Plastic DVD labels

[hbenthow]

I've been using paper DVD labels for quite some time, and they made many of my DVDs unplayable. They worked all right at first, but after a few months, the DVDs stopped playing. I scraped the labels off, and now the DVDs play perfectly. I've read that clear plastic DVD labels won't cause this problem, but I want to make sure. Are there any kind of safe DVD labels?

[setarip_old]

Hi! Are there any kind of safe DVD labels?
From my experience, the answer is "No" - Use either printable discs or a "Sharpy"...

[Lyle_JP]

Hi!
From my experience, the answer is "No" - Use either printable discs or a "Sharpy"...

Seconded. Any adhesive label is asking for trouble long term. Consider LightScribe or LabelFlash discs (and compatible burner, of course).

[CWR03]

Any adhesive that remains sticky to be peeled and applied will dry and shrink. I've never used the plastic labels, but I've had the same issues as you with paper ones. At first I thought it was the paper being dampened from the ink-jet printing that would shrink as it dried, but after testing I found it did the same thing if I used an unprinted label.

I bought a Casio CD/DVD printer that uses foil inks to print on any disk.

[Ghitulescu]

I write upon them with a sort of permanent pen.

Printable discs do need additional spraying to fix the colours (and they don't fit into my laser printer :) )
Labels unbalance the discs and may shrink the surface
LightScribe is too fade anyway (readable only after 2-3 passes) and fade away while the time passes by
The Casio foil printer doesn't print well on all discs, they require a special surface (most likely bulk, unmarked media, but I don't buy these).

[CWR03]

The Casio foil printer doesn't print well on all discs, they require a special surface (most likely bulk, unmarked media, but I don't buy these).
The Casio foil printer doesn't do well on a rough surface (It will print like it's running out of ink), but it will print on any disk, looks very good (when the surface is smooth) and is very permanent. It doesn't require a special surface.

[Ghitulescu]

The Casio foil printer doesn't do well on a rough surface (It will print like it's running out of ink), but it will print on any disk, looks very good (when the surface is smooth) and is very permanent. It doesn't require a special surface.

I have one of these, so the answer is both yes and no. It's no because it doesn't need a prepared surface (like those for inkjet) if this was understood, and yes because the surface needs to be completely plane, otherwise the ink won't be deposited. Most DVDs of quality producers (Verbatim etc.) do have patterns (brand, speed, size, various design elements) upon that surface. The bulk ones do not have, but I don't use them, they come often from online sellers and no tracing is available (i cannot sue them if they give me Memorex made by Optodisc instead of TY).

[hello_hello]

I vote for using a permanent marker too (you probably should use CD/DVD markers and not the regular ones). Yes it's not overly pretty, but it's so easy and doesn't hurt the discs.

If you like pretty, I'd consider a printer which will print to discs and buying printable blanks. Labels will more likely than not cause a hassle eventually.

I often buy printable discs myself. They have more usable space for writing on them with a CD/DVD marker than non-printable discs.

[jmac698]

There was a pretty technical investigation of this in c't magazine. They used a professional quality tester to test labels. Their theory is that the surface tension causes the disc to warp out of spec. Some internet theories say the weight of the label unbalances the disc, this doesn't seem to be true.
If I recall, ring labels and plastic labels (which can stretch) are fine. There's some labels designed to have the right tension.
If a disc stops working, wetting the paper label seems to work.
Printable disks are the same as a label btw, they have a paper layer on them.

I can't find a disc printer for sale, there seem quite rare and very expensive.
I have a lot of trouble finding labelflash dual layer discs as well.

Both printable and flash dual layer discs are rare and expensive.

[jmac698]

German computer magazine c't (No. 9/2004) has a test of CD and DVD labels, with quantitative results.

They performed the tests under "optimal" conditions, i.e. well placed labels (centered, no bubbles) and short term storage under office conditions for 6 label types from 3 vendors (Avery-Zweckform, Herma and Sigel) on both CDs and DVDs. The physical properties (unbalance, jitter and planarity or "angular deviation") and error rates (BLER or PI Sum 8 ) were measured with a CATS scanner and other devices by Audiodev before and after the labels were applied.

Here a short summary:

* Thinner labels affect the media less than thicker ones
* CD's are not noticeably affected by well placed labels (N.B. this is for scans @1x).

- BLER, 3T-jitter and unbalance weren't significantly affected.

- Angular deviation more than doubled though (typical: 0.8° -> 1.8°), and exceeded the specs (max. 1.6°). This may cause problems at high reading speeds.
* DVD's are essentially destroyed by most labels- PI Sum 8 > 1000 (from 10) and DC-jitter > 13% (from 8%) are typical. The high information density leads to strong reactions to the increased angular deviation, particularly in the outer parts of the discs. Only one make (Herma 8994, a silver plastic foil) was "OK".
In another reference I read the discovery that it's the stiffness of the label which pulls the disc inward (relatively) as it's spinning, causing the outer edges to become bowed. This non-ideal flatness can cause reading problems. Some drive mechanisms are made to deal with warped DVD's and will work better.
This explains why some people never have a problem with sticky labels; either it's the label brand they are using or the drive mechanism they are using.
There *are* sticky labels which work fine. Look for a plastic film based label. Avery sells one, Matte White Film DVD Lablels, #8962 and it's the only American brand that's actually guaranteed to work with DVD's on the box and mentions the actual problem that labels cause.
Hub labels work fine too.
Paper-based sticky labels which cause problems due to stiffness will have problems playing at the END of the video, which is the outer edge of the DVD, where it will be most bowed.
If a paper-based, sticky label gives you problems, here's what to do: #1 Sponge it with water. This loosens the paper enough to let it play. #2 bend the disc up in the middle. This relieves some stress from the paper #3 Cut score marks in the label. This also reduces stress (just like the expansion grooves in concrete). #4 Avoid the problem by not burning the full length of the DVD.

Read more: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/media/2159-never-sticky-label.html#ixzz1Pe6uo500

[hello_hello]

Printable disks are the same as a label btw, they have a paper layer on them.

When you say they're the same, are you saying they exhibit all the same negative properties as using a label on a standard disc?

In my experience they don't, but I never print on them. I only use a marker. Whether covering them with wet ink makes a difference, I don't know, but I've got dozens and dozens of burnt, printable discs which seem to be lasting as well as the non-printable ones.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Nope. The surface of those "printable" discs is quite different from a label that you glue on a regular disc manually.

It's basically just a regular disc with a completely white surface. Maybe the structure is a bit different too, to better suite the ink. But it's definitely not like an additional paper layer on top.

I have a lot of the "printable" discs in my archive. Although I never printed on them (just used them like regular non-printable discs), I never encountered any problems with these discs.

But I indeed had some problems with paper labels that I glued on some discs myself - back in the early days ;)

Moreover I can recommend LightScribe, if you really want your disc to be printed and don't need colors. It's easy to use and looks quite professional.

Finally, if you have the big money, you can get a "professional" CD/DVD printer station. I used such device at work and the result is pretty much indistinguishable from an "original" disc...

[Ghitulescu]

The only points a "real printable" disc and a paper coated one are that:
- both have a porous surface
- both have that surface chemically treated
to facilitate the deposition of ink and to fix it upon the surface.

[Przemek_Sperling]

Nope. The surface of those "printable" discs is quite different from a label that you glue on a regular disc manually.

It's basically just a regular disc with a completely white surface. Maybe the structure is a bit different too, to better suite the ink. But it's definitely not like an additional paper layer on top.


Actually it is a layer of powdered cellulose. BTW, it is more "printer friendly" ao one can print far larger area than on regular paper.

[CWR03]

The only points a "real printable" disc and a paper coated one are that:
- both have a porous surface
- both have that surface chemically treated
to facilitate the deposition of ink and to fix it upon the surface.
Paper disks aren't "chemically treated," it's just paper with an adhesive backing. Printable disks are coated with a powder that's able to absorb the water-based inks of an ink-jet printer.