Inkjet Printable DVDs that don't smudge?

<p>I'm using Verbatim photo printable white discs which look good, but they are not very smudge proof. Do smudge proof discs exist, or do I need to coat them with a spray? If you spray your discs please tell me what you're using.</p>

<p>I'm using Taiyo Yuden DVDs with Epson pigment inks. No smudging.</p>

<p>Here I use an ink that takes a long time to dry. While the DVD is being burned; it makes a retro "spinning wet paint" art like the 1970's fairs had. :)</p>

<p>@Kelly Why wouldn't you burn them before you print them?</p>

<p>Rob, we use Memorex discs and have no issues.</p>

Falcon Media Pro

<p>It's all about the ink. Water based dye inks smudge. That's the average, low cost printer with CD/DVD capability. The inks that don't smudge are:</p>

<ul>

<li>Pigment inks, as Roger pointed out. And the printers are pretty easy to get and use.</li>

<li>Solvent based dye inks, something only seen in dedicated CD/DVD printers costing over $1,000</li>

<li>Thermal inks, again something seen in a dedicated printer.</li>

</ul>

<p>There's no spray that I know of that's safe for a DVD, won't alter the longevity, the balance (if you coat unevenly) and possibly migrate to the optical side.</p>

<p>I use a Microboards PF3 printer, which used pigmented HP "Vivia" inks. They dry quickly and there is no smearing with ordinary handling. When the ink is completely dry, it does not smear under running water. I print a lot of discs, but there are dedicated printers for under $1000 too. Many low priced inkjets, mostly dye-based, print discs one at a time for low volume work. I also have an Epson R280, which does an excellent job with the right discs.</p>

<p>I generally use standard Taiyo-Yuden white inkjet discs (matte finish). T-Y "Watershield" discs are even better. They resist smearing even with dye-based inks (but cost twice as much). Watershield discs are glossy, and do an amazing job with photographs in the label. This is the best solution if you don't want to plunk down the change for a dedicated printer.</p>

<p>Thermal printers don't smear, but they do tend to skip a lot (the ribbons wrinkle), and can be rubbed off easily. These printers use a wax impregnated film and an heated element to transfer the wax to the disc. Thermal printer for discs have nearly disappeared in favor of inkjet printers. Aside from first cost, cost/disc and durability, they can't reproduce continuous tone photographs.</p>

<p>Lightscribe. Never smudges. But it does not do color. So what. People don't admire the disc or display it for friends.</p>

<p>Not sure why yours are smudging, I use the same ones and have no problems. I always burn the disk first, and then print. Let them dry overnight while I do other stuff. Never an issue. Epson R1800 printer with Epson inks.</p>

 

<p>i use a konika color laser printer. u save $ on ink.</p>

This won't be to everyone's taste but it suits me! I print my CD-labels on paper (using my own designed layout files, but there'll be blank files available online) on a laser printer (mono) cos laser-printing doesn't smudge (but laser toner's probably not eco cos I recently understand that the toner is really ultra-fine black plastic) & glue them to the CD, obviously using minimal-solvent glue (identified by lack of glue-smell!) – I find that glue-sticks wrinkle the paper (who'd've thought?!) & so I use either a glue-roller (if in a hurry) or "non-wrinkle glue" which is unfortunately difficult to spread evenly for no lumps (although I only do 2 circles of glue, outer & inner) but at least with that I get through less glue-containers/plastic. Oh ar, I cut out the paper discs using scissors – I bought a circle-cutter (recommended by friend, only £3) but found its centre-point just enlarged its tiny hole in the middle (I'd marked the middle with a 3rd, tiny circle) & so thenceforth it cuts the rest of the circle off-centre; clearly there's some technique to this that I'm lacking! - such as perhaps using the cutter on a softish surface so that the centre-point sticks in a bit &/or cutting several layers at once (as my friend does, but he's cutting flyers shaped like beermats! - hence he's cutting loads, whereas I'm only cutting 1-3 CD-labels!)

I forgot to say (& don't know how to add it to previous post) that of course precautions must be taken to stop the paper CD-label flying off & jamming-up the disc-drive! I've found that the only precaution needed, but this is very important, is to have the middle circle/hole only a couple of millimetres bigger than the CD-case-spider, so that the paper-label & its CD are both clamped down together in the CD-drive.

Sorry, I also forgot to say that I found that glue is kind of melted by the heat of the CD-burning process, ie. found that if a paper-label is glued on before burning, the glue then becomes unstuck during the burning (but it's still clamped down in the disc-drive, thanks to having a small hole). So obviously I now simply glue the paper-label on after burning the CD.

Paper labels look okay at first, but shrink and expand with humidity. This can lead to jams in slot-type players found in cars, and expensive repairs.

 

Inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs are readily available, and highly resistant to smudging, even with dye-based inks. I use pigment-based ink, which won't smudge with a wet finger after drying for 15 minutes, and won't smudge with a dry finger immediately after printing. There are premium coatings which are more robust yet, some with a glossy surface. I use Taiyo-Yuden discs exclusively, for their consistent burning and printing properties.

 

I have a dedicated printer, which takes a stack of 100 discs. However, many inkjet printers are able to label discs, except one at a time and relatively slowly.

Laberls? It depends on the paper quality. You can solve it using a pigment printer (Epson Durabrite or something alike) but they are a pain to deal with over time. Lightscribe is amazing but only B/W and takes longer.

 

If you want the easy way, very simple: use an UV spray and use it on your disk, it will create a transparent protective layer that (depending on your brand and quality) it will eventually become waterproof. Just be careful to firmly press the disc so no spray gets to the bottom of it.

 

Paper labels look okay at first, but shrink and expand with humidity. This can lead to jams in slot-type players found in cars, and expensive repairs.

 

Inkjet-printable CDs and DVDs are readily available, and highly resistant to smudging, even with dye-based inks. I use pigment-based ink, which won't smudge with a wet finger after drying for 15 minutes, and won't smudge with a dry finger immediately after printing. There are premium coatings which are more robust yet, some with a glossy surface. I use Taiyo-Yuden discs exclusively, for their consistent burning and printing properties.

 

I have a dedicated printer, which takes a stack of 100 discs. However, many inkjet printers are able to label discs, except one at a time and relatively slowly.

Exactly, and the labels can end up looking terribly after the expansion.