Printable DVD-R blanks - Your experiences?

Hutch wrote on 3/5/2007, 2:10 AM

Hi folks. I'm quite sure this has been discussed many times already, so please excuse... and/but...

I'm curious to know who's had good luck burning DVD-ROM's using printable (as in Epson R220) DVD-R blanks. Of course, I'm interested in knowing best quality media to minimize coasters and maximize compatability and customer satisfaction on a semi-production run (small quantities done in my home studio ~100).

I truely appreciate your time and experiences. -H

Comments

farss wrote on 3/5/2007, 2:35 AM

TY Master.
They now have a waterproof gloss finish version available.
Looks fantastic, costs a lot more.
Bob.

Hutch wrote on 3/5/2007, 3:09 AM

Thanks for the note, Bob. Can you run those gloss finish ones through a Epson type CD/DVD printer (mine's a R220)? It seems it would be tough for the ink to get through the gloss to print, and then dry... Perhaps I'm just uninformed or confused.

Also, does anyone recommend a favorite supplier of printable blanks?

RedSlug wrote on 3/5/2007, 3:47 AM

I've just gone through about 30 of 50 Traxdata disks. They have a silver finish and take a few minutes to dry, but the results are pretty good IMO.

I just end up with DVDs everywhere while they dry.

farss wrote on 3/5/2007, 4:09 AM

They print just fine on my Epson Photo 900 and I'm told they work on any inkjet. How does it work, not a clue, some real magic going on there, and they're pretty much waterproof.

Give the Verbatim ones a miss, big time. Their 'waterproof' finish is tragic. Sticky forever.

Where to buy, sorry, unless you're in Australia doubt I can help.

Be warned though, these gloss TYs are around 2x the price of the regular TY Masters.

Bob.

ScottW wrote on 3/5/2007, 5:52 AM

For media quality, I also recommend Taiyo Yuden. I get mine at meritline. For maximum compatability, I suggest using +R and software (such as Nero) that will set the booktype (if the burner supports it) to DVD-ROM. Otherwise you can't go wrong with TY -R.

The TY watershield does have an incredible finish when printed on with full color via my EPSON R800's - however, the cost (3x more than regular white inkjet) causes me to limit use to very special projects only (unless the customer is willing to put up the extra $'s). The regular TY white inket media is fine for modst daily use.

--Scott

mountainman wrote on 3/5/2007, 7:30 AM

I've burned thousands of the TDK brand from Costco. Maybe one out of 500 were coasters. .39 cents each. Cheaper if you watch for sales. JM

johnmeyer wrote on 3/5/2007, 7:34 AM

These from Meritline:

Taiyo Yuden Premium Line 8X DVD-R Media 4.7GB White Inkjet Hub Printable Blank DVDR Disc Shrink Wrapped

Note: Until two days ago, I didn't have a burner that could set book type, so I've never had a chance to try what Scott suggests. I have read many posts in many places that you can get even better compatibility by doing what he suggests. However, I've burned thousands of discs in the past two years simply burning to Taiyo Yuden DVD-R, and have yet to get one back because it wouldn't play.

riredale wrote on 3/5/2007, 8:08 AM

I've bought all my TY DVD-R, DVD+R DL, and CDs from either Supermediastore or Meritline, depending on the shipped price at that moment. Turns out they come from the same warehouse in SoCal. I guess it's similar to stocking the supermarket shelves with multiple brands of toilet paper all made by the same factory. More shelf space for you = less shelf space for competitors.

EDIT: Agreed about the new TY Watershield gloss finishes. I've dumped my Epson printer that I've used to make countless adhesive DVD/CD labels and will never do another one. Now it's only inkjet printing on my Canon IP3000 with the CD tray modification.

Another advantage: the printable area is almost full-face, making for much more attractive graphics.

mbryant wrote on 3/5/2007, 9:00 AM

Another TY Watershield fan here. Excellent quality on both sides of the disc.

jrazz wrote on 3/5/2007, 10:14 AM

I have used Ritek GO4's (not sure if they are GO, but I am sure that they are 4's and not 5's). I haven't had any problems with them and the newest batch of 1,000 I bought were TY's from Meritline. I like them both and print via a Primera Bravo II Disc Publisher and I also have a Epson r320 that works just fine with them as well. I have yet to try the water protected discs, but once my batch runs out, I will give them a go. I have used both the silver and white and find that some prints are better suited for silver than white and visa versa- no different in quality of burn though.

j razz

StormMarc wrote on 3/5/2007, 10:29 AM

Taiyo Yuden 8x Premium give me almost no problems when burned at 8x on my pioneer drive. I buy them from Supermediastore.com. I've had some trouble with Meritline messing up my orders on various occasions.

Marc

JJKizak wrote on 3/5/2007, 10:34 AM

Still using Verbatim 8X Hub Printable with no runs, no drips, no errors.
JJK

DGates wrote on 3/5/2007, 11:09 AM

I got a free Taiyo Yuden waterproof DVD sample from Discmakers. I printed it with my Epson R200. Less than a minute after I printed it, I run it under the faucet. No ink bleeding or smearing whatsoever. It boogles the mind how the ink gets into it.

They're a bit pricer at about 77cents, but still not bad overall.

Discmakers

Hutch wrote on 3/7/2007, 1:11 AM

Scott, you wrote: For maximum compatability, I suggest using +R and software (such as Nero) that will set the booktype (if the burner supports it) to DVD-ROM

I knew about the DVD-ROM thing, and was planning to do that (see original post at top of thread), but I read somewhere on the 'net (here?) that using the -R disks in -ROM format would somehow be the way to go (rather than the +R's in -ROM format).

Do you think there's really much difference either way? Have you had good/bad experiences with either or both?

I appreciate your insites. -H

craftech wrote on 3/7/2007, 6:08 AM

I use these. They go under the name of Verbatim (Datalife Plus) with a media ID of MCC 02RG20 which is all that is actually important. The Taiyo Yuden TYG02 work really well (I use them for unprinted DVDs) , but the inkjet printable TYG02 don't look as good as the Verbatim branded Mitsubishi inkjet printable discs. They burn best at 2X - 4X.

John

riredale wrote on 3/7/2007, 9:05 AM

Hutch:

If I may jump in here for a moment--as I understand it, the booktype setting is what tells a DVD player what kind of disk it is. The only issue is that the DVD+R DL format is relatively new, and some players have no idea what it is, so they refuse to play it. In these instances if you burn the disk and set the booktype to "DVD-ROM" then the player recognizes it as one it knows how to play and plays it. You can read more here.

JohnMeyer:

I think most DVD burners these days will set the DVD+R DL booktype to DVD-ROM automatically. You can check your burner and an inserted disk for booktype by using several tools, but the one easiest for me is Nero's extremely useful and badly misnamed "CD-DVD Speed" tool. Look in the Extra menu and click on Bitsetting. You can see the default name your drive will give to DVD+ disks as well as the current booktype of an inserted DVD+ disk.

NOTE: There's no need for any of this with DVD-R. All the players out there know what a DVD-R disk is...

johnmeyer wrote on 3/7/2007, 9:16 AM

You can check your burner and an inserted disk for booktype by using several tools, but the one easiest for me is Nero's extremely useful and badly misnamed "CD-DVD Speed" tool.

Thanks. I have that tool and will use it to see what I've got. My new Plextor will definitely set booktype.

UlfLaursen wrote on 3/7/2007, 10:44 AM

Hi

I use both Ritek and Tayio Yuden printable. Ritek has a bid more smoother surface but both are good. My TY 8x runs at 12x w/o probs.

I buy them from www.svp.co.uk - great service and great prices.

/Ulf - Denmark

ScottW wrote on 3/7/2007, 12:19 PM

Hutch, -R disks do not allow you to change the booktype, it's hard pressed into the DVD during manufacture. So there's no such thing as a -R with a DVD-ROM booktype. +R disks require that the booktype be written on the disk by the burner. For SL media, most (all?) burners by default st the booktype to +R; some burners allow the booktype to be changed to DVD-ROM under software control.

The reason that +R allows the booktype to be changed is to improve compatability. Many DVD players check the booktype to see if they recognize the media and can play it. Many players made before -R came out would only play media with a DVD-ROM booktype, then players started to be designed to recognize -R's booktype. Along comes +R a little later, and again, players that recognize -ROM and -R may not recognize +R. Then a little later along comes +R DL with a new booktype that very few player recognize, and on and on.

I think we've finally reached the point where most of the DVD-ROM only players have been decommissioned. Eventually it will be the case for -ROM & -R players, and so on.

As far as my experiences go - if I have a customer return a DVD-R because it won't play (not very common anymore), the first thing I do is give them a +R with DVD-ROM booktype. In 99.9% of the cases, that resolved the problem. In the very few cases where the problem wasn't resolved, they usually ended up getting a new player that would play the DVD.

--Scott

--Scott