Modifying Canon Printers for DVD Printing

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/20/2009, 12:54 PM

Why not just buy a printer that prints DVDs?

blink3times wrote on 7/20/2009, 1:35 PM

We don't have the same restrictions in canada that you do in the states. They sell canon dvd printers here as well as HP... so why not just do the mail-order thing from canada

TheHappyFriar wrote on 7/20/2009, 2:08 PM

or drive up if you're close enough!

CClub wrote on 7/20/2009, 3:49 PM

I probably will end up ordering one from Canada, but I was going to try to pick one up and have it 2 day mailed because I need it urgently. Is anyone aware if any of the newer Canon printers (eg, mp860) can be modified to print discs?

If I end up purchasing one in Canada, where are most people buying from... www.futureshop.ca?

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/20/2009, 4:02 PM

James, I asked the question hoping you would provide some insight, rather than ignoring it altogether.

CClub wrote on 7/20/2009, 4:39 PM

Jay... no bad intentions... just in a panic going over my options. The reality is, I've come close over the last hour clicking on an order for an Epson, but I just find sooo many negatives reviews about the ink usage. Then there are as many people who say it's not bad, but the last thing I want is another printer sitting on the shelf that I don't use.

John_Cline wrote on 7/20/2009, 5:01 PM

I saw an HP printer at Costco here in Albuquerque a few days ago that prints on CDs and DVDs. I didn't pay any attention to the model number or the price as I'm happy with my Epson for now, but there it was.

CClub wrote on 7/20/2009, 5:08 PM

John,
Which one do you have? I was looking at the Artisan 700, but it got a lot of tricky reviews on Amazon.

blink3times wrote on 7/20/2009, 5:20 PM

You can check out some of these places:

http://goldfishlegs.ca/eshop/bycategory/Computer_Hardware

There is also NewEgg Canada.... but I have a feeling that it's based in the USA and simply selling to Canada

www.newegg.ca

TheHappyFriar wrote on 7/20/2009, 5:43 PM

the epson's never failed for me. Plus, you said you need it now, so why wait for an order to arrive? Go buy one.

craftech wrote on 7/20/2009, 6:44 PM

I have a Canon MP600 that I modified to print DVD's. Of course in the middle of a print job, I just knocked it off the counter and it doesn't work. I was going to buy another Canon that works with "Tray F," but I just saw a comment on this forum that Canon is making the new models so you can't modify in the US to print discs. Does anyone know if the MP860 can still be modified (or any of the other new ones that can be modified to use Tray F?

The Canon MP860 cannot be modified to take a CD Tray. If you are looking for a Canon printer that can be modified and that also uses an "F" Tray you can get a Canon MX850 refurbished with a 90 day warranty directly from The Canon ESTORE for $129.99 + shipping. The printer uses the same Canon CLI-8 ink cartridges your MP600 uses and that hold a little more ink (not much more though) than the newer models that don't print DVDs. So this would be an easy transition for you. Same tray and same inks.

John

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/20/2009, 6:47 PM

James, I understand where you are. I was there myself, recently.

I wound up getting an HP D7560, only $149 and it prints DVDs beautifully.

Maybe worth looking into for you.

P.S. I will never buy another Epson.

Chienworks wrote on 7/20/2009, 6:55 PM

I have the HP 5280 and it also prints gorgeous CD/DVDs. It was about $140 when i got it a couple years ago. I've seen it as low as $100 recently.

craftech wrote on 7/20/2009, 7:22 PM

I wound up getting an HP D7560, only $149 and it prints DVDs beautifully.

Looks like B&H carries it for $99 + shipping.

John

CClub wrote on 7/20/2009, 9:09 PM

If John hadn't found the refurbished Canon, I would have gone with the B&H HP. But since the MX850 takes the F tray and the same ink, I ordered it with overnight shipping. Once again, the Forum comes through in a pinch. Thanks all!

Chienworks wrote on 7/21/2009, 5:18 AM

It does make me wonder *why* Canon doesn't sell disc printing models in the USA. It can't be a legal restriction since several other manufacturers do. It can't be a wise business decision because they'd sell a lot more printers if they did. Am i missing some point, or are they just being stupid?

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/21/2009, 5:33 AM

"... or are they just being stupid?"

It would appear, based on their behavior, that 'stupidity' is the modus operandi of the majority of businesses these days.

CClub wrote on 7/21/2009, 5:50 AM

I was always under the understanding that Epson had some sort of US patent on the disc printers. But on the other hand, some of you are saying that you bought HP disc printers in the US. Maybe they have an arrangement with Epson that Canon doesn't?

reberclark wrote on 7/21/2009, 7:31 AM

Is the printing software that comes with the HP printers adequate for your design needs? Can you use 3rd party software?

blink3times wrote on 7/21/2009, 8:10 AM

:"Can you use 3rd party software?"

I have the HP c5280 and I print to disk directly from photoshop.... no additional software required.

Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/21/2009, 8:20 AM

Ditto what Blink said... "no additional software required."

Frankly, I am surprised at the quality I'm getting from the HP--excellent. The ink is reasonably priced, too, compared to Epson.

Will the entire printer shut down because one color is out/ I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet.

rstrong wrote on 7/21/2009, 5:26 PM

I wanna hear how you knocked it off the counter......that's gotta be a story in itself ?

blink3times wrote on 7/21/2009, 5:31 PM

"Will the entire printer shut down because one color is out/ I don't know. I haven't gotten that far yet."

No.
That's why I took my epson outside and stuck it under the front wheel of my van (no joke either.... boy was I pissed!). The HP printers don't hold you up for ransom the way those dammed epson printers do.

Chienworks wrote on 7/21/2009, 6:22 PM

The last time i installed software that came with an HP product was probably close to 10 years ago, and i have no intention of ever doing so ever again. Their included software is some of the worst bloatware on the planet. A typical printer install is 120MB on the CD and takes up close to 250MB of hard drive space. Probably all but the tiniest fraction of it is 3rd rate toys that function poorly. All their software and utilities also auto-install in auto-start mode and are always running, offering to help you with any task no matter how marginally related to the product they were installed with. Don't do it. First step when you buy an HP product is to find the installation CD, break it in half, and toss it in the trash.

Second step is to go to HP's website and download the "corporate" driver for whatever device it is and install that. These are nice tiny little files, a few MB at most, that do what drivers are suppose to do: drive the device. Nothing more. No little dancing inkdrops on your screen smiling at you. No bloated photo album software that barely functions. Just plain access to the hardware.

Once that's done, use any layout program you like, even your photo editor or word processor, to create the image to print on the disc. It works just like printing on paper. It helps to make a circular template* first that's 4" in diameter with a .5" or 1.5" center circle as appropriate for your blanks and save this as a template file. Make sure your design fits within those circles so that you don't end up spraying ink all over the disc tray, which is both a waste and a mess. Then ... print!

* Actually for my template i created a white rectangle the size of a regular sheet of paper, then "punched" a 4" diameter hole in the rectangle. I then created another solid .5" circle in the middle of the 4" circle and joined the two shapes together. I load this template in first and create my design to fit in the donut-shaped hole between the circles, but not worrying about keeping it inside or whether it overlaps the template. When i'm ready to print i'll "float" the original template layer to the top, which masks out everything that won't be on the printable surface of the disc. Almost any software cable of creating layouts can use this sort of layered template. How you create it varies drastically from program to program though.