Small-Batch CD Production

We offer in-house no-minimum production of CDs. No outsourcing here! We run an Epson Discproducer to write and print batches of CDs, and use quality CD-R media that has a glossy-white water and scratch proof surface for printing directly onto CDs. If you need 1 or 100, we've got you covered!

CD-R vs CD

Commercial CDs you would buy in a store are manufactured from something called a glass master, and are pressed/stamped into a foil. These are what would be normally referred to as a CD, and have a much higher production cost to set up the tooling - typically requiring much higher minimums for production.

CD-R are recordable discs, like you would make at home on a writable disk drive. These are typically made with a dye that can be altered with a laser in the writable drive - which is why these discs usually have a darker color on the bottom, instead of the commercial, shiny finish. They will last a long time, but not as long as a CD made from a glass master.

Although compatibility is quite good today, not all CD players will play a CD-R disc.

InkJet vs Thermal Printing

Most commercials CDs have their graphics silk-screened on, providing a waterproof and scratch resistant image. This is again something with a high setup cost, and is usually reserved for large production runs.

The two other main options for smaller runs are usually either thermal or InkJet printing. Thermal printing is a superior format for water and scratch resistance, although dedicated machines are still quite costly for businesses who don't focus exclusively on media replication. It's the later why we lean on the InkJet capabilities of our Discproducer.

Although InkJet printing is more prone to water damage and smudging, we use CD-R discs with a top coating specially formulated with a glossy white top water resistance to prevent this as much as possible. We're quite happy with the results, and think you will be too.

Pricing

Below is our pricing table. This includes a CD-R printed disc (you provide the graphics), as well as a clear, thin line CD jewel case to protect and show off the disc (no printed inserts provided). We also offer discounts to customers of our music production services.