DVDs in CD Cases ok?

PeterWright wrote on 7/12/2007, 2:25 AM

I see that Verbatim are selling Gloss printable DVDs in slimline CD type cases.

Can we assume from this that these cases are ok - I understood that the larger DVD cases held the disc further away from the case and kept the optical surface safer ... ?

Comments

farss wrote on 7/12/2007, 3:33 AM

Forget about the case.
The contents are RUBBISH.
I bought a box and they all ended up in the bin. The gloss finish stays sticky forever.
If you want the gloss waterproof finish get the TY ones.

Bob.

PeterWright wrote on 7/12/2007, 3:56 AM

That's interesting Bob - a Client brought me a pack to use and I printed 20 without any sticky problems - I did allow them a bit longer to dry before handling. I don't know if the type of ink makes a difference, but I used Canon.

farss wrote on 7/12/2007, 4:06 AM

The guy I bought them off warned me, Verbatim (in small print somewhere) warned me not to put them in plastic sleeves, should have rung more alarm bells. I was using a fairly high ink density.
Conversely no problems at all with the TY version.

As to the cases, shouldn't matter at all. If CDs, which are more fragile than DVDs, survive being in them then DVDs should be fine. My only gripe about jewel cases is they break all too easily.

Bob.

Tim L wrote on 7/12/2007, 5:25 AM

I've heard that putting DVD's in CD jewel cases was a bad thing, and the reason behind it makes sense to me.

DVD's are made from two separate discs which are bonded (glued) together, while CD's are made from a single disc on top of which a liquid coating (like a laquer or polycarbonate or something) is applied and then cured.

The main fear, as I understand it, with DVD's in a CD case is that you basically have to pull them off the hub to remove then from the case. This necessarily flexes the DVD as you pull on the edges of the disc while the hub grips tight. The concern is that this flexing will cause delamination or separation of the two, bonded disc halves. At the very least, it seems reasonable that this flexing would stress the interface between the two discs.

DVD cases, on the other hand, usually have a "press to release" type hub, so that the hub itself releases its grip on the disc, without the need to pull at the edges of the disc. In fact, many of the newer DVD cases seem to keep the disc completely recessed, so you can't even get your fingers on the edges of the disc until you first release it from the hub.

Tim L

JJKizak wrote on 7/12/2007, 5:40 AM

I don't think I have ever seen a cd or dvd case that didn't have a press to release hub. I have seen some of them that are out of spec and hard to release.
JJK

farss wrote on 7/12/2007, 6:06 AM

They are all Press to Release but not all press to releases are born equal. The Ameray ones are very good and it's so obvious that you have to press the button that you can't miss it. The cheaper cases and the jewel cases aren't so obvious and I've seen plenty of people just rip them out of the case.

The delaminating issue is interesting. I've smashed a few DVDs by stomping on them. Takes a lot of force and I'm no featherweight. No signs of delaminating at all, just a few very sharp edges bits. Don't try using a hammer without safety gear on!

Pressed DVDs might be different, don't know, never had to destroy one.

Bob.

richard-courtney wrote on 7/12/2007, 7:26 AM

I just bought some ejector slimline cases.
http://www.meritline.com/ejdvsl102550.html

let you know of any problems on the optical side I don't use the gloss type.

riredale wrote on 7/12/2007, 9:27 AM

There's all kinds of release mechanisms, and some double-disk DVD cases even have push on / pull off hubs. I spent a lot of time several years ago intentionally weakening those hubs so that damage wouldn't be done to the DVD-R disk by users when pulling it off.

In general, I wouldn't hesitate to use CD jewel cases or thin cases to hold a DVD. But since the DVD box is normally associated with DVDs, that's what I use when delivering "official" product.

I also strongly urge everyone to try out the TY "Watershield" disks. The inkjet results are fantastic.

Chienworks wrote on 7/12/2007, 9:35 AM

Every "CD" case i have ever used releases the disc when pulled very easily, almost no deforming.

Every "DVD" case i have ever used, even with the push to release button, makes me pull on th disc so hard that it bends to an alarming rate.

I always ship DVDs in "CD" jewel cases.

Steve Mann wrote on 7/12/2007, 6:38 PM

"DVD's are made from two separate discs which are bonded (glued) together"

This is only true of dual-layer discs.

riredale wrote on 7/12/2007, 6:45 PM

Steve: Not exactly. A DVD has the recording layer in the middle of a sandwich, which is one reason why it is difficult to really trash a DVD disk, unlike a CD, where the recording layer is on the very top and easily scratched.

A dual-layer (DVD-R DL) or double-layer (DVD+R DL) disk does indeed have two recording layers, but they too are sandwiched in the middle.

You can see that every DVD is a sandwich if you look closely at the hole in the middle. You'll be able to see two pieces of plastic, rather than one as in the case of a CD.