DISC PRINTING: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The print on the disc surface is often a method to get your people to look at the disc content.

We have six different methods for making sure that your discs have the graphic punch for getting your message across.

HIGH VOLUME METHODS

Screenprinting

• Screenprinting is used on printing on mass-replicated discs (1,000 pieces +).
• It consists of forcing ink through a mesh or “screen” that has been coated with a photographic emulsion that hardens in different areas, depending on the design of the original artwork, thereby allowing more or less ink through the screen onto the surface of the disc.
• Screenprinting is capable of being used on a variety of materials, which is why it’s a natural for disc printing.
• This method is best for printing areas of solid color that have a density of between 15% and 85% of a color.
• It is not best for areas of gradation or blending or photographs, although it can be used for these.

Offset Printing For Disc

• Offset Printing for Disc is very similar to the method that is traditionally used for printing brochures and magazines on paper.
• It is a four-color process method that is also used on mass-replicated discs (1,000 pieces +).
• It works well on photographs and blends.
• Its main drawback is that it is a four-color process only, which means: It’s not a great choice when Spot Colors (like those often used in corporate logos) have to be reproduced exactly.

SHORT-RUN OR FAST TURNAROUND METHODS

Thermal Transfer Printing

One digital method that is frequently used these days for small-volume, fast-turn jobs is called thermal transfer printing.

Like all digital methods, it’s a four-color process system: Uses colored ribbons and heat to transfer a color image onto the surface of specially formulated discs; think of it as an “iron-on.”

Of all the digital methods, it most closely matches the output of screenprinting, and has some of the same drawbacks.

It works better with solid colors, and the images can show some of the same “screening” or blockiness to small parts of the image. It is a very reliable method of printing with consistent results.

INKJET

Inkjet Printing is another digital four-color process system that prints on specially formulated discs.

Much like the inkjet printer you may have on your desk at home: The inkjet method passes cartridges containing a liquid ink over the surface of the disc, and sprays tiny droplets of ink onto the surface in successive passes.

Of the digital methods, inkjet most closely resembles offset printing. It works better on photos and blends than on areas of solid color. The quality is fantastic, perhaps the best of all the methods listed here, but the trade-off is that it is slower and the end result slightly less durable than some of the other methods.

Disc Labels

Disc Labels: When no other method will do, digitally printed adhesive paper labels can often save the day.

Disc for disc, and factoring in setup time, disc labels are the fastest way of getting artwork on your disc.

Synergem is capable of producing many hundreds of paper labels an hour, so when you need a lot of discs fast, paper labels can be a real savior.

The main drawback to labels is that they frequently don’t cover as much of the surface area of the disc of some of the other methods.

Digital Electrostatic

Digital Electrostatic or “DigiGem” printing is a relatively new technology in the arena of disc printing.

It uses a combination of toner, ribbon, electrostatic charge and adhesive to adhere a digitally printed image to the surface of the disc.

Digital Electrostatic or DigiGem Printing Pluses: It does a terrific job with photos and blends --in fact, the more graphic info on the surface of your disc, the better.

Variable Data Printing: Beyond basic print, you can personalize your printing. You can put an unique name from your customer list on each disc in your 50, 500 or 5,000 piece order. Pass along an individualized message to every customer on your mailing list--what a powerful communications tool!