WARNING! Labels on DVD's deffinately CAN cause problems...

clearvu wrote on 8/1/2003, 9:26 AM
I posted this message as follow-up on another thread but decided to post it by itself to warn people of what I've discovered through various tests.

Ok, here's the scoop. I had a DVD that played absolutely fine. I decided to put a glossy label on it and discovered that it would no longer play properly toward the latter part of the disk. The picture would freeze and get pixelated. I managed to get the label off the DVD with a blow dryer set at high heat. The label came off much easier that way.

With the label off, I put the DVD back into the DVD player and all problems disappeared. So I thought, "what if I redo a label and put the new one on, just in case it did not go on properly the first time". This I did, and lo and behold, the problem came back again.

I'm using Stomper Pro applicator with glossy labels on HP DVD disk. The applicator is pretty much fool-proof. So, tHere's no way that the label is going on anyway put perfectly centred.

Conclusion: It seems clear that stomper labels on HP disk do NOT work on certain DVD players. I don't know if other manufacturer's disks will work with Stomper labels or not. This is VERY frustrating because I just bought a 200 pack of labels (not cheap). Perhaps other labels are not as thick and would avoid this problem? Again I don't know, but makes me hesitate adding labels to DVD's.


Brian

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 8/1/2003, 1:53 PM
No scoop. A jump to a conclusion that isn't grounded in facts. You choice of titles for this thread is being an alarmist. If you said MAY cause problems ok, Saying they do, without proof is reckless.

Look, I'm not saying you didn't have a problem. Or that others haven't or won't in the future. But before anyone reaches for the panic button realize that this is getting blown way out of proportion.

Putting a label on a disc (something that no doubt happens millions of times a day) does not automatically cause problems. In fact it most probably won't. I based that on putting labels and all kinds of CD's and DVD's. Hundreds of them and not once having any problem. Ditto for all the people I know doing the same thing.

If the concern was so great, then where is the outcry on the web? I can't even find any rant web pages on the topic. I have seen a few people complaining. That's all.

If on the other hand you put the label on wrong, meaning it isn't firm, has bubbles, placed on once, then moved and all those don't do things, then all bets off. If you use a so-called premiem heavy weight label, that may compound the risk, but yelling fire in a theater because one person had ONE failure is too extreme. Without much more substantial proof from a far wider universe.
clearvu wrote on 8/1/2003, 2:19 PM
Ironically, since my posting I've been in contact with the label manufacturer I used and they acknowledge. You want "proof"? Their response to my problem was "YES" there are problems with their "premium" labels due to their thickness when applied to DVD's. They said that many DVD players have thickness limitations as to what they can play. Taking all into account, 1) HP disk, and 2) the labels, is obviously negatively impacting my end results.

They are even willing to refund me my money for the 200 labels I bought even though I did not buy it from them. What does that tell you? To me, it means that they DO realize there are problems with thick glossy labels when applied to DVD's.

Am I being an "alarmist"? Obviously not, because if I am, then so is the label manufacturer since they quickly admitted problems DO exist. Mine was not an isolated case.

As an additional point. During my research I found that there are other companies out there who sell label who do not recommend using thick labels on DVD's. Think about it, the cost of thick labels is more, which means they make more profit, yet they recommend using thinner labels for use on DVD's. Again, logic tells me they realize the problem too.

In view of all this, I strongly stand by my word of "warning!". It seems clear to me that soon label manufacturers will start selling their products as "DVD labels" separately from "CD labels". DVD's are obviously more sensitive to thickness issues.
BillyBoy wrote on 8/1/2003, 2:29 PM
Well now you're singing a totally different tune!

One label manufactuer is saying there is a problem with one line of the labels that may effect SOME DVD players probably further limited to some brands of blank media. That's far different then:

"WARNING! Labels on DVD'S definately DO cause problems"

Which manufacturer and which specific line?

If you would have offered THAT information, then you would be providing a service. Instead you let your anger over YOUR problems color what you said which needlessly causes concern where there may not be any reason for it.

That's why I commented. Now me doing that apparently caused to to offer information you should have in the beginning.

And you're doing it again. You now claim "...obviously ... DVD's are more sensitive to thickness issues. Based on what? Your one time experience?

The reason I get annoyed with posts like yours is because they are similar to other people ranting and raving about Vegas, saying it crashed their system when it fact the real reason in more often than not something due to Windows, your hardware or simple plain inexperience.

tadpole wrote on 8/1/2003, 3:05 PM
clearvu
I would recommend trying out
[No-Wobble Frosty White INKJET CD/DVD Labels]
www.americal.com

As their name implies, they are "frosty" - which makes them somewhat translucent, so i would only recommend using them with blank non-branded top discs (there thin like scotch tape)

I have never had a problem with them.
However, has been a post from someone who mentioned the labels got all "gooey" after printing with an Epson 1280 injet printer.. I use a cheap printer with them and have no problem, they dry about a minute after printing.

of course, best bet is to pick up a printer with print-to-surface capabilities
clearvu wrote on 8/1/2003, 3:10 PM
The DVD in question was played on mulitiple DVD players. ALL responded the very same way, namely, jittery/lockup/pixelated playback towards the end of disk.

Are HP disks thicker than most? Perhaps. Are Stomper/Avery labels thicker than most? Perhaps. Are Pioneer Elite, Apex, and Malita players more sensitive to thickness issues than most? Again perhaps. One thing is certain, thick labels on DVD disks do not consistantly work. The fact that the problem does exist with ONE combination (disk/label/player) qualifies as a concern that others should be aware of. However, in this case, it is not just ONE combination because having once again checked things further, Verbatim disks also cause the same problem and according to their own website, while they admit that some have had no problems with labels, they do not recommend using them.

This is certainly nowhere near the same as people ranting and raving about Vegas crashing their system because, and I quote: "when in fact the real reason is more often than not something due to Windows, your hardware or simple plain inexperience". Computers and operating systems have many more variables making it difficult to pinpoint where the problem lies.

In this case, it was not only ONE label manufacturer that acknowledged a problem with thick labels on DVD's, it was a few of them. So the problem does exist and is recognized by label manufactering companies.
clearvu wrote on 8/1/2003, 3:20 PM
tadpole,

I checked out the product you are speaking of and actually called them. They said: "thin labels will NOT cause playback issues on DVD's, while thick labels can."

As a result, they sell labels for CD's and different ones for DVD's. While the DVD labels will work on CD's, the don't recommend CD labels for DVD's because of thickness problems.

This is exactly what I have found out from my research. Thanks for the reaffirmation.
clearvu wrote on 8/1/2003, 3:30 PM
BillyBoy,

I reread the title of this thead. I'll agree that the statement may be a little too dogmatic. For this I apologize. As a result, I changed the word "DO" to "CAN". Certainly there is no guarentee that putting a thick label on a DVD means that playback will cause problems. Some DVD players may be up to the challenge.

However, from what I've discovered, I certainly would tell people to be aware of the pottential problem and that in order to be safe, don't use thick labels. Why take the chance when there is a way to avoid it?

pfeiferp wrote on 8/1/2003, 4:54 PM
wow....

one can go back and and change an earlier post?....i wish that worked in the real world.

I appreciate your diligence, clearvu. I put labels on dvds I just made for a local band...all the time thinking, "they'll love these labels."

Now I'm thinking I need to ask them if there were any problems playing the dvd's. Luckily, the material was pretty short...so maybe we'll be okay.

pb wrote on 8/4/2003, 6:07 AM
Hi,

Before we made the move to printing directly on the discs we used Avery 8692 disc labels. Out of over a thousand copies, none of the CDRs and few of DVDs failed. I guess the main reason I don't use paper labels is the time required to print, peel and stick several hundred labels on disc whereas now I can just put 50 in the printer's magazine, hit print, go for a smoke, come back, put in another 50 etc. However, STOMPER brand labels and those darn glossy things did create coasters. Didn't bother with a hair dryer, just used the defective discs as mini clay pigeons to vent my anger.

Peter