Printer for printable cd-r/dvd-r?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bickle
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Bickle

I'm looking for printers that can print on the surface of printable cd-r and
dvd-r. So far I've found the following Canon modells:

i950D
i965
i865

What other alternatives are there? Does anyone have any of the above, and if
so, can you recommend buying it?
 
safetymom123 said:
Epson has several models. The Photo 900,960, R300 and the 2100.
Click to expand...

Ok. Have you tried any of them? How would you say the quality is compared to
the print of a commercial cd/dvd? And how is it compared to those separate
labels that you attach onto the disk?
 
Bickle said:
Ok. Have you tried any of them? How would you say the quality is compared to
the print of a commercial cd/dvd? And how is it compared to those separate
labels that you attach onto the disk?
Click to expand...

You can compare it yourself without having to own the printer. Just
print the photo to different sheat of papers with different (photo)
setting. Some CD labeler program has built-in some basic options to
edit or create spme effect to the photo, or you can use any graphic
program to change the photo Ligher/Darker etc.. print to a regular paper
and you have it.

IOW, nothing special about the CD printer as just just have the option
to print directly to the CD, and the CD just have a special coat just
like matte paper for the ink to stick to, and that's it!
 
I like the fact that I can print directly on the cd and not have to fuss
with sticking on the label. It isn't as bright as a commercially printed
one but to me and my clients they love them.

I have used the 900 and 960. They both did a great job.
 
Ok. Have you tried any of them? How would you say the quality is compared to
the print of a commercial cd/dvd? And how is it compared to those separate
labels that you attach onto the disk?
Click to expand...
No, the quality does not begin to compare at all to that printed on a
commercial CD/DVD. These are printed with opaque paints using some
sort of screening process. Second best (intended for limited
commercial runs) would be the CD thermal printers like the Primera
Inscripta that uses a color ribbon and prints on special
thermal-printing media. Worst are the various inkjet add-ons like the
Epson etc., that print onto media having a dull matte white (or
silver) surface that accepts dye inks. With these it is difficult to
achieve much print density, and the surface is non-reflective. It
gets the job done for non-critical applications, however, and might be
just what you need.
 
The Epson 2100 sux at CD printing (excels on paper though). The i865 does a
much better job, and can look better than a commercial print in some ways.
Commercial prints often have lots of easy to see dithering (I think that's
you call it), magazine print like, while the inkjet can provide much more
continuous tones etc. The commercial prints are much better at looking
glossy and having richer/darker colour reproductions.
 
Which is worse (or better).........printing directly to a white faced CD-R
using a $200 printer or using a stick on label using a $40 printer ?
 
Which is worse (or better).........printing directly to a white faced CD-R
using a $200 printer or using a stick on label using a $40 printer ?
Click to expand...
Since DVDs spin much faster and also have much finer track pitch, they
are much more sensitive to out-of-balance discs. Full-size stickon
labels may create balance problems (especially for DVDs) if they are
not dynamically centered. Also stick-on labels have a nasty habit of
unsticking themselves when the discs are flexed in use, or at least
developing "bubbles" that are hard to get rid of.

Printing directly to the CD/DVD solves these problems, but sometimes
the printable media is hard to find at bargain prices, and the end
result looks fairly drab, lacking high-density colors and blacks.
Maybe the answer to is use a quality thermal printer designed for CD
printing, they claim to produce good-looking results.
 
I have seen many DVD-Rs suffer degradation quite quickly using adhesive
labels. Not just the balancing and falling off problems, you must also
consider the problems the glue could cause to the disk, where it could react
over time with the plastic (like a weak solvent), or as the glue dries, it
shrinks and distorts the media.
 
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