Regardless of which duplication or replication company you use, the end product is very much determined by the quality of the master disc you provide.
Whether you're making copies of a music CD, a presentation or video DVD, to make sure your final product is top notch, you need to make sure the material being replicated is up to scratch.
Be sure to follow these tips when supplying your master disc to your CD duplication or replication company..
- Use only the best CD-R or DVD-Rs for your master
- Write your master at the slowest possible speed on your system, selecting the “Disc at once” option under your settings.
- Ensure that the master disc is finalised; i.e. no multi-session discs that allow files to be added.
- Ensure that your disc conforms to international specifications.
- The CD-R must be Red Book compliant; do not use WAV or mp3 files (DDP v2 is also an option).
- DVD-R must be in DVD Video compliant format (with VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders) or DDP v2 format.
- Always use a felt-tip pen to write onto the disc; never use a ball point pen.
- Handle your master disc with care. Ensure that it does not have any scratches, fingerprints, dust etc. on the surface before or after writing.
- Listen to or view your disc once you have finished with it – ensure that you use a good quality player and not something that could add scratches to the surface of the disc.
- Supply your disc complete with a track listing, including any hidden tracks, and information on whether the disc has any enhancements.
Content Security is a real issue for organisations. This is largely due to advances in technology, which on one hand vastly improve the efficiency in organisations, but on the other hand that have brought with them their own problems.
Examples of these advances include digital file sharing, faster internet connections, the move to cloud storage and the increasing adoption of smart phones and tablets.
The solution to all of these problems is not to get rid of the technology, but to create a content security and content delivery policy that balances convenience with security.
A model like this integrates paper storage, physical media storage, storage on local servers and cloud storage together to strike a balance.
The model also requires a different type of thinking in an organization's information technology department. While IT departments have historically focused on security networks, the content security landscape in 2012 is one in which perfect security is not achievable.
As such, setting up a regime to manage responses to security incidents is crucial. Organizations that can adapt to changes in the security landscape and that treat security concerns with open minds will be able to both prevent and limit the impact of attacks.
A key part of adapting a new attitude towards content security includes the ability to look at all options for data storage.
How are you changing your attitude towards data storage?
Disc labels are a very important part of your end product. Sure it's important that the quality of your content is of the highest standards - but as the old saying goes "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.
For this reason, you should always budget to include professional disc labels in your CD duplication or replication process.
Here are the four different ways of printing labels onto discs:
- Offset or lithographic printing;
- Thermal transfer printing;
- Silkscreen printing; and
- Inkjet printing.
These are all needs dependent.
Offset printing
Offset printing is used for replicating rather than duplicating discs. It takes longer than other methods but is ideal when you need more than 1000 discs printed.
Thermal transfer
The images are taken directly from a computer, so the process is very fast. Thermal transfer is cost-effective in small runs and looks great.
Silkscreen printing
Silkscreen printing is by far the cheapest for large runs, but can leave a grainy effect around colour gradients and text.
The quality will be low if you use lots of colours, so simple designs with fewer colours are recommended.
Inkjet printing
This has a very high quality finish, but since the price is fixed and does not drop with greater quantities, it is more expensive for large runs of disc printing.
Have you had disc labels printed before? Which method did you use?
You've made the decision to distribute your album, movie, annual report, interactive brochure, press kit or other collateral materials.Your business is ahead of the curve and you know how important it is to have cutting edge technology, which is why it's so important for you to use a great CD replication company.
But how do you choose which CD replication company?
Here are five characteristics of a great CD replication company to help you make your decision a little easier:
- Great customer service - Expect great customer service. It's at the core of every business and if they can't provide you with accurate information in a timely manner, someone else can.
- Varied formats - CDs and DVDs can come in a number of formats. It's not your job to know which one you need, it's the job of a great CD replication company to know what the best format is for you, without overselling you on a product you don't need.
- Creativity - A good CD replication company might be able to offer you a cool design for your disc. A great CD replication company can offer you a great design on a shape disc. They'll help you stand out from the crowd while still being able to play in regular CD or DVD players. a great CD replication company will also be able to help you design your packaging and presentation for maximum impact and return on investment.
- Security features - one of the benefits of CD replication is that the discs are manufactured using a cost-effective injection moulding process that allows security features to be included for sensitive or copyrighted materials.
- Reputable client list - Reputable names trust reputable companies. When you're looking for a great CD replication company, review their client list. Recognize a bunch of big names? You're probably in safe hands
When you're looking to grow your business and impress your clients or potential clients, consider a great CD replication company to partner with you to help make it happen.
Musicians start off believing it's all about the music. A little experience of the music industry quickly teaches that, in truth, it's all about the complete package. Your songs may have been captured in pristine digital sound, mastered perfectly and copied onto CDs, but now you have to make sure your CD artwork does justice to the music.
A self-released CD has the potential to compete with a major-label release only if you pay attention to the important detail of how the finished package looks.
The goal is to have completed artwork that reflects the music, looks striking when reproduced as an image on a website, and also catches the eye on a merchandise table at gigs.
Can you do it yourselves?
This is a key question. Musicians may feel they have the best idea of the CD artwork that will reflect their music, but they do not necessarily have the design skills and experience to produce the most effective result.
If one of your band members is adept with desktop publishing software and has an artistic eye, they might be able to come up with a satisfactory result. Otherwise it is advisable to work with design professionals.
These don't have to be large and expensive companies. Collaborating closely with a local freelance graphic designer, you can ensure your ideas are incorporated into the finished CD artwork, and also check that the important details like song titles and credits are not overlooked in some indulgent artistic concept.
Remember the scale
Even if you grew up with a fondness for vinyl gatefolds, bear in mind that the most effective CD artwork takes the limited space of a CD insert into consideration. Tiny details will be lost, so keep the concept bold and direct. Always work at 100% scale on the design, so you know exactly how the final artwork will appear.
Don't forget that iPods and many MP3 players now reproduce CD artwork on tiny screens, so ideally you need a design that will look attractive and recognisable even in this format.
A design theme that is repeated on the cover, inserts, and printed onto the disc labels will make the package look more professional.
Quality counts
Don't be tempted to save money on paper or print quality. Badly-printed or flimsy inserts will look amateurish and can undermine all the time and work you have spent on recording the music.
With the worldwide environmental focus, going green in the workplace is an increasing trend.
There are a lot of reasons more and more businesses are going green, including:
- demand from customers
- cost savings, and
- the desire of their owners.
One of the best ways to reduce your business' environmental impact is to shift from paper and focus on
Going Green with CDsfor distributing large documents and files.
Why Go Green with CDs
Even the greenest types of paper are rife with environmental issues. Making paper requires a large quantity of chemicals, water and energy, regardless of whether it is made from new wood pulp or recycled.
The paper needs to be shipped to a dealer and then shipped to your business. Laser printing or copying onto the paper consumes more energy, further growing your carbon footprint. If the documents need to be shipped to clients, vendors or other offices, more environmental harm is done in that process.
Finally, once the document is done with, all of the paper needs to be either thrown out or recycled, generating more carbon as a part of hauling it to its final destination.
Go Green and make a difference
By making the decision to Go Green with CDs, on the other hand, you eliminate just about every environmental issue that paper presents.
A small CD weighing just a couple of ounces can hold the equivalent of thousands of sheets of paper. The energy required to burn a CD is less than that needed to print, and shipping a small CD consumes less energy than shipping paper.
Finally, CDs are fully recyclable and can also be made from recycled plastics and metals. They are an excellent way to help your workplace go green.
More than just a tool to reduce your business' environmental impact, CDs also solve a number of other problems. They are secure in that once written, they cannot be changed.
They also take large files off of your business' clogged network, freeing up bandwidth for other employee activities.
This makes CDs in business a rare environmental technology. Not only do they make your business greener, but they also make it work better.
Depending on what your requirements are, you will choose either replication or duplication when you require copies of your CDs or DVDs.
Replication
With replication a CD or DVD is created to be an exact copy of the original. Data cannot be added or changed once the disc has been created.
The injection moulding process that is used to create the discs makes replication very cost effective and also has big advantages when there is sensitive or copyrighted material.
Replication is the most common choice when there are large numbers of CDs or DVDs required. Due to its reliability, this method is particularly popular in the corporate and music industries.
Duplication
In the case of duplication, data is burned onto blank CDs or DVDs by way of CD/DVD writers.
Duplication is the same as the process of writing or burning information by copying from one disc to another.
Duplication is the best option if you have a small amount of discs - less than 500, and if it's a very small quantity you need, you can even copy them yourself at home.
Duplication is often much quiker than replication, so if you're pressed for time, and your information is not sensitive, then duplication is the way to go.
If you’re in business, you know how devastating it can be when you lose important data. You also know how frustrating it is when changes are made to documents without your approval.
If you can relate to the above type-scenarios, and you would prefer them not to happen in the near future, you can rest assured that CD replication is a guaranteed, reliable way to protect and m
aintain your important files.
There are many reputable CD replication companies that offer this service to corporations.
CD replication is also a popular choice for the education and entertainment industries – particularly for film makers and musicians.
When choosing a CD replication company, just be sure to choose one that places high emphasis on content security.
Also, bear in mind that replication is the process used for large quantities of discs (generally 500 or more), so if you need smaller quantities, duplication is probably the best option for you.
And you could even look at doing this yourself if you need less than 50. This is commonly known as ‘burning dics.’
Why CD replication is so popular in corporate companies
CD replication is a professional process in which a CD is created so as to produce an actual copy of the original.
With CD replication, it is impossible then for the data to be tampered with in any way. This means information cannot be changed or added, which makes CD replication a very common method of data maintenance in companies.
We all know that there are
hundreds of uses for CDs. The most common uses include
storing music and video files. CDs are also extensively used in business to house company specific information such as
presentations and annual reports.
But CDs also have a critical role to play in information distribution where large audiences on a wide scale need to be reached.
These days technology is advancing so rapidly that it’s difficult to know what media will be ‘viewable’ on what systems, often making it tricky to guarantee that your audience will be able to view your all-important information.
The CD however is an old faithful and you can rely on it to deliver your message, regardless of technology. The high compatibility of CD media makes it very suitable to widely distribute to various target markets.
Certainly in urban areas, most people have access to a computer that will run CDs. This means that they will be able to view the information you want them to see.
Using CDs for information distribution also relieves limitations associated with Internet access. Information can be viewed regardless of bandwidth restrictions and access.
This accessibility, combined with the fact that CDs are so portable, make them the most practical media for information distribution.
Institutions who benefit from using CDs for information distribution include:
· Government departments
· Schools
· Health organisations
· Universities and other learning institutions
Caring for DVDs is simple but often neglected, resulting in scratched and damaged discs that become useless.
To extend the life of your DVDs, follow these simple tips. Your collection will love you for it:
- Handling – Only handle the DVD in the centre or on the outside edge. The shiny surface was not made to be touched by grubby fingers
- Storage – When your DVDs are not in use, they should be stored in a protective case. There are a variety of casing collections available. It doesn’t matter which one you use – just make sure your DVDs are in a protective DVD case of some sort.
- In and out – When taking your DVDs out of their protective case, be sure not to bend them. Similarly, you should be very cautious when placing the DVD back in the case – be careful not to scratch it. The same applies when you're placing the DVD in the player.
- Playing - Make certain the disc is properly seated in the player tray before you close it. Failure to do so is guaranteed to send your DVD on your a joy ride it won't recover from.
- Protection from heat and light – DVDs hate heat. This includes direct sunlight. And obviously keep your DVDs away from heaters and hot surfaces. Don’t stress about exposing your discs to artificial light and indirect sunlight – these forms of light have no effect on replicated DVDs.
- Cleaning – if you think you need to, a simple clean is fine. Do not use strong cleaners, solvents, abrasives, or acids. Use a soft, lint-free cloth and wipe gently in a straight line between the hub and the edge.
And there you have it. Six simple, on-the-spot tips to growing your DVD collection.