Help printing on CDs with an Epson

Hey Curm! I'm in Vermont mate, so I know exactly what you are talking about with the weather!!

My trial period for Acoustica ran out and I ended up using the Epson program. My main moan was that it was not printing centered on my discs and no amount of fiddling with the realignment option would correct it.

Anyway, I had to reformat my computer a couple of weeks ago so I tried it again once I reloaded it and now it wroks perfectly! All I have to do is change the inner diameter for the different discs I use, it gets it spot on every time! Every cloud has a silver lining I guess. Let me know how that Patricia Nomack spray works out, I'd be interested to see. I may also be even to get it as I have a large Walmart near me.

 

Hey woodbane,

Do you make inserts for your DVD jewel cases to go along with your printed discs for the full professional look?

Just wondering, if so, what paper you use for inserts? I think I mentioned this in an earlier post.

Anyway, I have the Epson R800 and up to this point, have been using the Epson Premium Semigloss Photo paper for my inserts, but this is getting rather expensive: about $15.00 for 20 sheets.

Do you know of any more general purpose paper that has somewhat of a gloss finish that might be cheaper? I'd go generic, just as long as I know that the print will look good on the paper, I've had a lot of bad luck with terrible image quality with non-Epson (Fuji, Kodak) paper up to this point.

Thanks!
Justin

 

Hi Justin,

No, unfortunately I don't make DVD inserts. I keep all my backups in a 'drum' that holds 100 DVD's. The jewel cases would take up too much space. Sorry I can't be of much assistance when it comes to the quality of photo paper.

 

Hey Woodbane,

I tried the Nimocks spray, and it seemed to work OK. I have been putting the disc on paper and standing over it, holding the can about 2 feet above the disc and spraying down onto the disc.

I'm getting a speckled effect on the discs. It seems to give a nice coating but on dark areas of the disc (rich, darker colors) it looks almost like I took a tiny permanent marker and made tiny little dots over the surface of the disc, some dots being darker than others. It's kind of hard to describe. Is that the "orangepeel" effect you were talking about?

I'm really having some trouble getting it just right, then again, I'm not sure what "just right" is supposed to look like. Is the disc supposed to have somewhat of a textured, glossy effect after spraying? I want to get an effective coating but I also don't want it to look like crap. Thanks man!

Justin

 

Try another coat and go a bit slower while doing the spraying. When it's all dried you should have a smooth finish. It is a bit of trial and eror until you get it just right.

 

Woodbane,

Thanks for all your help. I think I got it as good as it can get. If I hold it at an angle under the light I can see kind of an orange peel effect - individual dots especially in dark areas, but under normal conditions or looking at the disc straight-on, it's not very noticeable. The surface however is not bumpy or saturated, and is smooth to the touch after it has dried, and shiny.

I sprayed straight down on the disc from a height of 1-2 feet starting off the edge of the disc and going straight across relatively slowly. It seemed to cover the entire disc with one pass. I waited 15 minutes for it to dry and did another coat.

Seems good to me. If you get a chance to get the Patricia Nimock's spary, check it out. It still has harmful vapors like the Krylon, but it has a flowery smell, they must've added something to make it smell less horrible. ;-)

Thanks!

Justin