The End of Lightscribe

[Saint Jack]

It appears that Lightscribe (a method of printing titles on Lightscribe-enabled CD/DVD's using the laser of the writer) is coming to the end of its life. The CD/DVD's are getting harder to find and the official website has been taken down. Although the results of Lightscribe printing were never spectacular they served my purpose well.


How do you other guys and gals out there put titles on CD/DVD's (no felt-tip pens - please)? I don't want to buy a printer with this capability - in any case it also appears that printable CD/DVD's are becoming as scarce as their Lightscribe counterparts.


Has anyone got a simple fool-proof method of titling CD/DVD's?

[seacue]

To expand on St Jack, Wiki says:

"Companies such as HP, Samsung, LaCie and LiteOn have discontinued or are phasing out LightScribe drives as of June 2013 with only LG still manufacturing drives."

Really is going away.

[le Pingouin]

If you don't want to write on it or print on it that leaves sticky labels. Never used them but they seem to be rather problematical for some. i.e. neither simple nor foolproof. I use a felt tip pen.

[mixture]

How do you other guys and gals out there put titles on CD/DVD's (no felt-tip pens - please)?

Personally, I use a marker pen, but seeing as you feel that is beneath you, and you don't wish to buy a printer either, then that leaves...

Avery make a rather good labelling system. You can buy a starter kit that has a few sheets plus a special plastic contraption that assists with accurate placement. After that, you can just keep the plastic and buy bulk-packs of the labels.

in any case it also appears that printable CD/DVD's are becoming as scarce as their Lightscribe counterparts.

Well yes. Unless its escaped your attention, this mysterious thing called the internet has grown in popularity over the last decade in conjunction with faster broadband speeds.

Combine the above with the fact that people both generate (photos etc.) and consume (software etc.) large volumes of data, increasingly little of which will comfortably sit on a DVD or CD, and the fact that high capacity hard drives have become cheap as chips, you have your answer.

Everyone took the opportunity to mock and harangue Apple when they were the first manufacturer to remove the humble floppy drive from their devices..... well, the CD/DVD is now following suit.

[Saint Jack]

Many thanks for the prompt replies. It looks like it's going to be stick-on labels from now on although I'm very much aware of the problems of imbalance resulting from improper application.


'mixture' why the arrogance? Felt-tip pens are not "....beneath me...", I use them when I keep a CD/DVD for myself, but when I need to give one to a relative, friend or client I prefer to use something a little more presentable, i.e. Lightscribe. And, no, it has not escaped my attention "..... this mysterious thing called the internet has grown in popularity over the last decade in conjunction with faster broadband speeds...." In fact I've been using a fibre-optic broadband connection for some fives years now, and a dial-up modem for many years prior to that. But thanks anyway. I've noticed that throughout this section of PPrune you never miss an opportunity to talk-down to posters, take another look at your Post #15 in 'Laptop Advice' - get off your high horse.


Once again, my thanks guys and gals for the replies, to 'mixture' - get stuffed.

[vulcanised]

'mixture' why the arrogance?

That's so you know it was him.

[BOAC]

SJ - beware the 'sticky label' route - as rotational speeds get higher the labels can become a serious 'loose article'.

I have always used a reasonably priced 'all-in-one' printer (currently a Canon) but I have not attempted to 'replenish' my DVD/CD stocks - perhaps I should!!

[P.Pilcher]

CD labelling kits are available from all sorts of suppliers at reasonable prices. They will contain all sorts of bits and pieces which enable a decent job to be made of the "jewel case" labels and the CD itself. The important bit in the kit is the "mushroom" and this is the plastic guide which is used to fit the sticky label onto the CD centrally so that it is in balance. I always do this immediately the CD is burned and sitting there in the opened draw of the CD burner. Use the other bits and pieces as you will, but I buy A4 sheets with CD labels on them and set up my graphics software so that it will print the label I require, with copyright notices and so on. The label at the back of the jewel case can be printed on ordinary A4 copy paper and for the insert at the front I use a piece of photographic style glossy, printing on the back as necessary. I have been doing semi-pro CD recordings like this for years and my customers have always been pleased with the result.

P.P.

[mixture]

Saint Jack,

I gave you the answer you wanted didn't I ? (Avery).

There's nothing wrong with a marker pen, and if your friends and family think badly of you because you've given them a CD written with a marker pen, then you've got bigger things to worry about !

Seriously, if I were in your shoes, I'd just use a marker pen and tell the recipients not to judge a book by its cover.