«

»

Aug 27

Jargon Buster – Discs & Disc Printing Types

When it comes to talking discs, USB Keys, Duplicators and Duplication there are a few abbreviations used and our aim here is to try and explain what they mean.

Discs

  • CD-R – Compact Disc Recordable (Write Once)
  • CD-RW – Compact Disc Re-Writable (Write Many)
  • DVD-R – Digital Versatile Disc Recordable (Write Once)
  • DVD-RW – Digital Versatile Disc Re-Writable (Write Many)
  • BD-R - Blu-Ray (Write Once)
  • BD-RW – Blu-Ray Re-Writable (Write Many)
  • BD-R DL – Blu-Ray Dual Layer 50GB (Write Once)

Printing Types

  • Inkjet- Water Based Print Technology. Inkjet is a full colour option and although it’s not the most durable it’s still the most popular form of printing when it comes to disc duplicators. This is because of low cost and the ease of setup. Unlike Litho or Silk screen printing you can print one’s and two’s or use merging of data. This makes Inkjet the most flexible and cost effective printing available.
  • Thermal Transfer- Thermal printing involves a ribbon being applied to a disc using a combination of heat and pressure. The ribbon is heated up and pressed onto the disc giving a clean, quick, durable print. There is no ink or liquid involved in this process. There are single colour and full colour thermal options. Thermal like Inkjet can be used for merge printing and low quantities.
  • Litho Print- Offset Lithography is the best method of reproducing photographic or continuous tone images onto large volumes of discs. Litho printing is a production process and not available on duplication equipment.
  • Silk Screen Printing – Silk Screen Printing is great for high volume disc printing. This is the standard that is used to print the discs you see in shops. Again this is a production process and not available on duplication equipment. Screen printing has a maximum of six colours (including white base) either as Pantone colours, CMYK, or a combination of both.

If you would like to talk any of this through with our Support Team please feel free to email: info@handisc.co.uk or call us on 01264 335118

Handisc Support