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Burn the CD on Both Sides
apocal writes "How cool wouldn't it be to be able to burn the label on your cd using the same laser you used to burn the cd in the first place? Well, I guess this technology called LightScribe will be coming soon. 'Suppose you have just created a compilation CD of a dozen or so of your favorite songs. Now you want to make a label that contains the song titles, artists' names, and some personal information and design elements to make it special. First, burn your tracks onto the data side of the disc. Then open your favorite LightScribe-enabled label-making software and go to the CD template work area. Now you do all of your creative design workcompose pictures, copy, artwork whatever. When you are satisfied with what you have done, take the disc out of your drive, flip it over to the label side and put it back in the drive. Now go back to your label-making software, and simply click print.'"
This reads more like an advertisement - do you really need to spell out to us a "possible use" for this? Don't think you could have left that up to our imaginations?
If its priced similarly to your average burner it would be useful for somebody who doesnt have the time to fiddle with a label maker (or for that matter, Sharpie all the cd's in a batch). Hopefully technology like this will gain popularity so the average person can have their own small scale cd factory.
Yeah, this would be cool if you could burn data on both sides. It'd probably cost more though, and the burners might be more expensive. It could even, with a little work, perhaps go up to 3 gigs! Think of the versitility. And it's digital too. We could call it a Digital Versitile Disc.
/vertisement (and isn't even as cool as a double sided CD (they have double sided DVD's, too ))), this is all I've got to say.
As for the product being advertised here (because that's what this is, a
Since when has this country used intellectual elite as a pejorative term?
Frankly, this is just a gimmick to sell over-priced media to the masses.
If the label is for my own use, I'm quite happy with a marker. It's got to be MUCH quicker and just as effective unless there is a vast assortment of files on the cd -- in which case the surface is too small anyway.
If it is for others, I want full color graphics anyway so why would I use this thing?
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I thought this article was going to be about burning data on both sides of a CD, instead it's a barely disguised sales pitch.
Does anyone really need laser etched CDs? Can't you just buy a printer that supports direct to CD printing? Probably cheaper, a lot more useful 99% of the time and you can get G04 DVDs with a printable label surface today.
Advert or not it's still an interesting technology that will have some application even if it doesnt take off as a comsumer technology.
Small buisness cd duplication anyway ?
Thats where I see this getting used, I hate when we receive software from smaller companies on cdr's with the details jotted on with a pen, id rather like to see a "tattooed" label, god knows those stick on label kits are awful.
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I just can't see this technology being common when you need special media - sorry, try again.
I just buy inkjet coated CDR/DVDRs now.
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CDs are for listening to {if they contain music}, or backing up files to. They are not for looking at. DVDs arguably are for looking at, but only with the aid of a device {placeholder for robot joke}. I think I'll stick with my trusty OHP marker, if it's all the same to you guys. I don't need fancy gimmicks. In fact, most of the DVD+RWs I use with my TV recorder are totally unlabelled! I simply write the name of the film on the paper inlay, and never, ever take more than one disc at a time out of its box. For time-shifting regular programmes, I just use the same one disc over and over again ..... I haven't yet run afoul of the limited-write thing.
Of course, if it's something special, then I'll add a self-adhesive paper label, printed separately using a template I knocked up in OpenOffice.org Draw. And given that printing the label is likely to be as expensive as burning the disc, I'm glad it's a separate process as this cuts down on muck-ups.
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this one will never take off either. there are tons of printers and softwares that will do the same job, so i don't see why people should switch over...
Frankly I would rather have two sides of music than one side of music and a pretty label on the other.
As opposed to this technology that makes you a new cd burner?
Besides, Epson actually makes a good photo printer in the R200 that lets you print to cds. At $100, its hard to believe that this spinoff of HP will make a product thats as good and as cheap, It requires an uncommon media.
Just too late to market. Might have worked before cd printers became common.
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Wouldn't it be more usefull to have dual sided CD rom burning writers? Like those DVDs? It could get to 1.4gb instead of 700mb... :)
This is somehow newsworthy? There are a number of ink-jet printers out there that are modifications to existing HP and Epson priters that allow you to put a CD in a specific CD-sized tray to print directly to the disc. The only requirement is that you use discs with printable surfaces. Otherwise, it's an ink-jet printer. So, you get full color and the ability to use relatively inexpensive inks (refills, anyone?) with out the costs of proprietary software or hardware, toner, or other kind of inks.
... er ... article is that somehow the disc is not professional unless it has its text directly embedded onto the disc. Don't be ridiculous. I've been using full-coverage labels for my CDs for years and no one has ever complained about "unprofessionalism".
And seriously, folks, is it that difficult or embarassing to use a Stomper or similar disc labeling tool? The implication that I read from this advertisment
Sheesh. All of this time I thought that I was buying CDs for their content. I guess that everyone else was more concerned about the professionalism of the disc top.
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Believe and do not believe. Has anyone actually tried testing it either way? I can't wholly trust anecdotal "evidence", and I can't wholly trust the manufacturer to be completely up-front about product flaws. They even admit that they haven't really done long term testing.
Granted, I use sharpies, but I usually try to write on sections with no data, the outer ring (if there isn't too much data) and the hub.
I think that Sharpie has come out with a technology for labeling your media.
I don't see why this is such a great thing. Just get inkjet printable CD or DVD discs and print your own full colour custom label. Some of the ~$149 Epson printer support this now. Take a look at the cool stuff you can do! (Admittedly this is quite a simple design. I have done some much fancier ones more recently.)
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...you risk looking like a fool.
Phones and TV were written off as gimmicks. Later some argued non-VHS/VHSc camcorders would die off becasue they used different media than the most common VCRs. There were good arguments made for those cases, but those who made bold statements without a good arumgnet ended up looking pretty foolish.
But no, I firmly believe this won't find a niche. Most people wanting blank media just want them at absolutely the lowest cost possible...
Well, I guess I'm not most people, but I'm sure many people out there do NOT want to trust important data, precious photos, etc to the abolutely lowest cost media available.
The Yamaha one wasn't much more than an interesting gimmick
IIRC the Yamaha system burnt images on the same side as the data, reducing the usable capacity of the media. If you wanted a detailed, full sized image your disc would be about as useful as an old AOL trialware CD. Is it no wonder this was a gimmick?
BTW: The latest Epsons print directly onto coated CD/DVDs with no sticky label and no stomper
What if you already have a perfectly good HP or Canon printer and you think Epson printers kinda stink? Even if they don't, I wouldn't be motivated to replace my printer or add a second one to clutter my office just so I can print right onto a CD. Presumably, this labelling technology could be incorporated into a drive costing 1/2 the price of the cheapest inject printers. Also, the disc will cost maybe 2 cents more? Probably costs more than that per CD to use ink that the Epson would need (at least for ink that won't smudge if you accidentally sneeze on it). I'm betting the injet method is slower too. I'd say the only issue to ponder would be colour--but I can count on one hand how many times I really wanted to print ANYTHING in colour, much less a CD label.
Given that I don't need ink or toner, the drives and media will be nearly the same cost as now and available from multiple vendors and the media will have the same capacity and speed as always that it stands a good chance of doing well in the market.