Protecting Printed DVDs at DVinfo.net

Tyler Schlombs · February 10th, 2008, 01:51 PM

So I've seen a lot of options on these forums on how to print on DVDs. The lightscribe is only 2 tone. I don't have enough money for thermal. Labels suck. So, I went with inkjet printing directly onto the disc.

Again I looked for options on how to protect DVDs after they've been printed on using an inkjet printer. The one I would like to try is using an acrylic spray to seal and coat the dvd, thus protecting it from water.

Here's my question:

Anybody had any problems with the dvd after doing this? Besides if you spray too much and it coats the information side of the disc. I mean, does the spray screw up the dvd player? When the DVD gets hot is it still in one piece? The sprays are usually flammable.

Thanks for any help.

BTW I used an epson RX595 printer. Prints great, good with scratches, but if my finger is wet at all, the picture smudges pretty bad.

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 04:02 PM

I suggest the Tokyo Yuden Water Shield DVDs. They are only slightly more expensive than a printable DVD and hold up to water and do not smear nearly as easily. I highly recomend them.

Martin Catt · February 10th, 2008, 04:28 PM

I've used Krylon Matte Finish spray on a couple of ink-jet printed DVD's with good effect. Just laid them on a flat surface and gave a couple of light coats, allowing the previous coat to dry, then rotating the disc before spraying to help even out the final thickness.

In my mind, the biggest problem will be getting an even coating. DVD's spin at a fairly high rate, so if you don't coat them evenly, you can unbalance them, causing vibration during play.

In the end, I decided it was too much trouble for anything but the most critical work. If a client uses one of my DVD's as a coaster, then they deserve a smeared label.

Martin

Bob Thieda · February 10th, 2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Chesarek

I suggest the Tokyo Yuden Water Shield DVDs. They are only slightly more expensive than a printable DVD and hold up to water and do not smear nearly as easily. I highly recomend them.

I just got a spindle of the Water Shields.....haven't tried them yet, but I'm happy to hear a good word about them....

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 05:54 PM

Just did a quick demo of them. This should make you feel better.

http://www.simplethoughtproductions....vd-smear-test/

Bob Thieda · February 10th, 2008, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Chesarek

Just did a quick demo of them. This should make you feel better.

http://www.simplethoughtproductions....vd-smear-test/

<In my best Darth Vader voice>, "Impressive"

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 06:13 PM

Feel even better then you did before? :-p

Bob Thieda · February 10th, 2008, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Chesarek

Feel even better then you did before? :-p

Well...my only other wish was that they would make a +R version....
I think right now they only have -Rs.....

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 06:32 PM

You are correct as far as I can tell. Granted I have always used -R as it has never failed me for all the numerous people that I have shipped DVDs to from the get go in mid 2003.

Bob Thieda · February 10th, 2008, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Chesarek

You are correct as far as I can tell. Granted I have always used -R as it has never failed me for all the numerous people that I have shipped DVDs to from the get go in mid 2003.

I've had good luck with the -Rs myself...
I've just had better luck with the +Rs when bitsetting is enabled....

Well, I think we are starting to get off topic now... :)

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 06:57 PM

Indeed. For the topic though, I think the Water Shield DVDs are the best answer. When you have this available I cant see wanting to get a clear lacker spay can and having to carefully coat each DVD when you can just print and go. I imagine the costs are about equal when it is worked out. I am not 100% sure on the cost of the clear coat cans though.

Allen Plowman · February 10th, 2008, 07:19 PM

I use ritek ridat 8x dvd-r, I print on an epson R260, using CIS and the aftermarket ink. my discs are about 40 cents each. I read this article, and decided to test my ink. i ran warm water over it, and rubbed it with my fingers. a tiny amount of ink came off. I then grabbed the lemony fresh dish detergent, and squirted on enough to do a sink full of dishes, and rubbed that in. I saw a little color in with the lather. after rinsing it all off, and approximately a minute under the faucet total, I dried it with a paper towel, pushing hard. after it dried, it did appear mildly faded compared to an unwashed disc. it is completely readable, all colors appear ok. the disc in my test was printed about 6 months ago. I have not ever noticed any smearing, and I performed this test from curiosity after reading this thread. if anyone wants me to take pictures or anything, I can redo the test.

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen Plowman

I use ritek ridat 8x dvd-r, I print on an epson R260, using CIS and the aftermarket ink. my discs are about 40 cents each. I read this article, and decided to test my ink. i ran warm water over it, and rubbed it with my fingers. a tiny amount of ink came off. I then grabbed the lemony fresh dish detergent, and squirted on enough to do a sink full of dishes, and rubbed that in. I saw a little color in with the lather. after rinsing it all off, and approximately a minute under the faucet total, I dried it with a paper towel, pushing hard. after it dried, it did appear mildly faded compared to an unwashed disc. it is completely readable, all colors appear ok. the disc in my test was printed about 6 months ago. I have not ever noticed any smearing, and I performed this test from curiosity after reading this thread. if anyone wants me to take pictures or anything, I can redo the test.

What is CIS? Googling seems to be a Continuous Ink System?

Could you try doing it with a DVD a few minutes after printing. My biggest problem was the smearing that could happen for the 48 hours before mailing out my disks. The one I did a test on was about an hour old but I have had a similar experience with disk only a few minutes old.

Allen Plowman · February 10th, 2008, 07:29 PM

your google is correct, it saves me a fortune in ink.
I use a robot to burn my discs, and I prefer the discs to be dry, my concern was having discs stick together. also, I keep burning the same discs, on demand. I print them up weeks in advance, then burn them. That is what suits my needs. I will print two discs, wait 24 hours, and do a test, if that is where your problem is. I am curious myself, and it could help me avoid problems.

Josh Chesarek · February 10th, 2008, 07:41 PM

Well, the Taiyo Yuden seem to be dried instantly. I just printed out two disks and have stacked them on top of one another and will leave them for the night, will let you know how they turn out tomorrow. I think these disks could solve your problem.

February 10th, 2008, 01:51 PM	#1
Tyler Schlombs Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Toronto Canada Posts: 26	Protecting Printed DVDs So I've seen a lot of options on these forums on how to print on DVDs. The lightscribe is only 2 tone. I don't have enough money for thermal. Labels suck. So, I went with inkjet printing directly onto the disc. Again I looked for options on how to protect DVDs after they've been printed on using an inkjet printer. The one I would like to try is using an acrylic spray to seal and coat the dvd, thus protecting it from water. Here's my question: Anybody had any problems with the dvd after doing this? Besides if you spray too much and it coats the information side of the disc. I mean, does the spray screw up the dvd player? When the DVD gets hot is it still in one piece? The sprays are usually flammable. Thanks for any help. BTW I used an epson RX595 printer. Prints great, good with scratches, but if my finger is wet at all, the picture smudges pretty bad.

February 10th, 2008, 04:02 PM	#2
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	I suggest the Tokyo Yuden Water Shield DVDs. They are only slightly more expensive than a printable DVD and hold up to water and do not smear nearly as easily. I highly recomend them. __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

February 10th, 2008, 04:28 PM	#3
Martin Catt Major Player Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: The Colony TX Posts: 327	I've used Krylon Matte Finish spray on a couple of ink-jet printed DVD's with good effect. Just laid them on a flat surface and gave a couple of light coats, allowing the previous coat to dry, then rotating the disc before spraying to help even out the final thickness. In my mind, the biggest problem will be getting an even coating. DVD's spin at a fairly high rate, so if you don't coat them evenly, you can unbalance them, causing vibration during play. In the end, I decided it was too much trouble for anything but the most critical work. If a client uses one of my DVD's as a coaster, then they deserve a smeared label. Martin __________________ Canon XF300, Canon 5DMkII, Canon XL2, Rolls MX422 mixer, Zoom H4N, AT899 lavs, AT2020's, Azden SGM 1X shotgun, Manfrotto 501 head on 351 tripod

February 10th, 2008, 05:54 PM	#5
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Just did a quick demo of them. This should make you feel better. http://www.simplethoughtproductions....vd-smear-test/ __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

February 10th, 2008, 06:13 PM	#7
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Feel even better then you did before? :-p __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

February 10th, 2008, 06:32 PM	#9
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	You are correct as far as I can tell. Granted I have always used -R as it has never failed me for all the numerous people that I have shipped DVDs to from the get go in mid 2003. __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

February 10th, 2008, 06:57 PM	#11
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Indeed. For the topic though, I think the Water Shield DVDs are the best answer. When you have this available I cant see wanting to get a clear lacker spay can and having to carefully coat each DVD when you can just print and go. I imagine the costs are about equal when it is worked out. I am not 100% sure on the cost of the clear coat cans though. __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second

February 10th, 2008, 07:19 PM	#12
Allen Plowman Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Paradise, california Posts: 353	I use ritek ridat 8x dvd-r, I print on an epson R260, using CIS and the aftermarket ink. my discs are about 40 cents each. I read this article, and decided to test my ink. i ran warm water over it, and rubbed it with my fingers. a tiny amount of ink came off. I then grabbed the lemony fresh dish detergent, and squirted on enough to do a sink full of dishes, and rubbed that in. I saw a little color in with the lather. after rinsing it all off, and approximately a minute under the faucet total, I dried it with a paper towel, pushing hard. after it dried, it did appear mildly faded compared to an unwashed disc. it is completely readable, all colors appear ok. the disc in my test was printed about 6 months ago. I have not ever noticed any smearing, and I performed this test from curiosity after reading this thread. if anyone wants me to take pictures or anything, I can redo the test. __________________ "What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter."

February 10th, 2008, 07:29 PM	#14
Allen Plowman Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Paradise, california Posts: 353	your google is correct, it saves me a fortune in ink. I use a robot to burn my discs, and I prefer the discs to be dry, my concern was having discs stick together. also, I keep burning the same discs, on demand. I print them up weeks in advance, then burn them. That is what suits my needs. I will print two discs, wait 24 hours, and do a test, if that is where your problem is. I am curious myself, and it could help me avoid problems. __________________ "What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter."

February 10th, 2008, 07:41 PM	#15
Josh Chesarek Major Player Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Winter Park, FL Posts: 978	Well, the Taiyo Yuden seem to be dried instantly. I just printed out two disks and have stacked them on top of one another and will leave them for the night, will let you know how they turn out tomorrow. I think these disks could solve your problem. __________________ Simple Thought Productions - Life @ 30,000 Words per second