Thermal Vs Inkjet Printing - Which Method is Right For You?

After you have decided whether you should use duplication or replication for your CD or DVD project, the next step is to choose a printing process. For duplication projects (less than 1000 discs) it is most economical to use inkjet printing or thermal printing.

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Inkjet Printing:
With inkjet CD printers the ink is sprayed from nozzles onto the CD-R surface. The discs are then sprayed with lacquer to help protect the disc. These produce high resolution print jobs so they are good for printing artwork with fine detail. Although inkjet printers produce high quality print jobs, they also have drawbacks. Some of these include smudging and lack of ability to produce Pantone colors. In addition, the cost per disc varies based on the amount of coverage. The more artwork or text you have to print onto the disc, the more it costs.

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Thermal Printing:
Thermal printers use a thin film ribbon inside the printer that applies each color separately onto the re-transfer ribbon. The re-transfer ribbon is then heated, and the entire image is transferred to the disc's surface via a plastic coating that adheres directly to the disc. The result is a smudge proof, scratch proof print. Thermal printing also provides high quality jobs that are an excellent substitution for the more expensive silk screening or offset printing options. With this type of printing, the cost per piece is the same whether you are printing a small amount of text or a full color graphic, although the dub house may offer black-only prints at a discount.

As with all printing methods there are negative aspects to thermal printing. One of these is that small text (10pt. or smaller) is sometimes fuzzy or pixilated. In addition, price per unit of the discs tends to be slightly more expensive than inkjet.

So, if you are looking for a professional way to bring your CD or DVD project to the market but do not need the large volume required for replication, most consumers find that thermal printing is a much better solution to your printing needs. It is slightly more costly, but the result is a high-quality, durable print job that you can be proud to present.

Thermal Vs Inkjet Printing - Which Method is Right For You?

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