A New Era in On-Demand CD/DVD Printing

Until now, CD label designers were constrained by the available printing technology, with only five printing options available to them—silk-screen, offset, inkjet, sticker labels and thermal.  While these five methods all have their advantages, they also have their drawbacks.

Silk-screen and offset printing produce indelible labels with strong color, but these processes are most suitable for production runs of 1000 or more discs.  Because of the set-up and costs involved, they are not suitable for just-in-time and mass customization applications. Silk-screen typically produces 85-120 LPI, and magazines are generally offset printed at 150 LPI.  FastDupes uses the top of the line, state-of-the-art thermal printer, to print labels at 173 lpi — color or monochrome printing that is better than silk-screen!

Inkjet, sticker labels, and thermal are the three approaches to on-demand CD-R & DVD-R printing.  Inkjet printing produces realistic images, but not as vibrant as silk-screen or as permanent.  Sticker labels can potentially damage discs as it peels off during the course of its life. The other method, thermal printing, produces custom labels that are highly durable and resistant to damage, but its color printing capability has limitations that preclude its use when a label has complex color graphic content. Most companies who do offer thermal printing are only capable of low resolution printing. Applications requiring corporate identity, a compelling marketing message, and other visually powerful effects demand disc labels that match the print quality of silk-screened or offset printed discs.

The thermal process FastDupes uses is UV protected, ensuring vibrant colors throughout the life of a disc.  And because the ink is not water based, there are no issues with the label smearing.  It also won't scratch off—you'll ruin the disc before you can scratch the label.  This enables our discs to now be used for commercial distribution because our printed discs can withstand the rigors of day-to-day consumer handling.