1. What is DPI
2. What does CMYK mean
3. What type of printers are available
4. What are the main advantages of retransfer/Photo Realistic color printing
5. How does the Everest retransfer printer work
6. What is the resolution of an Everest retransfer printer's printed disc
7. How many colors can be in an Everest print
8. How does ink jet printing work
9. How does thermal printing work
10. How does silkscreen work
11. How do I send images to the printer
12. How long does it take to print a CD with an ink jet printer
13. How many discs can I print with one ink cartridge
14. Can I use any standard ink jet cartridge

What is DPI?
DPI(Dots Per Inch) refers to the number of dots per inch in your image files. The standard dpi of images for printed materials is 600. However we prefer 4800 dpi for better printing quality.

What does CMYK mean?

Colors on a printing press are created using a combination of four ink colors - Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (called CMYK). These four inks are called process colors because they are the standard inks used in the four-color printing process. Your artwork must be in CMYK format (as opposed to RGB) before submitting.

What types of CD printers are available?

There are three main types of CD printing currently available. Ink jet, thermal, and silkscreen. Everybody understands discs-per-hour equals speed. However, the fastest duplicator is not always the best fit. If you have an event and you are going to distribute a disc of the proceedings to the attendees, you will want to have a sufficient quantity of discs printed in advance with one of our disc printers. You can then quickly output copies from a master disc using a tower duplicator, like our popular Super IDE Pro series.

If you have a quantity of discs you need to produce over one or more days, you can output the work far more efficiently, without handling each disc by hand, with one of our autoloading printing systems.

In the CD industry, the term label refers to the printed image on a CD. There are basically four ways to print a CD label.

Silkscreen
Silkscreen printing is generally regarded as the highest quality method of CD printing. Replicated CDs are printed on a silkscreen printer, which can be set up for Spot (PMS) Colors, Full Color (process), or Offset. All of these methods are available on Disc Makers replicated disc, and all except offset are available on Disc Makers blank CD-Rs.

Thermal
Thermal printing offers a durable, professional label for a minimal per-disc cost. Thermal printing is excellent for text and line art or solid colors on silver discs, or white thermal discs. Wile the resolution and color processing of thermal does not allow for the same level of detail as other methods, it is overall the cheapest method, with black printing costing about 4¢ per disc. Thermal printed discs require no dry time, and the image will not smear or peel off.

Ink jet
Inkjet printing is a low cost way to achieve high resolution and fairly accurate color processing, without a large equipment investment. Inkjet printing requires the use of inkjet CD-Rs and uses the same inkjet technology common in most household computer printers. CDs printed via inkjet require time to dry after printing, and the printed image can be smeared if the CD is somehow exposed to excessive moisture. The use of a disc laminator   eliminates the the smear potential, and allows for nearly instant drying.

What are the main advantages of retransfer/Photo Realistic (Everest/TEAC) Color printing?
There are several advantages which can be summed up in this table:

In a nut shell, retransfer or Photo realistic disc printing is the highest quality, most durable short run disc printing method currently available.

How does the Everest Printer work?
It works be a process known as thermal retransfer. Unlike most thermal disc printers which use heat to transfer colored ribbon directly to the surface of the disc, the Everest printer first transfers the color to a clear transfer ribbon. This multi-pass process (once for each color) results in the color image being generated on the clear transfer ribbon. Once that process is complete, the color image is then thermally transferred to the disc along with a clear top coat to give the disc a glossy protective coat.

What is the resolution of an Everest printed disc?
160 LPI or about 300 DPI

How many colors can be in an Everest print?
The Everest printer generates images with either a CMY or CMYW ribbon. Most commonly, a CMY ribbon is used which is capable of reproducing a full spectrum of color for near photographic color prints. The W in the CMYW ribbon stands for White. Usage of that ribbon allows for the full CMY ribbon color spectrum with the additional benefit of being able to print white on a non-white.

How does ink jet printing work?

Ink jet CD printers work exactly the same as your standard ink jet printer at home. It uses an ink cartridge to print directly onto the surface of the disc, blending the colors to create the image. In this case, you will need ink jet printable CDs. When the CD is in the printer, the cartridge moves back and forth over the disc, laying different levels of color on the surface. You can currently get CD ink jet printers in 2400 to 4800 dpi range. In the case of the Signature Z6 ink jet CD printer, you will need to purchase proprietary ink cartridges. It will not work with general ink jet cartridges. There are many brands of ink jet printable CDs including Taiyo Yuden, TDK, Mitsui, Verbatium, Maxell, Memorex, Sony, Printco, Ritek, and SKC.

How does thermal printing work?

In a thermal printer, there is a thermal ribbon that is pressed onto the surface of the disc. When the ribbon is pressed down on the disc, dots of color are laid next to one another. Unlike ink jet printers, the colors are not blended. This is repeated until the graphic or the text is finished. With a thermal printer, you do not need media with a printable surface. All you need is media with a lacquer surface. These brands include Taiyo Yuden, TDK, Mitsui, Verbatium, Maxell, Memorex, Sony, Printco, Ritek, and SKC.

How does silkscreen work?

Silkscreen is the process that is used by most commercial facilities. It is the fastest and most expensive printing process. A screen is used as the transfer between the ink and the surface of the disc. Silkscreen printing is also the most durable and it does not require a specific disc surface to print on. For large-scale commercial use, it is the best fit.

How do I send images to the printer?

Ink jet and thermal both work the same way. They attach to your computer in the same fashion as would your standard computer printer. This can be either a printer port or a USB connection. These CD printers come with printing software that will allow you to select the files you want to print and then start the process.

How long does it take to print a CD with an ink jet printer?

The time it takes to print depends on how detailed and colorful the image is that you are printing. On average, it will take you about one minute per disc. The longest it will take to print would be just under two minutes.

How many discs can I print with one ink cartridge?

Again, it will depend on what kind of images you are printing and how much of the same color they use. Typically, you can get around 200 – 250 discs per cartridge. The heavier the graphics, the more ink that is used per disc.

Can I use any standard ink jet cartridge?

No, you need to purchase the Signature Color and Monochrome ink jet cartridges. The good news is they are around the same price as the generic cartridges in your local computer store.