Just a short while ago, the only people who had
access to CD duplication were professional musicians,
record company executives, and the higher end
recording studios. As technology increased and
became more affordable, private CD duplication
companies began to pop up all over the United States
and other major music centers throughout the country.
These days, CD duplication has never been more
accessible or more affordable. Most home computers
and laptops come with a CD-RW burner and software
that is very user friendly, making CD duplication
very convenient.
Even if you are new to computers, you'll find
CD duplication very easy to figure out. You don't
have to be a computer expert to use the CD-RW
burner or the software, as most of it is self
explanatory. All you need to do is give it a run
and see easy things actually are.
Those who are needing a large quantity of CDs
duplicated or simply wish to have a professional
company burn their CDs, there are several out there
that offer great rates, package deals, and quality
recordings. You can get as many as you want, with
quality that matches that of the master copy.
Most CD duplication companies offer packages that
will include inserts, tray cards, and even
packaging should you choose to take your duplicates
to retail sale.
You can also choose to have your graphic work
imprinted on the inserts or have the CD duplication
company design a totally new design for your very
product. If you are worried about the inventory,
barcodes can be imprinted on the CD case or the
sleeve by the same company.
For whatever duplication needs you may have, there
are companies out there that offer duplication or
you can do it yourself. Either way you choose,
you'll get the copies you need in no time at all.
Sunday
Options for Storing Your CDs
There are many different storage alternatives for
your CD collection. The factors for storage include
how many CDs you own and how long you plan to keep
them.
Below, you will find several alternatives for
storing your CDs:
1. CD jewel cases
You have probably owned these before, as they are
the most common. They can hold your CD cover art and
are very easy to line up on a shelf. Keep in mind
that they do break rather easily and they take up
quite a bit of space.
2. Plastic CD sleeves
Plastic sleeves are cheap and thin, so they are
easy to afford and easy on shelf space. Since they
are so thin, they obviously don't offer a lot in
terms of protection. For long term storage, they
generally aren't recommended.
3. Paper sleeves
For short term storage needs, paper is very cheap
and doesn't use much space. Simliar to plastic
sleeves, paper is thin and doesn't offer very
much protection.
4. Paperboard sleeves
Paperboard sleeves are much thicker than paper so
they will protect your discs. They are also
inexpensive, although they can be hard to seal.
5. Tyvek CD sleeves
Tyvek sleeves are cheap and they don't take up
a lot of space. For long term storage, Tyvek is
normally recommended.
6. CD-ROM disc cases
These types of cases can hold a lot of CDs in a
small space and they may even help to keep out
dust. They do however, make reading labels a bit
hard, they keep CDs out of site, and they will
take up a lot of space.
7. CD spindles
Spindles are cheap and they hold several hundred
CDs in a small stack. Sorting through them is
hard if you need one specific disk, which makes
it something that isn't normally recommended.
your CD collection. The factors for storage include
how many CDs you own and how long you plan to keep
them.
Below, you will find several alternatives for
storing your CDs:
1. CD jewel cases
You have probably owned these before, as they are
the most common. They can hold your CD cover art and
are very easy to line up on a shelf. Keep in mind
that they do break rather easily and they take up
quite a bit of space.
2. Plastic CD sleeves
Plastic sleeves are cheap and thin, so they are
easy to afford and easy on shelf space. Since they
are so thin, they obviously don't offer a lot in
terms of protection. For long term storage, they
generally aren't recommended.
3. Paper sleeves
For short term storage needs, paper is very cheap
and doesn't use much space. Simliar to plastic
sleeves, paper is thin and doesn't offer very
much protection.
4. Paperboard sleeves
Paperboard sleeves are much thicker than paper so
they will protect your discs. They are also
inexpensive, although they can be hard to seal.
5. Tyvek CD sleeves
Tyvek sleeves are cheap and they don't take up
a lot of space. For long term storage, Tyvek is
normally recommended.
6. CD-ROM disc cases
These types of cases can hold a lot of CDs in a
small space and they may even help to keep out
dust. They do however, make reading labels a bit
hard, they keep CDs out of site, and they will
take up a lot of space.
7. CD spindles
Spindles are cheap and they hold several hundred
CDs in a small stack. Sorting through them is
hard if you need one specific disk, which makes
it something that isn't normally recommended.
Friday
The Importance of Disc Quality
The high demand and dramatic increase in CD media,
plus the competitive pressures to squeeze out
every possible cost and improve the profit margins
have given rise to many manufacturers of CD related
media. To help reduce the costs of increasing
capacity, many of these firms have relocated their
old manufacturing lines and hired staff that learn
on the job.
The biggest problems with CDs occurs when discs are
produced using older equipment then end up failing
when you try to use them. Luckily, most of these
types will fail when you first try to record on
them. There is however, a likelihood that the disc
will complete a burn and the media won't play at
all.
The agony of taking your photo or video treasures
and putting them on CD or DVD and then deleting them
from your camera or computer only to realize that
the copy is corrupted is far too much to risk. The
brand name company's such as Verbatim choose to
guard their reputation for quality and durability
by using only advanced recording dye and other
types of technology to produce high speed discs.
The stability of the recording dye is very critical
as heat, humidity, oxygen, and even UV light can
degrade the dye. Verbatim research has also proven
there is a strong correlation between the production
and bonding processes of disc quality.
For data and personal pictures that are important,
you should always buy quality CD media. Then,
before you go ahead and delete the source file,
trying playing the disc back to ensure that it
copied correctly. This way, you won't have to
worry about losing your precious files and photos
when you remove the source from your computer.
plus the competitive pressures to squeeze out
every possible cost and improve the profit margins
have given rise to many manufacturers of CD related
media. To help reduce the costs of increasing
capacity, many of these firms have relocated their
old manufacturing lines and hired staff that learn
on the job.
The biggest problems with CDs occurs when discs are
produced using older equipment then end up failing
when you try to use them. Luckily, most of these
types will fail when you first try to record on
them. There is however, a likelihood that the disc
will complete a burn and the media won't play at
all.
The agony of taking your photo or video treasures
and putting them on CD or DVD and then deleting them
from your camera or computer only to realize that
the copy is corrupted is far too much to risk. The
brand name company's such as Verbatim choose to
guard their reputation for quality and durability
by using only advanced recording dye and other
types of technology to produce high speed discs.
The stability of the recording dye is very critical
as heat, humidity, oxygen, and even UV light can
degrade the dye. Verbatim research has also proven
there is a strong correlation between the production
and bonding processes of disc quality.
For data and personal pictures that are important,
you should always buy quality CD media. Then,
before you go ahead and delete the source file,
trying playing the disc back to ensure that it
copied correctly. This way, you won't have to
worry about losing your precious files and photos
when you remove the source from your computer.
Monday
Tips For A Successful CD Duplication Side Business
The process of CD duplication has arrived in a very
big way. Teenagers these days are using their CD
burners to rip MP3s from their favorite artists and
bands. Companies choose to use CD duplication to
make backups of their software and important
documents.
Federal agencies on the other hand, are scrambling
to define and interpret intellectual piracy and
copyright laws as they relate to CD duplication and
the industry of music as a whole. The movie industry
is also seeking how they can profit from using CD
duplication. With so much attention being focused
on CD duplication, now is the ideal time to turn
your home CD duplication hardware into a very
profitable side business.
Believe it or not, you may already have everything
you need to get your CD duplication process going
in the right direction. All you need to get your
business started is a computer, CD burner, CD
duplication software, and a few blank CD-R disks.
Contrary to what you may think, its that easy to
get going.
If you don't have a computer or a CD burner, you
really shouldn't worry, as purchasing a CD duplication
device is actually very affordable. The cost of
stand alone CD duplication software has reduced
quite a bit over the years.
Almost all home computers come with internal CD
duplication hardware (CD burners) and some sort
of duplication software as well. CD duplication
media, such as blank CD-R and CD-RW are very
low in price and can be purchased at almost all
retail stores.
The market for your CD duplication service or
company is going to local bands and musicians as
well as small businesses. Local up and coming
bands are often too busy perfecting their sound
to deal with the tedious and time consuming task
of duplicating CDs for their gigs. They also lack
the money to order CDs from the big time CD
duplication companies as well.
The smaller businesses are pretty much the same, as
they are almost always unable to financially
justify having a technical or computer staff to
handle the backup and data storage aspects of their
company. Many times, they will end up forgoing
needed data backups simply because they forget all
about it.
You can however, solve these common gaps, provide
needed service, and earn some nice side money by
starting your own duplication service that caters
to these types of clients. By offering a reasonable
price, fast rate of delivery, and a quality product,
you'll get many repeat customers and a side
business that will keep busy for as long as you
want it.
big way. Teenagers these days are using their CD
burners to rip MP3s from their favorite artists and
bands. Companies choose to use CD duplication to
make backups of their software and important
documents.
Federal agencies on the other hand, are scrambling
to define and interpret intellectual piracy and
copyright laws as they relate to CD duplication and
the industry of music as a whole. The movie industry
is also seeking how they can profit from using CD
duplication. With so much attention being focused
on CD duplication, now is the ideal time to turn
your home CD duplication hardware into a very
profitable side business.
Believe it or not, you may already have everything
you need to get your CD duplication process going
in the right direction. All you need to get your
business started is a computer, CD burner, CD
duplication software, and a few blank CD-R disks.
Contrary to what you may think, its that easy to
get going.
If you don't have a computer or a CD burner, you
really shouldn't worry, as purchasing a CD duplication
device is actually very affordable. The cost of
stand alone CD duplication software has reduced
quite a bit over the years.
Almost all home computers come with internal CD
duplication hardware (CD burners) and some sort
of duplication software as well. CD duplication
media, such as blank CD-R and CD-RW are very
low in price and can be purchased at almost all
retail stores.
The market for your CD duplication service or
company is going to local bands and musicians as
well as small businesses. Local up and coming
bands are often too busy perfecting their sound
to deal with the tedious and time consuming task
of duplicating CDs for their gigs. They also lack
the money to order CDs from the big time CD
duplication companies as well.
The smaller businesses are pretty much the same, as
they are almost always unable to financially
justify having a technical or computer staff to
handle the backup and data storage aspects of their
company. Many times, they will end up forgoing
needed data backups simply because they forget all
about it.
You can however, solve these common gaps, provide
needed service, and earn some nice side money by
starting your own duplication service that caters
to these types of clients. By offering a reasonable
price, fast rate of delivery, and a quality product,
you'll get many repeat customers and a side
business that will keep busy for as long as you
want it.
Saturday
Preparation Tips for CD Duplication
The master CD or DVD disk, is the one you will
provide to your CD or DVD vendor for either
replication or duplication of the media. Below,
you will find some tips designed to help you
create a high quality master disc:
1. Always use the highest quality media that you
can obtain, as all media isn't the same. Do
your research, take your time, then choose a
brand that will produce a high quality disc each
and every time you duplicate or replicate.
2. Avoid copying from a network source. If the
source files for your disk are on a network
drive, copy the files to your local disk before
you burn a disc. If you can't move the files
to your local drive, try using the copy to hard
drive first feature. When doing this, your
burning software will create a temporary image
file during the burning process. Once the
burning has been completed, the temporary file
will be deleted.
3. You should always avoid burning on a laptop
computer that is running on low battery power.
The fluctations that will occur in the available
battery power may cause you to have poor results
in your duplication.
4. Always make sure that you finalize your
disc. If you fail to finalize, the disc won't
play back. Finalizing will also help increase
the reading compability in other CD-ROM drives.
5. Never use the packet writing method to burn
a master disc. This method is very common with
burning drives that have re-writing capabilities.
This method will produce discs that can't be
read on many CD-ROM drives.
6. Avoid any type of impact or movement of the
drive during burning. Doing so can cause the
laser to skip or jump tracks, which will lead
to errors or a bad disc.
7. If available, use the "burn-proof" feature.
This feature will allow the drive to slow
down the burn speed in the event the computer
can't supply the data fast enough. Although
this can increase the burn time, the quality
of the disc will be much better.
8. You should avoid having multiple applications
open when burning, especially those that
access the Internet or a network. This can
hinder your computer's ability to supply data
to the burner drive at the necessary rate.
If you follow the above tips, you should
produce a master disc of excellent quality. A
master disc is something you'll want perfect,
which is why you shouldn't take any risks.
provide to your CD or DVD vendor for either
replication or duplication of the media. Below,
you will find some tips designed to help you
create a high quality master disc:
1. Always use the highest quality media that you
can obtain, as all media isn't the same. Do
your research, take your time, then choose a
brand that will produce a high quality disc each
and every time you duplicate or replicate.
2. Avoid copying from a network source. If the
source files for your disk are on a network
drive, copy the files to your local disk before
you burn a disc. If you can't move the files
to your local drive, try using the copy to hard
drive first feature. When doing this, your
burning software will create a temporary image
file during the burning process. Once the
burning has been completed, the temporary file
will be deleted.
3. You should always avoid burning on a laptop
computer that is running on low battery power.
The fluctations that will occur in the available
battery power may cause you to have poor results
in your duplication.
4. Always make sure that you finalize your
disc. If you fail to finalize, the disc won't
play back. Finalizing will also help increase
the reading compability in other CD-ROM drives.
5. Never use the packet writing method to burn
a master disc. This method is very common with
burning drives that have re-writing capabilities.
This method will produce discs that can't be
read on many CD-ROM drives.
6. Avoid any type of impact or movement of the
drive during burning. Doing so can cause the
laser to skip or jump tracks, which will lead
to errors or a bad disc.
7. If available, use the "burn-proof" feature.
This feature will allow the drive to slow
down the burn speed in the event the computer
can't supply the data fast enough. Although
this can increase the burn time, the quality
of the disc will be much better.
8. You should avoid having multiple applications
open when burning, especially those that
access the Internet or a network. This can
hinder your computer's ability to supply data
to the burner drive at the necessary rate.
If you follow the above tips, you should
produce a master disc of excellent quality. A
master disc is something you'll want perfect,
which is why you shouldn't take any risks.
Friday
Factors Involved In CD Duplication
The process of writing data to a recordable CD can
be a complex process, as it demands a lot from both
hardware and software programs. Much of this
complexity is hidden from the user by the program,
although you should be aware of these factors.
Data
The total amount of data you are writing is much
less important than whether or not it contains large
or several small files. If there are a lot of
small files, the system may have problems with
locating and opening the files quickly enough to
send them smoothly to the CD recording drive.
The computer
Any interruption that may occur is fatal to CD
duplication, so you should ensure that your
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT don't load any TSR
utilities which may interrupt operations. Screen
savers, alarms and reminders, or incoming faxes
may also kill disc writing. You should also turn
off network sharing so no one will access the files
that you are trying to write, as this could also
kill your disc recording.
Hard Disk Speed
To write an image to the CD, the hard disk from
which you are writing must have a transfer rate
that is fast enough to keep the memory buffer full
in the CD recorder. This normally means an average
hard disk access time of 19 MS or better.
Defrag
If your hard drive has to search everywhere over
a fragmented hard drive for the data to be written,
it can cause the operation to slow down or even
cause a fatal error. Therefore, always be sure to
fragment your hard disk drive.
Recording speed
Most new CD recorders and even some older ones,
are capable of writing at two (sometimes even four)
times the standard playback. It should be possible
for you to select the speed; as even though fast
recording is a time saver, it can also cause some
bad situations.
When you copy an ISO (image file) from the hard
disk to a CD, the speed is rarely a problem as the
image is already one large file in which the
files and structures are already in order and
divided into CD-ROM sectors.
When you write from a virtual image, things can
get a bit trickier. In order to copy to CD, the
program must consult with the database to find
where each file should go in the image and where
it is actually stored on the hard disk drive.
Then, it must open the file, divide it into CD-ROM
sectors, at the same time sending the data in a
smooth continuous stream to the recorder. Locating
and opening the file is a bit more time consuming,
as writing is more difficult if you have a lot
of small files.
be a complex process, as it demands a lot from both
hardware and software programs. Much of this
complexity is hidden from the user by the program,
although you should be aware of these factors.
Data
The total amount of data you are writing is much
less important than whether or not it contains large
or several small files. If there are a lot of
small files, the system may have problems with
locating and opening the files quickly enough to
send them smoothly to the CD recording drive.
The computer
Any interruption that may occur is fatal to CD
duplication, so you should ensure that your
CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT don't load any TSR
utilities which may interrupt operations. Screen
savers, alarms and reminders, or incoming faxes
may also kill disc writing. You should also turn
off network sharing so no one will access the files
that you are trying to write, as this could also
kill your disc recording.
Hard Disk Speed
To write an image to the CD, the hard disk from
which you are writing must have a transfer rate
that is fast enough to keep the memory buffer full
in the CD recorder. This normally means an average
hard disk access time of 19 MS or better.
Defrag
If your hard drive has to search everywhere over
a fragmented hard drive for the data to be written,
it can cause the operation to slow down or even
cause a fatal error. Therefore, always be sure to
fragment your hard disk drive.
Recording speed
Most new CD recorders and even some older ones,
are capable of writing at two (sometimes even four)
times the standard playback. It should be possible
for you to select the speed; as even though fast
recording is a time saver, it can also cause some
bad situations.
When you copy an ISO (image file) from the hard
disk to a CD, the speed is rarely a problem as the
image is already one large file in which the
files and structures are already in order and
divided into CD-ROM sectors.
When you write from a virtual image, things can
get a bit trickier. In order to copy to CD, the
program must consult with the database to find
where each file should go in the image and where
it is actually stored on the hard disk drive.
Then, it must open the file, divide it into CD-ROM
sectors, at the same time sending the data in a
smooth continuous stream to the recorder. Locating
and opening the file is a bit more time consuming,
as writing is more difficult if you have a lot
of small files.
Wednesday
Essentials Of the CDR
The simple rule of thumb is that whatever you have
stored as a file on any other storage medium can
also be stored as a file on a CD-ROM. To the
recorder, a file is a file, and an ISO doesn't
care whether or not the file contains pictures, text,
or even audio sound.
There are a few special cases, as to where you
would want to record a file to a CD in a special
type of format. The most obvious here is CD-DA
audio. If you wanted to record an audio file to
a CD so that you could play it back on your home
stereo, you would need to write a CD-DA (or Digital
Audio) disk.
When you copy data to a CD, you need to ensure that
your data doesn't exceed the capacity of the CD
that you will be recording to. Due to the audio
requirements of CDs, the amount of information a
CD can hold is measured in minutes/seconds/sectors.
Each second can contain 75 sectors, each of which
are capable of holding 2,048 bytes of Mode 1 user
data.
By using the CD Size command in the edit menu, you
can set the capacity of the set you wish to
produce, which will help you to prevent exceeding
it. The status bar will show you how much space
you have used, how much remains free, and the
percentage of each one.
Even though this may sound a bit confusing at
first, keep in mind that it may take some time if
you are new to computers. Even though copying a
CD is quite easy, knowing the limits and how things
work is a bit more complex. Give it some time,
and you'll be copying files to CD like the pros
do it.
stored as a file on any other storage medium can
also be stored as a file on a CD-ROM. To the
recorder, a file is a file, and an ISO doesn't
care whether or not the file contains pictures, text,
or even audio sound.
There are a few special cases, as to where you
would want to record a file to a CD in a special
type of format. The most obvious here is CD-DA
audio. If you wanted to record an audio file to
a CD so that you could play it back on your home
stereo, you would need to write a CD-DA (or Digital
Audio) disk.
When you copy data to a CD, you need to ensure that
your data doesn't exceed the capacity of the CD
that you will be recording to. Due to the audio
requirements of CDs, the amount of information a
CD can hold is measured in minutes/seconds/sectors.
Each second can contain 75 sectors, each of which
are capable of holding 2,048 bytes of Mode 1 user
data.
By using the CD Size command in the edit menu, you
can set the capacity of the set you wish to
produce, which will help you to prevent exceeding
it. The status bar will show you how much space
you have used, how much remains free, and the
percentage of each one.
Even though this may sound a bit confusing at
first, keep in mind that it may take some time if
you are new to computers. Even though copying a
CD is quite easy, knowing the limits and how things
work is a bit more complex. Give it some time,
and you'll be copying files to CD like the pros
do it.
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