CD Printers

[Dave]

Hi,

 

I think sound is the best category for this...

 

I might have to get a CD printer for a couple of jobs that are coming up. Volumes are low and I don't want to have to use a duplication company.

 

I'm looking at budget inkjets that are CD capable, such as Epson R285 and Canon iP4300.

 

Anyone with experience of these? How well do they work? What's the quality of the end result like? I'm worried that the printing may be easily smudged. Are they fussy about the make of disc they print on?

 

Are there any alternatives? Are sticky labels a bad idea? I also need to do DVDs as well and I've heard reports of DVD-Rs not liking labels.

 

Any help much appreciated...

 

Dave

[Trunker]

I have had experiences of labels' glue melting.

 

Printing is generally OK,but, you need printable CDr's.

 

Obviously as with normal printing, the better the printer the better the result.

[dunk_1984]

Yep... Excellent experiences.

 

My printer: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/117424

CD-r's : http://www.ebuyer.com/product/84348

DVD-r's: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/88661

 

Obviously they aren't all stocked any more but that's what I use.

[Dave]

James,

 

Thanks for your helpful post. The R285 I'm thinking of is the replacement for the R265 you have.

 

Can you tell me roughly how long it takes to print a disc, what is the quality like, does the printing smudge, and what the ink costs are (if you have any idea).

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[Rob_Beech]

I use an RX640, its not exactly a budget printer at about the £180 mark, but I've had nothing but good experiences with it. it takes maybe 40 seconds or so to print a full image disc, quicker if its just text etc. I use the Epson Print CD software that came with the printer, not tried any other software. I'll assume that the cheaper ones that print CD's will do them just as well, its just mine is an all in one unit (scanner card reader and so on.)

 

I use the cheapest printable CDR's I can find which are normally about £8 per 100 and have yet to have one fail. and they play in anything I've tried them in. Quality of print is very good though my printer is hex rather than just black/colour.

 

I've always found epson ink to be smudge free straight from the printer, unlike some other makes. This must be printer related rather than ink related as I'm currently using cartridges that cost me 70p+vat each and they're fine.

 

Rob

[The Boogie Man]

My last album was done on an epsom r300, the ink is not oem ( pattern stuff from 24/7 ink ) It takes about 1min for a disc.

I've never had any smudge, just let them dry for as long as you can, or the insert card can stick to them. the quality is great.

baz

[jamesperrett]

I would very seriously look at the Canon range - my experience of them is much more positive than my experience of the Epson range and this is backed up by other people I know.

 

When a similar question came up on the Sound on Sound forum the Canon recommendations were almost unanimous. The only downside to Canon printers is the cost of the ink - but that's a minor issue compared to all the hassle I had with my Epson printer (which is going to the dump tomorrow).

 

Cheers

 

James.

[RoyS]

I have used the Canon Pixma 4000 for a number of years and got great results.

 

For the printable CD's try these guys: CD-RMedia.co.uk

 

Cheers.

 

Roy

[Josh 2]

Hi,

 

I have used a Canon Pixma IP5300 (changed from being an Epson fan) for the last six months or so and so far I can't fault it.

 

I haven't done too much research, but I get the impression that it is the printable media (CD's in this case) that is important. I 'believe' you can buy matt finish, glossy finish and a special 'unsmudgeable' variety. Naturally the prices vary accordingly.

 

Personally I found with both my old Epson and now the IP5300 that the results WILL smudge if you rub a wet/damp finger over the print.

 

If I need a good, lasting disk or a small run of disk's, I print them all out and then spray them with a couple of fine coats of clear acrylic car lacquer (spay can will do). This gives a great finish that will not smudge. You might need to practice the spraying and get the right lacquer/nozzle, but the end results look quiet pro.

 

Best wishes,

Josh

[M#x]

As an alternative to printing you could look into Lightscribe technology:-

http://www.lightscribe.com/gettingstarted/index.aspx?id=87

 

You can print directly onto the top of the discs using a CD drive for your computer, the drives only cost about £25 and the discs arnt that much more expensive than standard discs.

 

You can use your own design but it only prints in mono unfortunately.

Something to look at maybe.

Cheers

J

[paulears]

I too use an Epson, and the major problem is simply time. The carrier on mine needs a small prod each time to make sure the thing is in just the right place, or it gets ejected. So you need to have plenty of time - print time isn't too bad, and the quality is very good. Alternative ink supplies aren't too pricey - it's just having to be next to it for an hour or two that is a bit of a pain.

[david.elsbury]

Depending on how much you are putting onto the top of the disc, lightscribe can take forever... also I don't know how reliable it is for long term use/storage.

[Rob_Beech]

For a full colour image light scribe can take upwards of 20 minutes on some of the BETTER drives.

 

Also, isn't it Epson with an N?

[Just Some Bloke]

I'm looking at budget inkjets that are CD capable, such as Epson R285 and Canon iP4300.

 

I use an iP4300 and get good results. I can recommend it.

 

It takes while to set itself up for the first print but after that it's relatively quick and painless.

 

P.S. I'm sure this is to do with live recordings you've made, as otherwise we'd have to close the thread due to it being to do with computing and not technical theatre. I am right, aren't I?