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admin 03-04-2010 07:42 PM

Printing DVD covers - what is a good printer to get?
 
Quote:

what is a good printer to get?
for printing dvd covers.
and possibly dvds as well.

may start doing my own covers to my dvds and bung them into slimline cases.

or take the scissors to existing ones and cut to size!

over.
Get a color laser printer. Here's why:
  • Color lasers are now pretty cheap, under $200 USD. I remember paying that much for a color inkjet 10-15 years ago.
  • Ink fades over time, in just a few years from consumer printers -- toner takes MUCH longer to degrade.
  • Ink costs more in the long-run, due to drying of wells, printer waste from start-up and "clean" functions, and the limited number of prints that a cart can provide ink for. While those toner carts can run $100 each, they can last several years for an average printer user! it doesn't dry out and get wasted, either!
  • Most inkjets still use the multi-color cartridge, plus a black cart. If your yellow gives out, the other colors are just wasted. Toner is always individual carts.
If you were in the USA, I'd suggest the Konica Minolta Magicolor 1600W, currently only $157 from Amazon (including the shipping).

Yes, that is the best price, too (from a reliable merchant), I did some price comparison shopping, since the question asker is a Premium Member and project client. That topic was asked and answered just yesterday: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/show...nter-2059.html

I'd also like to quote something I wrote yesterday, because it's important:
Quote:

By far, the best printers for COLOR QUALITY and ACCURACY -- i.e., what you see on screen really is the color that ends up on the page!! -- is a Konica Minolta color laser. Many people think of HP first, but HP has lousy accuracy, and the toner carts are expensive. (Well ... ALL toner carts are expensive, but HP is more expensive.)
However, I know you're in the UK! :D

--- Ready to laugh? It took me a few minutes to realize why I couldn't find any printers online -- I wasn't spelling colour correctly! Doh! ---

Although I'd love to recommend buying from Amazon.co.uk through one of our affiliate links for £110 delivered, I think you may be able to find that same Minolta printer for about £20 cheaper from another store. I did a quick look at Pricerunner.co.uk, and came across one store where it sells for £90 and includes free delivery: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172309

As of today, according to xe.com, $157.00 USD = £104.467 GBP, so you might be able to get that printer cheaper in UK than we can in USA! Nice! The Amazon UK price is pretty close to the USA price.

I don't know who ebuyer.com is, so Amazon UK may be safer -- I leave that for you to decide.

Good quality artwork (300dpi or better), printed on good 28 lb paper stock, from a color laser, will often rival the image quality from a retail DVD release, with its printing press artwork. It's near-impossible to tell the difference between my cases, and the cases of DVDs I have bought, when placed on a shelve side-by-side. This is truly a professional solution, when not mass-printing for distribution.


Quote:

and possibly dvds as well.
Going back to this part of your question, you'll want to get a dedicated disc inkjet printer, or a thermal disc printer. These are higher in cost, hell to maintain (both in time, frustration and costs), and most people would be just as happy with neat handwriting on top of a disc.

Think about the ROI (return on investment)
- DVD menus get the most viewing time, minutes of viewing time
- DVD cases get the next most viewing time, also minutes of reading/admiring/etc
- DVDs themselves get a fleeting few seconds of viewing time, mostly during that brief moment as a disc is removed from a case, and placed into a player

So the ROI on cases and menus is high, while the disc itself is not -- it just needs to be need enough to ID the disc. A disc has no valuable info, artwork, etc -- just an ID for what disc it is. Even retail releases have started to realize this, with many being very skimpy on the art and graphics.


Quote:

or take the scissors to existing ones and cut to size!
No, don't do that. Use a cutboard, metal ruler, and an exacto knife (or box cutter). Make nice precise cuts. Even the best scissors work is wobbly and uneven.


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manthing 03-05-2010 03:53 AM

thanks for the recommendations. i will look into purchasing a minolta printer.

ebuyer - not a bad etailer company. have used them before.

i will go along with your thoughts on printing on dvds. it was one of those nice to have things if it could be done cheaply.

as for the scissors comment - yeah i agree with you. i am the worst at using scissors. never ever get a straight line. i think i need a shot or two of whisky to steady my hand!

manthing 03-07-2010 02:23 PM

what is the equivalent of 28 lb paper stock in UK?

ryman, whsmith are the local "paper" stockists.

perhaps you could point me to their website showcasing the above paper stock?

thanks.

admin 03-08-2010 09:24 AM

You want 100gsm paper stock. (28 lbs ~ 105gsm)

"Letter sized" 8.5x11 sized paper is not long enough for most DVD covers. I have to use "legal sized" 8.5x14 paper.

A4 may not be long enough, either. It really depends on the size of your cover. A multi-DVD "box set" is probably going to be longer than A4, while a standard DVD case may just barely fit, assuming your printer can go edge-to-edge.

Which paper is slightly longer? Is it B4?

manthing 04-04-2010 02:26 PM

by the way, which toner cartridge refil to buy?

and if the black ink cartridge finishes, can i just fill up that one?
or replace the whole lot?

thanks in advance.

admin 04-05-2010 02:38 AM

Toner is always held in separate cartridges. You only buy the color you need.

Generally, I prefer to use toner from the equipment manufacturer (OEM). I don't much care for generic refills, when it comes to toner. With ink, generics are fine, but the laser powder can vary more. I've seen cheap toner that did not stick/adhere to the paper well, or would become sticky as the pages aged a few years.

Minolta doesn't try to screw you over with toner pricing anyway, not like HP and some of the other manufacturers. It's just one more reason why I favor and suggest the Konica-Minolta laser printers.

The best price on toner refills in the USA is usually Amazon. A few years ago, I bought my toner from other places, but Amazon pricing has become very competitive since about 2008.

manthing 04-05-2010 03:47 AM

danke schön.


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