CD/DVD Production 101:

“How to Ensure a Smooth CD/DVD Project”

(1) Planning Overview

• Plan well in advance making sure you have sufficient time to complete your disc contents and production.
• Packaging of the final product should be decided at an early stage to avoid delays in graphic design.
• Obtain quote at an early stage of your project making sure it fits your budget and ask service provider how long the quote is valid for.
• Unless necessary, do not change design or packaging options as this may delay the production start date.
• Request production lead time information so you know the latest date to send your job for production.
• When you start to run late in the middle of the project but cannot extend your deadline request updated lead time from service provider.
• Ask if they would be able to turn around your project without incurring extra charges.
• Most people are not familiar with the difference between duplication and replication. Click here to view a comparison between the two production methods and decide which one is ideal for your project.

(2) Master Disc

• Do not use packet writing software (those drag and drop types) as these do not create industry standard CDs and DVDs. Use proper CD or DVD authoring software to create the master disc. If in doubt, do a search on the internet or consult your service provider.
• The burn-proof feature is nice but should be disabled when burning a master disc. For audio discs, if this feature kicks in while the buffer is empty, it may result in pops and clicks. “Disc-at-once” mode should be used.
• Create your master disc using the proper medium. For example, if you are producing CDs, do not burn the content onto a DVD and send the DVD as master disc. Your service provider’s equipment will only copy a DVD to a DVD or a CD to CD.
• Use write-once media. Do not use rewritables.
• After burning your master in the proper medium, test thoroughly to make sure it functions the way it should. If possible, test on different platforms.
• Testing disc contents from a hard drive is not recommended. Create a master disc and test it from the CD/DVD drive.
  • For data disc, there could be linked files in a separate folder on the hard drive.
  • If the test is done on the hard drive then there is no problem as all files are available.
  • Failing to include the linked files while burning the master disc without testing will be a disaster.
  • For video disc, the video on the hard drive playing smoothly does not mean the same video will play smoothly while played on a CD/DVD drive as the transfer rate is different.
  • Testing your master disc on the CD DVD drive IS NECESSARY.
  • For audio CD, testing with a CD drive or CD player will ensure the burning process was done properly and no pops and clicks were present.
• Ship your master disc in good protection case or envelope. Make a back-up copy for your records before sending it to the service provider.

(3) Graphics Information

• After reviewing quotes and decided on your service provider, request templates and artwork specifications from your service provider and adhere to the requirements as requested.
• Your own templates or templates from another service provider may be a little different from your new service provider. Do not assume they will work.
• Last minute revisions required will delay production time and may incur extra charges.
• For CD and DVD disc face printing, two types of colour profiles will be accepted by your service provider: pantone (PMS) or process colour.
• For screen printing and offset printing, do not send artwork with RGB elements.
• For pantone (PMS) colours screen printing is a better option and for process colour offset printing is a better option.
• Offset is for replication only as the print process does not work for blank CDR or DVD-R.
• If in doubt always consult your service provider.
• If colour is critical, request hard copy proof from your service provider. There may be extra charges for this such as shipping etc. Normally there is no charge for digital print proofs.
• It is difficult to obtain a proof for silkscreen and offset and these processes requires a lot of setup time and costs.
• Consider requesting samples instead.

(4) Payment Overview

• Most service providers will require a deposit to start a production job and payment of balance on shipping unless the client is a government agency, a well established organization or someone they know they would get paid for the service.
• Enquire and prepare in advance to avoid the delay in production.
• Some service providers will make it easy for the client to make payment by accepting PayPal and credit cards.

(5) Shipping Information

• Every attempt should be made to provide shipping instructions to your service provider.
• If you need a quote on shipping charges you should provide a full address so your provider can find a best quote for you.

(6) Choosing a Provider

• You have spent a lot of financial and human resources on your project. You will need to have your project done right the first time and every time.
• Different service providers use different materials and have different pricing methods so it is common to see big price difference for a same production job from different providers.
• When deciding on a service provider the following should be considered:
  • History of the provider
    • How long have they been in business?
  • Professional organizations
    • Does the provider belong to a professional organization?
    • Although being a member of a professional body does not guarantee quality, it is an indication that the provider is taking the business seriously.
  • Product warranty
    • Enquire about product warranty.
    • A strong guarantee is better than a vague one. Request to have it put in writing.
  • References
    • Check what clientele the provider deals with.
    • If the provider is dealing with a lot of big corporate entities and government agencies, it tells you something.
    • If really needed, you can ask for references and the authorizations to confirm with the references by telephone or email.
  • Pricing
    • Choose a provider you think has a reasonable pricing for your project.
    • Do not decide just by choosing the lowest price offered. Lower price usually means lower costs. To achieve lower costs, a supplier will need to use cheap materials which may affect the final quality of your product.
    • Remember the old saying, “You get what you paid for”.
  
  
  

  (7) Problems with the final product

  If unfortunately the products you received had problems the following hints may help:

  • First check the material (master disc or artwork whichever is related to the problem) that you supplied to confirm the problem did not come from you. If it did then the provider is not held responsible.
  • If you feel the problem arose from the production then contact the provider:
    • Describe the problem.
    • Request the provider to provide an explanation.
    • Request the provider to provide a solution.
  • At anytime, the problem should be dealt with in a professional business manner.
  • Be patient while the provider is working on your request.
  • Try to find a solution that will work for both you and the provider.