Inkjet Printable Glossy DVD-R Disks

InterceptPoint wrote on 3/31/2005, 5:30 PM

I am using my new Epson R-200 to print on Ritek White Hub Printable DVD-R disks. They turn out fine but give you a pretty much matte finish. I am somewhat spoiled by my previous use of stick-on glossy CD labels that actually look better than the Epson versions.

Not wanting to go back to the stick-ons I am curious:

1. Does anyone make a glossy, hub printable, stable, reliable as Ritek DVD-R?

2. How do the printable silver DVD-Rs look compared to printable white.

Hoping someone has run all the experiments and can give me some advice.

Comments

B_JM wrote on 3/31/2005, 7:40 PM

1. no

2. dull ussually - but if you can print with the silver comming through in areas - its a nice effect ..

can not do it with all printers i think ..

InterceptPoint wrote on 3/31/2005, 8:29 PM

Thanks for the input even if it is the bad news that I was expecting. Hopefully, Ritek will figure out how to do glossy printable one of these days.

briang wrote on 4/1/2005, 12:54 AM

InterceptPoint

There was a post about this some while back on this forum.

The suggestion was to spray each DVD disc with clear acryllic after printing.

Apparently this achieved the desired effect.

Today, I was out trying to buy a spray can of clear acyllic for this purpose, because of the matt finish from my Epson 310. Have not yet found a source, but will keep on trying.

I will keep you posted on the results.

Brian

B.Verlik wrote on 4/1/2005, 1:02 AM

Get yourself a $5.00 can of "Clear Acrylic Enamel" at almost any auto or hobby shop (home depot for all I know). Everyone has their own method of spraying the discs, just follow the directions on the can and don't get any spray on the bottom and you'll get a fairly nice sheen. Not a super smooth finish, if you hold it up and twist it under a light, looking for minute inconsistencies, but for the most part it looks super good. It adds only a few cents to each disc. I just lay my discs down on a piece of clean bond paper which is on top of a flat piece of cardboard and hold the paint can about 10 inches away (above), I'll spray back and forth, as per directions, but I'll do it from each point of the compass, doing it 4 times altogether, always from above and not spraying the edge. Sometimes I spray a lot, but you get a little bit of an 'orange peel' effect. Or spray semi-lightly and it's nice either way. (Spray a lot, and it almost looks like wet water but hard to get perfect.) Let dry for a few hours and I'm pretty sure you'll like it. But it wont be 100% consistent like the glossy paper is, but these will be 100% centered.
Edit: If you spray a lot, be careful not to let it get too wet too fast, or it may get underneath.

InterceptPoint wrote on 4/1/2005, 3:28 AM

Much thanks for the input. I will give it a try. I really miss that sheen.

MarkFoley wrote on 4/1/2005, 4:21 AM

Try the silver...produces a nice hologram-like appearance...very professional looking. I always apply clear acrylic over the top of the finished product

Tom Pauncz wrote on 4/1/2005, 4:36 AM

Any particular type/brand of clear acrylic?
Thanks
Tom

InterceptPoint wrote on 4/1/2005, 5:11 AM

MarkFoley wrote:
"Try the silver...produces a nice hologram-like appearance...very professional looking. I always apply clear acrylic over the top of the finished product"

It looks to me like my favorite G05 8X Riteks don't come in Silver Printable.

Can you recommend a silver hub-printable 8X brand? My search of Meritline.com (my normal source) turns up the following:

1. ProDisk 8X Silver Hub Printable
2. Taiyo Yuden 8X Silver Printable
3. Verbatim 8X Shiny Silver Printable

Knowing nothing else I would pick the ProDisks since I like Hub Printable. OTOH, Verbatim is at least a brand I have heard of.

MarkFoley wrote on 4/1/2005, 5:24 AM

I've probably burned 70-80 prodisk without a single coaster....

stepfour wrote on 4/1/2005, 5:31 AM

I buy Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear at Wal Mart. Works perfectly. If you're using hub printable discs with your Epson, be sure to let the ink cure at least 24 hours on the disc before spraying on your acrylic coat.

B_JM wrote on 4/1/2005, 5:58 AM

ProDisk 8X Silver Hub Printable and Verbatim 8X Shiny Silver Printable are the same quality (very good)

Taiyo Yuden 8X Silver Printable is also very good - slightly better with some players.

i would go with whatever one you think has the nicest finish ..

the special coating on both white and silver printable is the same (to make them printable) . it is water soluble - so take care in whatever you spray on it (same goes for the ink to i guess)

the epson 'water resestant' inks are not much more water resistant than any other (i like them though)

ink jets cartridge replacement is a big rip off .......

Tom Pauncz wrote on 4/1/2005, 6:09 AM

Hey Brian,
You're in Canada - from where do you source your discs?
Cheers,
Tom

B_JM wrote on 4/1/2005, 6:16 AM

http://www.blankmedia.ca/ --- for really large orders, he can work out some special pricing (large orders meaning over 2500 or 5000 at a time)...

100% first rate service and delivery (but then i also bought some 25,000 blanks from them)

there are other good dealers also ... if you want some more - i can dig out the list of the other great 3 or 4 dealers i have dealt with or know about ..

Tom Pauncz wrote on 4/1/2005, 6:20 AM

Hmm .. I don't use those kinds of volumes, but thanks. If you could dig out the others I'd appreciate it. Unless it's of interest to other Canucks, you could just e-mail me offline.
Cheers,
Tom

craftech wrote on 4/1/2005, 6:54 AM

When I first got my R300 I thought the output was dull and dingy, but after wasting a few discs I have found that the following settings give me more of a lustre and I kind of like the way they look now:

Select Print
Set Print Color Correction (density) to +1

Under Printer Settings:

Media type - Premium CD Surface
Photo Quality
Photo Enhance

Those are what I use on Ritek G04 White Inkjet Printable DVD-R

John

B_JM wrote on 4/1/2005, 7:01 AM

they do sell in smaller volumes also --

other places:

www.effectuality.ca
www.blankdvdmedia.com

stepfour wrote on 4/1/2005, 7:32 AM

craftech, you are right. i use those exact same settings on my r300 and get excellent results. increases the drying time slightly, but, dvd making is a patient process.

riredale wrote on 4/1/2005, 8:40 AM

B JM:

The Epson pigment inks I've used for the past couple of years on my C80 printer are completely smear-free and permanent. I print on Meritline glossy labels, and then attach them using a rolling-pin technique.

Maybe it's the combination of paper stock and ink that makes them so permanent--I don't know. I also don't know the composition of the white surface on printable DVD-R blanks.

Actually, I need to modify my earlier statement. The YCM inks are utterly smear-proof and permanent, but not the black. If you print in black you CAN rub your thumb and get a slight smudge. But not the colors. I don't know why.

B_JM wrote on 4/1/2005, 10:12 AM

if you have a wet thumb , will they smear ? they do for me...

but as i said - i really like those inks also anyway ..

Laurence wrote on 4/1/2005, 1:11 PM

I have an Accent Disc Laminator. It cost about $2,500 but it was well worth it. Not only are the disks glossy, but they are waterproof, more rugged, and the faces look even better than most commercial DVDs. I use it on virtually every disk I burn.

B_JM wrote on 4/1/2005, 4:49 PM

nice unit - do you have the auto loader ?

Laurence wrote on 4/1/2005, 5:55 PM

No but once it comes up to temperature it is pretty quick. My biggest job these days is about fifty discs at a time. It would be hard to justify unless I had some bigger jobs.