actually the downloader for the full package, a bit over 11 MB, so that matches what I have. Haven't used it in ages, but I still have the Lightscribe install files on our office PC, version 1.18.24.1: template labeler and diagnostic utility. I should think the version linked above will do.

[Keyser]

Was it ever alive?

[Baldrick]

Was it ever alive?

I used it one time!

[gastrof]

Is lightscribe dead?......I certainly hope so.

Why? I thought it made pretty nice looking discs.

[gastrof]

Apparently you can still find HP Lightscribe software from cnet, among other places...

...There are two or three programs on cnet for LightScribe, but people are saying they don't work, come with malware, etc.

Does anyone know of any LightScribe freeware still out there that's reliable?...

The reviews on that page say that it "crashes all the time", is "garbage" and installs "malicious adware". You suggested this, fritzi93?

Oh well...

I've found that my LightScribe discs do work and work well with my Casio thermal ink printer. Guess that's one less thing to have to update from now on. (And to think I was worried about finding a SATA LightScribe drive for my new computer...Heh.)

[smrpix]

Is lightscribe dead?......I certainly hope so.

Why? I thought it made pretty nice looking discs.

They weren't bad looking particularly, they just took a long time, dramatically reduced the life of your burner, required bloated crapware, and faded pretty easily. In other words, it was more trouble than it was worth.

[ron spencer]

most of mine have faded....pity...were fun to do.

[gastrof]

Thanks guys! Guess that's it!

[Keyser]

They weren't bad looking particularly, they just took a long time, dramatically reduced the life of your burner, required bloated crapware, and faded pretty easily. In other words, it was more trouble than it was worth.

It's beyond me how certain "inventions" come to see the light of day. I guess some people really have too much time on their hands.

[ricardouk]

here's the website with free and premium software:
http://lightscribesoftware.org/

In December 2013 HP shut down their LightScribe support site, LightScribe.com. In doing so the LightScribe community had been left stranded with no access to any authoritative LightScribe support and little access to the Free LightScribe Software and LightScribe Utilities previously available…
I am delighted however to announce that LightScribeSoftware.org have not only secured all the previously available LightScribe software but also can provide personal support for LightScribe Labeling problems…

[usually_quiet]

The reviews on that page say that it "crashes all the time", is "garbage" and installs "malicious adware". You suggested this, fritzi93?

Oh well...

My guess that the reviews complaining about adware are incorrect. I downloaded "LightScribe System Software" (functions like a printer driver to allow a Lightscribe drive to "print" the label) from Cnet, Softpedia, and www.audiolabel.com. I scanned each file with Malwarebytes, AVG, and SuperAntiSpyware Free. Not one of the downloads raised any alarms. I didn't install the file since I have no Lightscribe drives to use it with, so I can't say if it will crash.

I will agree that it is high time to move on from an obsolete labeling system with so many drawbacks.

[jman98]

It's beyond me how certain "inventions" come to see the light of day. I guess some people really have too much time on their hands.

Really? This is not rocket science. Keep in mind that the alternatives at the time were:
1) Printing out paper labels. That's a TERRIBLE idea as we've mentioned many times here.
2) Using a Sharpie.
3) Using thermal printable discs. I'm not sure if this is still true, but at the time I think you were limited to text and numbers with this. And you had to buy a special device just to do the thermal label printing. That was all it was good for. I think they cost around $80-90 at the time.
4) Using ink jet printable discs which I mentioned used printers that cost $300 at the time. But at least with those you could do art designs on the discs.

LightScribe was a well intentioned cost effective way to provide a cheaper alternative to #4. OK, it didn't end up working out as well as hoped, but at its best some of the labels I've seen did turn out pretty well and they were a lot better than #1, #2 and #3.

[fritzi93]

Apparently you can still find HP Lightscribe software from cnet, among other places...

...There are two or three programs on cnet for LightScribe, but people are saying they don't work, come with malware, etc.

Does anyone know of any LightScribe freeware still out there that's reliable?...

The reviews on that page say that it "crashes all the time", is "garbage" and installs "malicious adware". You suggested this, fritzi93?

Oh well...

I've found that my LightScribe discs do work and work well with my Casio thermal ink printer. Guess that's one less thing to have to update from now on. (And to think I was worried about finding a SATA LightScribe drive for my new computer...Heh.)

Well, sorry I posted then. Excuse me.

I was even going to suggest you PM me with your email address, so I could send you the install files. And BTW, the software does not crash all the time. It works okay. But there are better alternatives to lightscribe, like inkjet hub printables (what I use) with a printer capable of printing discs.

[Keyser]

It's beyond me how certain "inventions" come to see the light of day. I guess some people really have too much time on their hands.

Really? This is not rocket science. Keep in mind that the alternatives at the time were:
1) Printing out paper labels. That's a TERRIBLE idea as we've mentioned many times here.
2) Using a Sharpie.
3) Using thermal printable discs. I'm not sure if this is still true, but at the time I think you were limited to text and numbers with this. And you had to buy a special device just to do the thermal label printing. That was all it was good for. I think they cost around $80-90 at the time.
4) Using ink jet printable discs which I mentioned used printers that cost $300 at the time. But at least with those you could do art designs on the discs.

LightScribe was a well intentioned cost effective way to provide a cheaper alternative to #4. OK, it didn't end up working out as well as hoped, but at its best some of the labels I've seen did turn out pretty well and they were a lot better than #1, #2 and #3.

We agree on something. Anything is better than using paper labels.

Once upon a time I was very naive and used sticking labels on some CDs. A while ago I tried to retrieve the data from a bunch of CDs and, guess what, ALL the discs with labels were unreadable. Fortunately, I'm not that dumb anymore...

[ron spencer]

I tried paper labels once...but it made such a mess there was no point...does anyone still do that?

[jman98]

I tried paper labels once...but it made such a mess there was no point...does anyone still do that?

Not as much as they used to, but we still get posts on that at times. We had one late last year or very early this year.

[DigitalSteve]

Hi all…

My two penny’s worth

Its true HP stopped supporting LightScribe back in December 2013 and we have not had any updates to the System software or the free labeling programs since March 2013 but, is LightScribe dead?

As Mr Twain would say "The reports of LightScribe's death have been greatly exaggerated"

If you want more than just the software (but that as well) take a look at my LightScribe support site:

https://lightscribesoftware.org

You can get all the free LightScribe software from there as well as all the template packs for the Template Labeler.

I hope that helps anybody who (like me) still loves LightScribe.

Have fun…

Steve

[GSteele531]

If not dead, quite ill. It is very hard to find Lightscribe disks anymore. I have a few spare Lightscribe DVD writers, because I used Lightscribe almost exclusively for labeling, since it was so much neater and more legible.

I've been away for almost a year and a half, came back to do some archiving, and - since I'm running low on media, went looking for some. The price has shot through the roof, and few people carry any. HP disks, my old standard, are nonexistent.

While Lightscribe does take a while to work, I have been using a nearly dedicated machine for labeling for years now - a P4EE with XP, 4 GB memory, and XP. I want to use one of my i7s to do DVD and CD creation, and label on that machine as well. I used Roxio's Express labeler V3 that came with Roxio 10.1 Premiere. Well, my 10.1 Premiere install disk is scratched, and I can't even copy it to another disk so that I can reinstall the software on the new machine I'm building. Can't find the software for sale, and I have scads of label templates that I use and modify for various composite disks - applications and utilities that I use together when I build or repair a machine.

I do have a printer that prints on some white background Blu-Ray disks, but I'm finding that Blu-Ray disks are not all they're cracked up to be from an archival standpoint. A disk I created a couple of years ago refuses to read back all the files I put on it. As it stands, it's looking like there is no such thing as an archival medium at all - despite the claims of optical storage being highly resistant to surface scuffs and spontaneous degradation.

Seems like nothing works as advertised - but I do like, even with slight fading, the look of Lightscribe labels. If only I could get my mitts on Roxio 10.1 Premiere again. But with media becoming scarce and high priced, perhaps it's time to move on to high-capacity thumb drives and the cloud.

[Krispy Kritter]

[QUOTE=Keyser;2383095][QUOTE=jman98;2383078]

Once upon a time I was very naive and used sticking labels on some CDs. A while ago I tried to retrieve the data from a bunch of CDs and, guess what, ALL the discs with labels were unreadable. Fortunately, I'm not that dumb anymore...

All you have (or would have had) to do is remove the label. The discs was/were very likely still good.

I went through this as well at one time, and quickly stopped using labels.

[usually_quiet]

I do have a printer that prints on some white background Blu-Ray disks, but I'm finding that Blu-Ray disks are not all they're cracked up to be from an archival standpoint. A disk I created a couple of years ago refuses to read back all the files I put on it. As it stands, it's looking like there is no such thing as an archival medium at all - despite the claims of optical storage being highly resistant to surface scuffs and spontaneous degradation.

I use Verbatim Data Life Plus inkjet-printable DVDs. They should be just as archival for data storage as anybody's Lightscribe DVD media.

For Blu-ray, get better media. Panasonic BD-R 25GB is supposedly archival grade but expensive and hard to find outside of Japan. Be sure to avoid LTH Blu-ray discs like the plague for anything other than temporary use.

[solarfox]

Be sure to avoid LTH Blu-ray discs like the plague for anything other than temporary use.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to tell what you're getting; manufacturers seem to go out of their way to hide this information from you and prevent you from knowing whether their media is HTL or LTH. (Which is kind of stupid -- I understand why the companies hawking cheap LTH media don't want you to know what it is, but why wouldn't a company that makes HTL media advertise the fact on the packaging as a selling point?)

Does anyone maintain an up-to-date list of whose media is what? Preferably identified by manufacturer's part number, rather than by the disc's media ID code? (The ID code only helps after you've already bought the discs, at which point they've already got your money even if the discs turn out to be worthless...)

[usually_quiet]

Be sure to avoid LTH Blu-ray discs like the plague for anything other than temporary use.

Unfortunately, it's not always easy to tell what you're getting; manufacturers seem to go out of their way to hide this information from you and prevent you from knowing whether their media is HTL or LTH. (Which is kind of stupid -- I understand why the companies hawking cheap LTH media don't want you to know what it is, but why wouldn't a company that makes HTL media advertise the fact on the packaging as a selling point?)

Does anyone maintain an up-to-date list of whose media is what? Preferably identified by manufacturer's part number, rather than by the disc's media ID code? (The ID code only helps after you've already bought the discs, at which point they've already got your money even if the discs turn out to be worthless...)

Verbatim is pretty good about labeling their packaging with "LTH Type" if that is what is inside. Some members here have stated that all JVC/TY BD-R media is LTH.

HTL is standard, so it is not likely to be labeled as such.