We have released our new CD/DVD printer buyers guide which covers the world of 'on-demand' disc printers.

• Learn which DVD CD label printer meets your need
• Learn the differences in printer technology 
• Compare CD printer technologies

To request your free disc labeling please click on the button below and get your guide!

Professional BD, DVD, CD printers

Unlike the home CD printer a professional DVD/CD printer is designed for continuous CD printing and features a built in disc tray that self aligns itself.

The links provide greater information on each DVD CD label printer to avoid a major novel on one page. If you have any questions or observations please give us feedback via the comments. We would love to hear from you. :)

Primera Technology

Primera uses in-line robotics in it's newest offerings. A long way from the old Composer series which had a swinging robotic arm.

Bravo II Auto-loader: Primera's auto-loaders and automated DVD duplicators use a Lexmark print engine. The Bravo II series use a two ink cartridge system. Primera/lexmark ink is proprietary, that is one can only buy Primera 'branded' cartridges. The Bravo II is PC and Mac compatible and connects via a USB cable. Includes disc labeling software. One year warranty

CD Printer Review

Our yearly review of DVD CD printers will cover home CD printers in the first part and professional DVD CD printers in the second part so the reader has a wider knowledge of the technologies available. Home CD printers change model numbers at a fairly quick rate so we would recommend Epson and Canon as a general rule for the casual disc labeling job.

Home CD printers use a special plastic template that guides the printable disc through a standard model ink jet printer that allows for straight path printing (can feed horizontally in addition to top feed). Disc labeling software is necessary for designing and printing and is included with advertised CD/DVD printers. It is possible

 Here are a few more questions we have been asked about CD printers. Labeling your CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray recordable discs is a great way to give a professional look to your projects.

Can you use an inkjet printer on thermal dvd?

Yes and no, You can use it but it does not dry and just smudges. Inkjet sprays a dye and thermal applies a wax based resin to the disc. If you don't want a mess buy inkjet printable discs.

Can I put labels on printable dvd?

 You can put labels on printable DVDs but it's not recommended.  Stick on labels are a bad idea with DVDs. 

A very confusing term for CD label printers is the use of the word “thermal”.  In this article I will explain the difference between thermal inkjet and inkjet as related to CD labeling.

The first thing to understand is thermal direct printing and thermal inkjet are not related in anyway except for the fact that they are both CD/DVD printing methods.  One can not print on thermal printable disc media with a ‘thermal’ inkjet printer unless you want a big smear of ink on your disc.  The printable media for thermal printing and thermal inkjet printing are completely different. Inkjet printable media absorbs ink unlike thermal printable discs that are designed not to absorb ink.

DVD Publishers differ from DVD duplicator autoloaders in that they combine a DVD CD printer and DVD duplicator autoloader so the discs can be burned and printed in one operation. This is known as "on-demand disc publishing".  Unique labels and content can be created for each disc including bar coding and unique serial numbers. Several on demand disc labeling technologies exist including: ink jet, thermal,  thermal re-transfer and dye sublimation disc labeling.

The computer hardware requirements of a  DVD Duplicator auto-loader and a DVD Publisher are about the same except for  label software required for the label design and layout. There are some publisher systems that can be networked allowing users to send jobs via their web browser. This  makes it possible for the disc publisher to operate in a wide range of network environments.

 Finding an inexpensive CD printer can be problematic.  Epson makes some caddy based all in one devices which contain a scanner and inkjet printer or just the inkjet printer alone. Epson seems to keep discontinuing the models so it's a bit difficult to speak of a specific models performance.   Caddies are a plastic template that holds a CD or DVD and moves through the printer feeder like an envelope with the disc held in place as the ink jet print head passes over the inkjet printable disc.  

Two entry level CD/DVD printers available in the marketplace are the DYMO DiscPainter and the CD Dimensions DISCPRINTER thermal disc printer. The two represent different printer technologies available today. the Dymo relies on ink jet technology and the DISCPRINTER uses thermal transfer technology. Even more unique in the case of the DiscPainter is the radial printing technology incorporated into the DYMO DiscPrinter.

An extremely important point on CD labels is to use some kind of printing method outside of using stick-on labels. Stick on labels are just as bad for recordable DVDs. A misapplied label unbalances the disc (it does not take much) making it prone to errors and damaging the drive in the process.Stick-on labels have come off in CD players and easily jam up car stereos with slot loaders. A CD label maker is the solution.

The choices for printing on a recordable CD is based on several factors. Budget, how much money do you want to spend?, What is the usage you expect from the disc printer? and how involved to you want to be in the printing process?

The on-demand disc printer technologies available fall into 4 categories: thermal transfer, thermal re transfer, dye sublimation and inkjet printing.