What labels do you use? Do you use Photoshop for label layout? I wish I could layout and print in Photoshop 7 with just one disk and then tell it if I want to print 2 up that fits the label template. Right now I finish the design, merge visible layers then copy the layer and center it over the empty spot in the template (thus making 2 images). I'm new at this so tell me if I'm out in left field somewhere.

thanks
jack

I think I have stumbled onto something. I ran a batch of 30 Fujifilm DVD-Rs last week, and printed labels using Nero Cover Designer (included with Nero). The label stock is Meritline, and they are a glossy finish. The printing was done with an Epson C80, and it looks beautiful; the label is basically a deep blue color photo of Oregon's Crater Lake with Yellow text and graphics.

Okay, so I applied the labels carefully with a Stomper device, and tried them out. Everything fine.

Then, the next day, disaster struck. The DVD-Rs still played fine on my little Apex player and on my PC, but my Toshiba player hunted and hunted. You could hear the mechanism going nuts inside the player. Funny thing is that the beginning of the disk would play fine, but by the middle of the program it would lose track, and by the end it could barely track at all (the disk was almost completely full).

On a whim I put a disk in a cotton shirt and aggressively flexed it back and forth along several axes. Presto! The disk now played perfectly. The only problem was that the label was now fractured in several places. But it played.

Hmmm... Perhaps what was happening was that the label, saturated with ink, dried out overnight and since paper fibers are usually aligned in one direction more than in another, as the label dried (and shrank slightly) it warped the disk very slightly. The Apex laser apparently didn't care, but the Toshiba laser sure did.

On a hunch I suspended 5 unplayable disks on a dowel in an oven preheated to 180 degrees (F). I took them out 10 minutes later, and to my amazement, they now play perfectly! One could theorize that the moderate heat softened the adhesive slightly, relieving stress and warping.

But there's more. I "cured" all thirty disks, yet 24 hours later a few still give problems. I have not yet done additional tests i.e. longer or shorter cures, higher or lower temperatures, etc. Anyone who is of the curious sort is free to experiment and report.

So perhaps the issues people are having with labels on DVDs have more to do with label shrinkage than with balance. Furthermore, the fact that my Apex player will play anything (while Toshiba can't) shows that the industry still needs to get its act together.

I bought the EZCD printer for my DVD labels. It cost around $399. It is nothing more than an Epson C-60 printer that was modified but it does a good job & you don't have to worry if stick on labels will cause problems down the road.

It's tempting to just print on the disk. I am shocked on the cost of the Fuji (I think thats who it is) printable DVD+r and DVD-r. I think the +r is like $5.89 a pop and the -r is around the same. The cost is worth it if I know these disks won't cause any problems. How does the printable disks handle full ink coverage? How long to dry? Is the finnish professional looking?

jack

How about just letting the paper label dry overnight and apply them after they are dry?

I have used NETO labels and the DVD seem to play fine.
I have only made a few because I am new to authoring DVD. I have sent this out in the past.

Watson hit the nail on the head. You must let your labels dry thoroughly before applying them to your disks, especially if you're using dark colors.

Michael

I use a Lexmark Z53 and and Neato high-gloss CD labels. I apply them with the circular "stomper" thing they include with a kit of theirs. In over 100 DVDs I have never had an ink problem, or a wobble problem.

I also use Media Face to print the label. In Photo Impact 8 I create a 600 by 600 image, pour a background color in then place a circular object that fills the square. Then I design within that circle. Later I save as a bmp, then import it into Media Face and I get perfect results!

william -
I recommended these "no-wobble" in a post a while back, and haven't had any problems using them. When i'm done printing a label on my HP 940c inkjet, i just give em a quick shake then BAM - go on disc like a dream using afterburning applicator.

You got a fairly nice printer and that might be the problem. It might be oversaturating the label with ink - or maybe the ink used in epsons is reacting with the label adhesive somehow??

I print on HIGH quality setting on my cheap HP printing, and results are excellent
(excellent as in they look really cool - not as in fidelity wise | since the labels are translucent, the reflective disc underneath gives a neat effect)

Drying takes about 1 min, 2 min tops, even with dark colors.

maybe try turning down the qaulity of your print...
if that doesn't work, give it a go on a cheap little $40 inkjet

I love the "wobble-free" labels and shutter about using a big, thick regular disc label.

feel bad if you blew money off one of my recommendation!
on that note - let quick post a few more disclaimers about the "wobble-free" to
anyone else interested in trying these.
- NEED to use blank/non-branded media (any brand/markings will show through label
- They are cut so you can cover a disc to small hole-style OR normal - BUT, not recommended for small hole labeling because the inner rings of disc are usually transparent (ie print doesn't show well on translucent label with transparent background)

- and last of course, make sure they don't become all gooey after printing....
william please keep us posted if you figure out the cause of your problems