oddly fat cds? or cd labels???

... is it AT ALL POSSIBLE that these CD-Rs were defective in that they are too thick or something?

Yes, yes it is possible. Poor QC, plain and simple.

CD reader lasers expect the reflective portion of the disk to be an exact distance from the bottom of the disk, if it's not, you'll get intermittent focusing problems and lots of errors during playback, which sound like static, clicks, etc. as the data stream drops out.

The right way to do labels is to get ink jet blanks and a printer. The Epson R200, R300, or R320 will work just fine. I have used both the R200 and R300, they were dirt simple to use and the results were stunning.

ORIGINAL: polarbear

damn well whats the alternative for cheap cd making? i thought everyone uses labels... as a matter of fact i cant imagine a time in my life i've ever labeled a data cd (that you can just write in marker on)...

whats the cheapest alternative to labels? one of those inkjet on disc printers? and if so, how many full color cds can you get out of one ink cartridge on average??

...
anyway yea, maybe i'll look into getting an on disc printer... i've always wanted one... whats a recommended one (but again i dont have that much money to put into it, looking for cost effective)...

Dave

Can you say Sharpie ? That's the only other safe way. Come up with a cool looking logo that's easy to draw

They last time I checked you can get an Epson R200 for under $100, that is a huge drop in price from what CD printers used to cost. I paid $350 for one once and it worked.. once. My Epson works every time I use it. As for ink there are 7 cartgidges so you can change each color as it runs out, very nice. They are about $12 each. The number of CDs would depend on your artwork, how much of the CD is covered, and the quality settings you use in the driver. The default will try to do photo quality and that just uses up ink for nothing. You can do in and adjust it to "Normal" or set your own settings and it will take a lot less ink and print quicker. Remember real CDs are done with a silk screen and the resolution is not that good, so you don't have to do photo quality to make your CD look like a real CD. If your artwork has a white background you can save a bunch of ink and get a lot of prints out of a set of cartridges.

ORIGINAL: ghijkmnop

Can you say Sharpie ? That's the only other safe way. Come up with a cool looking logo that's easy to draw

Sharpie ink will eventually eat through the emulsion. Use a CD Marker.

wow.. have you ever seen a bad disc caused by a Sharpie ? I have some VERY old CD-Rs that were marked with a Sharpie and they still work fine. I think some are over 10 years old. I guess you could use ink jet printable blanks so there would be a coating for the marking to stick to and protect the CD-R. It might be that some CD-R blanks have better coatings then others. Back then I was using Mitsui top of the line with some kind of special coating so that may have saved mine.

ORIGINAL: krizrox

Sadly, I can't offer any useful explanation for your problem but I do question this anti-labeling stance.

I've been labeling CDR's (and lately DVD's) almost since they first hit the scene and with very few exceptions I've never had any problems playing these labeled discs in any player. Discs in my collection which are going on 6 years old now still play fine. I do not buy top of the line media. I never have. I've always bought the cheap stuff. I've burned and labeled thousands of discs. Wouldn't you think, with thousands of discs behind me, there would be a trail of problems that I would be aware of of? A client complaining? Labels peeling off? Anything?

That's not to say I haven't created my fair share of beer coasters but I always attributed the problems to either an occasional bad disc or a PC hiccup or whatever.

I know I've gonna hear all about it but I'm not buying into this anti-labeling thing. If there is a website that can be trusted with firm hard data showing the error of my ways - please direct me to it.

I use Neato brand materials. Always have always will. As long as you make sure the label is firmly affixed to the disc, there shouldn't be an issue.

I think you might have gotten a bad batch of discs. I doubt your problem is the labels. Here - test the theory - go out and buy a few new CDR's from Walgreens or K Mart or wherever and try them. If they work fine, then the problem is the discs and not anything else.

The main problem with labels is heat and slot loading disc players. After using some CDs with labels in my last car it got to the point where the disc would not eject. After a while of trying to eject the CD it came out but the damage had already been done. The rollers inside the unit had flat spots worn on them. From then on ejecting any kind of disc was hit and miss and the player had to be replaced.

Heat will cause the disc to expand at a different rate then the label and over time it will start to develop wrinkles making the problem even worse. On tray loading players or even changers this is not a problem but on slot loading ones it is.

Heat tends to build up inside dash mounted stereos both from the unit and the dash lamps located under or near the unit. On long trips this can cause the discs to expand and songs at the very end of the CD (outer edge) can start to skip. This has nothing to do with the labels that I know of but just an FYI. CD-Rs tend to be affected more then stamped CDs. If your car has a combo unit with a cassette deck under the CD you can prop the cassette door open with somthing to let the heat out and in most cases solve the problem for those long night time car trips. I think cars with backlit AC/Heat controls under the stereo are the worst, the backlight lamp cooks the CD player. They should use LED lamps in the dash of cars.

I do question this anti-labeling stance.

The anti-DVD labeling stance is due to the extremely high speeds in which DVDs spin, in comparison to CDs. If the label is enough off-center, the resulting wobble can damage your DVD player.

I luv you guys but I've never had a problem with labels or Sharpie markers or anything like that. Since no one can point to actual data or facts, I went to Andy McFadden's CDR Recordable FAQ website (http://www.cdrfaq.org/) for believable data. Here's what it said about this stuff:

Subject: [7-7] Is it okay to write on or stick a label on a disc?
(2004/02/22)
Only if you're careful. The wrong kind of ink or label can damage a disc. The adhesives on some labels can dissolve the protective lacquer coating if the adhesive is based on a solvent that the lacquer is susceptible to. Asymmetric labels can throw the disc out of balance, causing read problems, and labels not designed for CDs might bubble or peel off when subjected to long periods of heat inside a CD drive. So long as you use labels that were meant for CD-R discs, you will *probably* be okay.

For the same reasons, if you want to write directly onto the surface of a disc, you want to use pens that are approved for use on unlabeled CD-R media. The ink in some kinds of pens may damage the top coating of the disc.

Specific information can sometimes be found on the back of the jewel case that the discs come in. Old TDK CDR-74 discs had the following warning:


"[...]
2. Do not attach labels or protective sheets, or apply any coating fluids to the disc.

3. When writing titles and other information on the label (gold) side of the disc, these should be written in the printed area using an oil-based felt-tipped pen.

[...]"

Other brands say "use a permanent felt-tipped pen" or words to the effect that the ink shouldn't smudge. The most important part is to use a felt tip pen and not a ball-point, because the top layer of the disc will gouge easily on most media.
There are pens recommended specifically for writing on CD-Rs. Examples include the Dixon Ticonderoga "Redi Sharp Plus", the Sanford "Powermark", TDK "CD Writer", and Smart and Friendly "CD Speed Marker". Some of these are relabeled Staedtler Lumocolor transparency markers (#317-9), which are alcohol-based. Never use a solvent-based "permanent" marker on a CD-R -- it can eat through the lacquer coat and destroy the disc. Memorex sells water-based color "CD Markers" in four-packs (black, blue, red, green).

Many people have had no problems with the popular Sanford "Sharpie" pens, which are alcohol-based. Other people say they've damaged discs by writing on them with a Sharpie, though those discs may have been particularly susceptible. The official word from Sanford is:


"Sanford has used Sharpie Markers on CDs for years and we have never experienced a problem. We do not believe that the Sharpie ink can affect these CDs, however we have not performed any long-term laboratory testing to verify this. We have spoken to many major CD manufacturers about this issue. They use the Sharpie Markers on CDs internally as well, and do not believe that the Sharpie Ink will cause any harm to their products.
[...]

Sanford Consumer Affairs"

In any event, the Ultra Fine Sharpie pen looks almost sharp enough to scratch, so sticking with the Fine Point pen is recommended.
So long as you use the right kind of pen, it's okay to write directly on the top surface of the CD, label or no. Use a light touch -- you aren't filling out a form in triplicate. If the prospect makes you nervous, just write in the clear plastic area near the hub, or only use discs with a printable top surface.


Adding an adhesive label to a disc can make it look more "professional", but you have to be a little careful. If the label and the disc aren't a good match, the label can start to delaminate after a while. There are some indications that labels can shorten CD-R lifetime, so it might be best to label data archives and backups with a pen instead (see section (7-5) for more). Adhesive labels aren't recommended for discs you plan to keep for more than five years.

The best way to feel confident about labeling your discs is to try it yourself. Buy some labels, put them on some discs, leave them someplace warm, and see if they peel off. If they do, you'll need a different kind of media or a different kind of label. Some labels don't adhere very well unless they're attached to a disc with a plain lacquer surface on top, so combining labels with "inkjet printable surface" media may be asking for trouble. One note of caution: this only tells you if the label will peel up right away. It doesn't tell you if the label will still be nice and flat two or three years from now, especially if you live in the tropics where the air is always hot and damp. Using adhesive labels on discs meant for long-term storage may be unwise.

Whatever you do, don't try to peel a label off once it's on. You will almost certainly pull part of the recording layer off with the label. If you're going to label a disc, do it immediately, so you can make another copy if the label doesn't adhere smoothly. Any air bubbles in the label that can't be smoothed out immediately are going to cause trouble. Use a label applicator for best results.

It may not be a good idea to put labels on discs that will be fed into a "slot in" CD player, such as those popular in dashboard car CD players. Sometimes the added thickness will cause the disc to get stuck.

A number of companies make labels for CDs, and some sell complete kits including applicators and software. Two of the biggest are NEATO, at http://www.neato.com/, and CD Stomper, at http://www.labelcd.com/. Check section (8-3) for other sources. The software from http://www.surething.com/ includes templates for a variety of different label layouts.

If you want a label that also covers up the clear plastic part at the center of the disc, search for "hub labels". There are even labels that *only* cover the hub section.

You can also buy printers that will write directly onto discs with a printable surface. One example is Primera Technology (http://www.primera.com/), which now handles the popular FARGO CD-R label printers.

Some information on CD-R labeling options can be found here: http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/Labeling/

Sony's http://www.sonydadc.com/ web site has a "Downloads & Templates" section with artwork that my prove useful. You can find most CD-related logos on the site (try http://www.sonydadc.com/downloads/, scroll down to "Logos" for common formats). Some are also available from http://www.licensing.philips.com/cdsystems/cdlogos.html.

Mike Richter's CD-R primer has a very nice page on labeling discs. See http://www.mrichter.com/cdr/primer/labels.htm.

It is important to keep the CD balanced, or high-speed drives may have trouble reading the disc. According to one report, a disc that had a silk-screened image on the left side of a CD-R (leaving the right half of the disc blank) was unreadable on high-speed drives due to excessive wobbling. Most label kits come with a label-centering device, usually something trivial like a stick that's the same width as the hole in the middle of the CD.

Avery's CD-R labels became quietly unavailable in October 1997. The rumor is that the adhesive caused data corruption problems, so Avery recalled them. There are indications that the adhesive would fail on some discs and start to lift off within a short period of time. If you have Avery labels (#5824) purchased before this date, you should avoid using them. The labels being produced now don't have this problem.

Ha ha ha - krikey. What a blast from the past. I take back everything positive I said about labelling CD-R's with sticky labels. I stopped doing this a few years back when one of my clients, who had ordered like a hundred piece run of labeled CD's from me, complained that one the band's friends had stuck one of their CD's in the car stereo and it had gotten stuck. They had to take the car to the dealer to get the CD out along with a nice big bill. On top of that, I have seen plenty of cases where labeled discs don't play worth a fart in my home stereo CD. CD's I labeled years ago, the paper is bubbling up in spots. Jumps, skips, scratches. I've since seen all that.
 
I just gave up. Wasn't worth the cost of the material or the time involved. If clients want labeled discs I send them to one of the local short run houses and they get ink-jet printed discs. Or just go get the standard silkscreened versions. Worth it in the long run. Quite a few of my clients do the Lightscribe stuff and even that is better (although Lightscribe is major time soak).
 
DO NOT LABEL DISCS WITH PAPER LABELS. BAD IDEA!!!