| To buy a printer that will best fulfill your needs, it is | | | | Rimage printer, which has a print time of about 1 |
| imperative to determine exactly what your CD / DVD | | | | minute per disc (for full color printing). |
| printing requirements are. Inkjet printing is a viable option | | | | The cost factor is contingent on both the print |
| for some lower-volume applications (particularly after | | | | speed and the image quality you require. A thermal |
| the introduction of waterproof inkjet printable discs), but | | | | disc printer from Rimage and other leading brands |
| a thermal disc printer is the best option for high volume | | | | typically cost between $5,000 and $10,000. However, |
| professional disc labeling and personalization. A number | | | | the cost per print is more important than the initial cost |
| of factors to take into considerations when selecting a | | | | of the thermal disc printer itself. Because a thermal |
| thermal printer to fulfill your specific needs are outlined | | | | disc printer uses a ribbon and not an ink cartridge |
| below. | | | | (where consumption depends of the type of image |
| The difference between a standard thermal cd | | | | printed), the cost per print is easy to measure. It costs |
| dvd printer and a re-transfer (reverse transfer) thermal | | | | about 2 cents to print a CD / DVD label using a |
| cd/dvd printer: Since it does not provide color blending, | | | | standard thermal cd/dvd printer. |
| a standard thermal disc printer is typically used to | | | | The cost factor should always include the cost of |
| produce monochrome and spot color labels. If you | | | | consumables (print ribbons). One of the reasons a |
| need to print CD / DVD labels that feature simple | | | | thermal disc printer is the best choice for volume |
| graphics and text, this kind of printer is a suitable | | | | printing is that it uses a ribbon than can print a large |
| choice. However, if you want to produce offset-quality | | | | number of discs before it needs to be replaced. This is |
| labels with photo-realistic color, look for a printer that | | | | especially true for thermal re-transfer printers. A |
| uses the thermal re-transfer labeling process first | | | | Rimage printer like the Prism or the Everest can print |
| developed by the Rimage Company in 2001. Keep in | | | | about 50,000 discs during its normal lifetime. |
| mind though that some of the lower-end thermal | | | | Finally, remember to factor in other elements such |
| retransfer printers may print photographic quality | | | | as printable media quality and printing software |
| images, but produce somewhat grainy printed text and | | | | features. If you purchase a Rimage printer, for |
| graphics. You can avoid this drawback if you invest in | | | | instance, you can also buy Rimage DVDs that are |
| a high-end thermal re-transfer model. A thermal | | | | manufactured to match printer specifications. Rimage |
| re-transfer Rimage printer is ideal for high-speed, high | | | | sells pre-packaged printing supply kits that are |
| volume disc printing of durable, full-color, high resolution | | | | designed to work together with their hardware (and |
| and photographic quality labels. | | | | software) to give you consistent results. The quality of |
| Determine the type of images you want to | | | | printable media should always be a consideration when |
| produce (single color, full-color, photo-realistic, graphics, | | | | you buy a thermal disc printer and Rimage DVDs are |
| text-only etc.). If you do not need full-color disc labels, a | | | | hub-printable, meaning that you can print on the entire |
| standard thermal printer like the Rimage PrismPlus | | | | disc surface, right up to the spindle hole. |
| could be your best choice. | | | | To sum up, in addition to the quality of the printer itself, |
| The type of label printing alone is not enough to | | | | production capacity, speed and, of course, cost per |
| choose the thermal disc printer you need; you must | | | | print (including the price of ribbon refills) are the main |
| also calculate the number of discs you will be | | | | factors to consider when purchasing a thermal disc |
| producing over a given time period. The combination of | | | | printer. Purchase a printer with specifications that fit |
| these two factors (desired print features and volume) | | | | your specific production needs, and always make sure |
| is essential for selecting a thermal disc printer with an | | | | it is a reliable brand. Rimage is the leading name in |
| appropriate printing speed. Monochromatic thermal disc | | | | thermal disc printing. When you purchase a Rimage |
| printers are the fastest source for producing CD labels; | | | | thermal disc printer, you will have the comfort of being |
| a single color thermal disc printer can have a print | | | | able to project service costs in order to optimize |
| speed time of less than 5 seconds per disc. | | | | profitability. Also remember that you'll get the best print |
| Photorealistic, full color labels require a longer print time; | | | | results if you buy the right discs for your printer |
| the fastest model available today is the Everest 600 | | | | (Rimage DVDs for a Rimage printer etc). |