Inkjet surfaces have not fared well in our disc longevity tests. Many of them peel after 5 or so years. And yes, that includes Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden. I think the Ritek have stood up best.

The glossy/thermal ink surfaces are the worst.

Beware! :ohmy:

Hi lordsmurf. What would you recommand then (aside the sharpie) ?

Thanks to answer

1. Professional screening.
2. Sharpie.

"Professional screening" ???

How are the matte/silver ink jet surfaces doing, as opposed to the white surfaces?

I don't know how else to say that. Screened, as in just like a professional DVD. Obviously, that can only be done it bulk, not at home. The inkjet method was for home users, but not all the surfaces are standing up well over time due to humidity. The paper is better than the slick surfaces.

I need to take a picture of a disc. (I think we have one on file here.)

The fingers make a mess, which finger oil often leeching into the plastic some, but otherwise they're fine.

That's not really an inkjet surface. It's actually a disc without any surface at all -- just bare polycarbonate over the foil. Some have silver matte surface, but those were much rarer as time went on. Mostly Prodisc made those.

Hi. Just a question here. What about vinyl printed stickers ? Will they do better or just be a mess like the sticky paper ones ?

Anything added to the top of the disc after the burn will screw it up. The balance will be thrown off.

What about adding it before, you ask? That's often bad, too.

The reason I use "after" is to distinguish it the inkjet surfaces that are perfectly applied before the burn. Indeed, inkjet labels can also be a problem! It all depends on the quality. And most are terrible, while manufacturer sure as Mitsubishi/Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden are fine.

For true archival copies, I suggest branded media only. Leave the other types for copies of the master.