Archive for August, 2008

What are paper parts and what are they used for?

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on August 22, 2008
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Presenting information about your product or company on CD or DVD can be very impressive, effective and inexpensive, saving you a lot of money on brochure and catalogue printing. However, to ensure a maximum impact the disc should be accompanied by high quality printed paper parts that go with the packaging of the disc or serve as the packaging.

The most common printed paper parts for CDs and DVDs are basically what we commonly call CD inserts, covers, booklets, back inlays, DVD sleeves, DVD manuals etc. All of these are inserted into appropriate packaging i.e. jewel case, PVC wallet, DVD case.

Additionally, there are types of packaging that are created using card printed with your design. These are card sleeves, 4page card wallets, 6page card wallets, hardback CD cases, DigiPaks just to name a few.

The purpose of these printed pieces is not only to enhance the look of the set but also enables you to put a message about you, your company or your product on in a very visual form. Also, if your product happens to be software then you almost certainly will need to include user guide with the disc itself. If it is music CD, we all know these are usually in jewel cases with specially designed front cover and back inlay listing all the tracks that are on the CD.

CDs are often used as promotional materials, i.e. distributed in the post. Here too, printed part in a form of CD card wallet can come handy. It allows you to use the design to get your message across and encourage recipient to look at the disc’s contents. It also protects the disc from damage in transit.

Paper parts are, at first glance, the most informative and eye catching part of your CD or DVD product. They help you stand out from the crowd.

What are the differences between printing on the disc face and printing the rest of the packaging that I should keep in mind when designing?

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on August 11, 2008
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When the printed packaging and paper parts are printed digitally in 4 colour process (CMYK) using liquid inks and on-disc printing is done with inkjet technology, while the processes are similar, some colours—blue and orange in particular—look very different due to the different inks and different substrates. In general, the digital liquid ink prints are brighter and more saturated than their inkjet equivalents.

If matching the disc to the rest of the packaging is important to you, it is a good idea to ask for proof copies of all your items. However, because of the different processes involved it may be impossible to provide an exact match.

When discs are printed using inkjet technology or for larger runs (over 1000) silksctreened and the rest of the packaging: CD Booklets, CD inserts, digipaks, CD wallets are printed with liquid inks, using a high-quality process liquid electrostatic lithography. There are few key differences to keep in mind:

  • The tonal range that one can hold while silkscreening the discs is 15-85%. Tones lighter than 15% may blow out to zero, and those darker than 85% may fill in completely. As a result, it is recommended using very dark or very light photos on the disc.
  • High-contrast images work best. Subtle changes in tone can be lost in the silkscreening process.
  • Gradients or blends do not print well, and can look uneven or blotchy. We strongly recommend avoiding gradients or blends on the disc.
    Gradients that look smooth on CD packaging don’t translate well to the silkscreen printing process on the disc. Highlights and shadows don’t offer smooth transitions, instead dropping off dramatically and resulting in an uneven, rough-looking line.
  • Due to registration issues with silk-screening, it is impossible to print overlapping screens such as duotones or spot colour mixes (e.g., 25% PMS 115 and 65% PMS 215) on the disc.
  • The line screen on the disc is 100 lpi, which produces lower-quality images than the 200 lpi printing for the offset-printed packaging.
    Expect to lose detail and overall image quality if you print an photo on the disc.