Thermal disc printers vs. silkscreening, inkjet and offset printing – which one is the best for your project?
There are several different options available for anyone wanting to print images or text on a CD or DVD during CD duplication or DVD duplication. Not all printing methods are equal, and certain printing methods may be better suited to your project depending on what you are looking for or your project’s budget.
Thermal disc printers
Thermal disc printers produce an extremely high-quality image. Thermal disc printers use different colours of film that are melted together, and the final product is a crisp, glossy image. If your project requires bright colours or flesh tones, thermal printing is the best choice. This method is better suited to projects under 1,000 discs and is less costly than offset printing, but is typically more expensive than silkscreening and inkjet printing.
Silkscreening
Silkscreening is a method used when a higher number of discs are being printed. Each colour receives its own screen, and the coloured inks are pushed through this screen in layers, creating the artwork. This method produces quality images, and is sometimes used on the production of cheap t-shirts. By far, this is the cheapest method of printing on discs.
Inkjet
Inkjet printing is more suited to solid colours or colour gradients. It has a matte finish when the image is printed, and this method is better suited to projects under 1,000 discs. If the design is simple with a lot of gradients, it can handle a project better than thermal disc printers. However, if the design is more complicated, thermal disc printing is best. This method is traditionally the most cost-effective for larger amounts of discs, but as with any inkjet project the colours may run or be ruined if the disc gets wet. Lacquer coatings can be applied to protect the image and increase durability, but this can also increase cost.
Offset or Litho Printing
Offset printing is another method better suited to large quantities of disks being printed similar to silkscreening, except using plates instead of screens. This method works well for images that are photographic or that need more detailed colouring, but it is also more expensive than other disc printing methods. Offset printing, as with CD replication, uses a glass master that results in a higher quality duplication of the original artwork.