SwingDJs

Label your CDs by using the same laser in your CD writer, turning the disk over and burning the thin film on the top of the CD.

I've had numerous problems with CD drives spinning paper labelled CDs. Especially in my laptop, the tolerances are just so small that spinning a labelled disk just makes the drive go nuts, the end result being not reading the CD correctly or at all.

So the added cost to CD-Rs is only supposed to be $0.10. Check it out HERE

I just saw an HP commercial advertising this on their new desktop computers.

Another alternative is inkjet or thermal transfer printers for CDs. You can get some decent looking small ones for one-offs and some cool auto-loaders for volume jobs.

http://www.proactionmedia.com/cd_dvd_printers.asp

We have some of the lightscribe drives at work, pretty cool. Labels end up looking kind of generic, but it's great that you can get a label "out of the box" so to speak.

Toon Town Dave wrote:Another alternative is inkjet or thermal transfer printers for CDs. You can get some decent looking small ones for one-offs and some cool auto-loaders for volume jobs.

http://www.proactionmedia.com/cd_dvd_printers.asp

The problem with the thermal transfer printers is that the ribbons are so expensive and used so fast that the labelling itself it going to cost you about $0.50 per disk, more than the cost of the actual media.

As far as the inkjet printers go, how much more do the special compatible CD-Rs cost?

I'm thinking that the Lightscribe technique will probably become the defacto standard and that most CD-Rs will then strive to be compatiible. I wonder if they'll start making drives that have a laser on each side so that lazy people don't have to turn over their disks?

Yeah, thermal transfer is expensive (about $0.25/disc) although it's probably as good if not better than screen printing for color jobs, economical for small jobs but you're right not so cheap for one-offs.

Inkjet is still in the running. From the same site I linked above (I don't know how competitive they are), Taiyo Yuden CD-Rs are about $0.06 more than plain blank CD-Rs. The big advantage is full color.

As far as HPs stuff, it's a very clever idea. I don't think CD makers will be on board until the drive makers jump on the band wagon which brings up what HP will want for royalties from drive makers to use the (I assume) patented idea. Once licensing gets sorted out or someone comes up with an alternative technology (eg full color), I can see it taking off since CD labels are a PITA and actually cost quite a bit.