Nil said:
I do not recommend stick-on labels. I used to use the CD Stomper
system, and almost ever disk I labeled that way has gone bad. I don't
know if the glue attacked the disk, or if it throws it off-balance, or
what, but most of the (audio CD) disks now suffer from "helicopter
noise syndrome"
Off-balance vibration caused by improper placement of the label. Even
commercial producers of labelled discs (using stick-on labels versus
disc ink printers) can sometimes get the labels off kilter on an entire
batch of production. If I got one of those, I didn't go back to the
retail store to exchange it for another one since the retailer probably
got them in a batch.
I haven't used Avery's CD Stomper product so I don't know how they try
to ensure the sticky label is aligned to the disc BEFORE pressing the
label onto the disc and if they press the center of the label (by the
spindle hole) onto the disc before pressing on the outer edge (i.e.,
press on from middle outward). The one currently shown at Avery's site
(cdstomper.com) looks like a flat bed where you have to not only use the
spindle rod to align the label but also make sure the edges of the
spindle hole in the label match up with the embossed circle on the disc.
http://www.cdstomper.com/products/Design_Kits/index.html
I found a Youtube video that shows Avery either had a prior or later
model for the label installer that had it bend. The label went onto the
applicator with sticky side up and was curved. You put the disc atop
the label which would only contact along one radius of the label.
Pressing down had the label apply from that radius outward to eliminate
bubbles. However, I don't see a means of aligning the edge of the
spindle hole in the label with the embossed circle on the disc around
the spindle hole.
The old kit that I have (no brand marked on it) has the label go over a
fat spindle. Instead of trying to make the user align the edge of the
hole in the label to a ridge on a plate on the stamper, the label slid
over a fat spindle. That way, the label wasn't going to slide around at
all while the user was pressing the disc onto the upturned label (sticky
side up). The process was to slide the label over the fat spindle and
press down on a disc when pushed the spring-loaded fat spindle down into
the body of the stamper. The disc was held in alignment during the
downward press by the small spindle (in the hold of the disc) while the
label was held in place by the fat spindle that retracted into the base.
As I recall, I use two hands instead of one. One hand's finger hold
onto the sides of the disc while slightly flexing it upward while the
other hand presses down on the disc. The label gets applied along one
radius of the disc and I unflex the disc to apply the label to the rest
of the disc. That eliminated any bubbling or uneven application of the
label. The stampers I see nowadays has the user trying to keep the
label hole positioned on a ridge rather than fixed in place by a fat
spindle. While mine isn't an Avery model, it looks like Avery used to
make one with the retracting spring-loaded fat spindle to hold the label
while pressing the disc down along the skinny spindle.
You also have to be mindful on the distribution of ink on the label. If
you black out one half of the label, maybe to show white text there, or
half is heavily colored and the other half is white (no ink) with some
black text, the blacked out or heavily colored side will be heavier due
to the addition of lots of ink. Even if you use a profession disc
printer you have to watch the balance of your artwork so it doesn't
unbalance the disc after the image is printed on the disc. It only
takes a small weight misplaced on your wheel to unbalance your car tire.
Same goes for small off-balanced weight on an optical disc.
I've had discs where the spindle hole was very slightly off center.
They were balanced enough not to vibrate the drive motor but adding
label accentuated the off-balance condition. The disc was off balanced
and adding more weight just made it worse (more momentum with more
mass). No choice but to toss those.
Disc printers are probably the best choice for permanent labels. Ink is
pricey, however. Labels are probably the next best as long as you
properly position them and there exists no pre-existing flaws in the
disc. Lots of commercial discs use stick-on labels. Lightscribe is the
lowest grade of label. While it allows you nicer printing than a
Sharpie, the Sharpie markings last longer. So great looking but
non-permanent (fading) versus sloppy Sharpie but more permanent.
Yeah, you might burn a disc and apply a label only to trash it because
it was or became unbalanced but you know that now when you labelled the
disc (you do test them after labelling them, right?). With Lightscribe
labelling, the job works now but the label disappears later while in
storage (so you won't notice the fading until years later when you get
around to using that disc).
I don't remember which brand but I have used some where the glue simply
evaporated and I ended up with a loose label stored with the disc. Twas
easy enough to apply more spray glue in an even pattern to reapply and
the label was still completel legible (no fading). I don't much label
my discs but in the last few years the labels were permanent. Years
later when I decided to discard a disc, there was no way to remove the
label. In fact, if you used an Xacto knife to wedge under the label,
you could remove the label only with it also yanking off the silvery
material on which the data is recorded and you ended up with a clear
disc like those you see at the end of a stack of CDs sold on a spindle.
The glue was stronger on the label than the metallic foil on the disc.
A rigid optical disc turned into a floppy foil disc; see:
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/A00Y_1_20120420_3398973.jpg
Mine looks more like:
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/A1D3_129945547503306521fVAVhHjKDG.jpg
except mine also had little tension fingers alongside the outer edge of
the fat spindle that you pressed in to slide the label over them and
made sure the label didn't move around and it stayed DOWN on the base
plate.
As far as Lightscribe - it takes too long, the result isn't very
attractive, and I figure it puts too much wear and tear on the drive.
It was a novelty at first, but I don't bother with it any more. Not
many new drives seem to have the feature, so I guess it's going the way
of the dodo.
The time to etch a LS label was one of several reasons I gave up on that
technology. Obviously the more dense the image (for contrast) or the
more printing (larger image) then the longer to etch it. I resigned
from fancy labels using LS and went to just simple and short text.
Then there was the promise versus reality. The first time I printed an
LS label on an LS disc my reaction was "That's it?" I figured I did
something wrong but repeated trials didn't improve on image quality. I
saw LS-printed discs by other users and was equally unimpressed.
Frankly I haven't heard anyone wanting, using, or looking for
Lightscribe drives or media for quite awhile. The fad passed.
