OT: Anyone been able to print lettters on a plain DVD without smearing?

craftech wrote on 5/4/2004, 6:23 AM
I would like to print a few letters on a NON-inkjet printable DVD instead of using a sharpie with my R300, but no matter how long it dries or how low the setting it smears if you touch it. Anyone tried it successfully with a Direct CD/DVD inkjet printer?

If not, do you have any alternative suggestions which look neater than handwriting? I have tried Neato "core labels", but they peel off.

Thanks in advance,

John

Comments

jetdv wrote on 5/4/2004, 8:23 AM
Those DVDs aren't designed to accept ink. Your two main options are to use Printable Surface DVDS or labels. (of course, there's alway the option of the marker you're using now)
johnmeyer wrote on 5/4/2004, 8:29 AM
The Sharpie is the way to go.
farss wrote on 5/4/2004, 9:03 AM
I give in, what is a "sharpie"?
There is the little thermal printer thingy from Brother. Only plain text and you have to be careful not to let the text go over the edegs of the screen printing or it will not stick.
Jsnkc wrote on 5/4/2004, 9:07 AM
There is another one from Casio as well, I think it's the CP-50 or something like that. It's mini thermal printer that is great for printing just text on and non-inkjet printable CD's and DVD's. It's pretty limited in the printing department, but if you just need a few lines of text it is a great option.

Ah, here it is :)
http://www.casio.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=products.detail&catalog=Label%20Printers&product=CW%2D75
Randy Brown wrote on 5/4/2004, 9:11 AM
A "sharpie" is a "magic marker" with a sharp tip.
Randy
craftech wrote on 5/4/2004, 9:12 AM
I give in, what is a "sharpie"?
There is the little thermal printer thingy from Brother. Only plain text and you have to be careful not to let the text go over the edegs of the screen printing or it will not stick.
=======
A Sharpie is a brand of permanent marker here in the states. I looked through the Brother line and only found thermal label printers, not thermal CD printers. Maybe it is not available in the states as is the case with the TDK thermal printers and the Canon CD/DVD Inkjet printers.

Also, in terms of the Casio thermal printers, they don't make clear letters if you print small fonts (which is what I want to do). They are also only good for around 15-20 DVD's per ribbon. Ribbons are $7-10 each.

John
Firetoad wrote on 5/4/2004, 11:19 AM
I have heard from other people about using a fixatif over non-inkjet printable discs that have been printed. The fixatif then dries over the wet ink. I use Krylon 1305 fixatif that was purchased at an art supply store for my inkjet printable discs that come off of my 960 without a problem

The best solution is to purchase inkjet printable discs if you want to use the R300.
jetdv wrote on 5/4/2004, 12:13 PM
I've heard of people using fixative over DVDs printed on printable surface DVDs - never the plain ones.
Firetoad wrote on 5/4/2004, 12:34 PM
A few people have made mention of it over on dvdrhelp.com's forums. Never tried it myself and really don't want to. I wouldn't think it would be a very good method, but some have done it. Besides that, I would think you would have a chance of gumming up rollers, printheads, etc. with the wet ink on the slick tops of non-printable discs.
baysidebas wrote on 5/4/2004, 1:06 PM
Try using the fixatif spray before printing. Make sure it's dry before the printing step.
JJKizak wrote on 5/4/2004, 2:17 PM
Try going to a silk screening factory and have them make up a fixture for you and then get a slug of ink from them. OH and watch how they do it. Its really a pain in the you know what. You will go back the the 300 real quick. Oh yeah, you will have to get a permit from the EPA because they are death on ink related operations. I'm kind of negative because I am loosing money in the stock market.

JJK
craftech wrote on 5/4/2004, 3:06 PM
If you print on non-printable DVDs with the R300 it doesn't smear up the rollers because it doesn't actually touch them. The rollers roll the tray the disc sits in, not the disc. Brush on fixative may be worth a try. I do print on the printable type, but for some DVDs I would like to do a really great photo based jacket insert and then just a relatively plain DVD inside with a few neat printed letters or words close to the hub.

John