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CD and DVD Duplication and Printing

There has been a growing demand for disk duplication in recent years. One of the reasons behind the growing popularity is that the CD and DVD duplication services that are available today have become much less expensive and can be very quick. The CD format is used throughout the entertainment, marketing and educational sectors and DVD has now come of age with almost every household in the UK now having a DVD player.

CD or DVD duplication means producing number of copies of disks using CD-R or DVD-R (or +R) format disks. The term duplication is generally used for low volume runs (shortrun) and involves writing the audio, video or data to the disks in much the same way as a home computer does. In contrast 'replication' generally describes a manufacturing process where a 'glass master' of the disk is produced and a production run of many thousands of disks are pressed from the master.

When less than a thousand disks are required, duplication is usually a more cost effective method of production and will also take less turnaround time. A replication run will almost certainly take in excess of two weeks from start to finish whereas at our duplication facility at TechnoVisual CDShortrun we regularly print and duplicate over a thousand disks in one day and could turnaround a disk only run of this size (ie. little or no packaging) in 24 hours from receipt of the master disk. In terms of pure cost, the break-even point between duplication and replication tends to be around 750-1000 units at the time of writing. However there are several other differences between duplication and replication other than time-frames and cost that may sway you one way or the other.

Another factor to consider when getting your disks duplicated is what you want them to look like and what they are going to be packaged in. Most disk duplication services will offer a range of disk printing types and packaging options. Each type of printing has its own benefits and drawbacks.

'On body' disk printing is the most common system where the print is applied directly to the disk. This is often done with inkjet printers (similar to a home computer printer) but can also be done with thermal transfer or re-transfer printers (mainly TDK or Rimage systems). The other type of on body printing is screen or in some cases pad printing. These two methods use a stencil (screen) or plate (for pad printing) to transfer ink onto the disk one colour at a time. These systems really have more in common with the long-run digital and lithograph printing systems often used for replication.

Choices for packaging can be even more varied. The standard 'jewel' case and DVD cases are available from most disk duplicators with the option of paper or card inserts. These are fairly low cost options but if you want to really stretch a budget, plastic wallets or clam shell cases are also a good option. On the other hand if you are looking for a classy product that will stand out from the crowd, options like printed wallets or digipacks may be what you are looking for. These items are likely to cost more than the standard packaging items and may be difficult to source if your disk run is less than five hundred. TechnoVisual CDShortrun is one of the very few UK duplicators who will provide bespoke printed packaging in quantities less than five hundred. In fact our average digipack run is only one hundred units!

There are no hard and fast rules as to which directions you should go when getting CDs or DVDs duplicated or replicated. The best policy is to make sure you know how many units you will need – if in doubt, start small. Always get samples before you make your decision and if possible get a prototype made before the main run is done to make sure you know what you are getting. It's best to choose a company that you can talk to on the phone to answer any questions you may have. It may sound like great economy to get a company half way round the world to produce your product at half the price, but if you can't talk to them and discuss the details of your project, they may not have understood your requirements properly.

So there you have it, CD and DVD duplication in a nutshell – but if you do need some more in-depth info be sure to get in touch with us at TechnoVisual CDShortrun and we can let you in on a few tricks of the trade. www.cdshortrun.co.uk - +44 (0)1280 815161

About the Author

Mark Vanstone has worked in the computer and multimedia industry for over 20 years and currently is the Technical Director of TechnoVisual Ltd.

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