Advantages and disadvantages of CD/DVD Inkjet printing

CD and DVD Disc Ink Jet printers have become very popular, especially for short run disc production. Ink Jet technology is used here in the same way as in paper printers – by spraying ink onto printable surface of the disc. The end result depends on the quality of the equipment and quality of the printable media surface. The Inkjet printable media has special coating applied onto the non-recordable surface that allows direct print onto it.
The advantages of Ink Jet printing over traditional CD label printing:

• Printing directly onto disc is easier and faster than applying sticky CD labels onto many discs.


• It is cheaper to have discs inkjet printed than to separately buy media and printed CD self-adhesive labels.


• The label can peel off and cause damage to the drive or player. However, in case of printable discs the printable surface is part of media therefore the risk of damage to the drive is minor.


• As most CD printers have disc alignment function, printing directly onto discs is easier than placing labels on many discs.

Inkjet disc printing provides the most cost effective solution to short to medium run and on-demand CD/DVD printing while achieving high quality results. There is no need for plates or screens here.
Even if you need a proof copy prior to the final production, on-off samples are not a problem.
Furthermore, inkjet disc printing offers flexibility that allows effective colour matching to other printed materials from the same set i.e. inserts, booklets, inlays, presentation folders etc.
Even if the artwork has a lot of fine detail and graduated tints are used the print resolution achieved is still very high.
Worth pointing out is the fact that a single CD inkjet printer can print in black and white as well as full colour (CMYK).
The main disadvantages of using inkjet printers to print onto CDs and DVDs are potential moisture damage, damage by abrasion or potential photo damage. These however can be minimised by applying a protective UV spray lacquer over the disc.
It is also good to know that the inkjet printers can only print in four colour process (CMYK) which means that Pantone colours cannot be accurately printed. However, it is possible to find a very close match to most of Pantone colours, when required.
All in all, there are far more advantages than disadvantages of inkjet printing onto CDs and DVDs.

Keith McGregor is a partner of Strawberrysoup, a web design agency with offices in Chichester and Bournemouth. Strawberrysoup specialise in creative web design, content managed websites, search engine optimisation, search engine marketing and graphic design