Technologies

In order to publish the compact disc, first of all we need to transfer all your data (audio or video cassette, cinefilm, gramophone record and etc.) into digital recording in the form of zeros and ones. Depending on the format of the CD (CD-Audio, CD-Video, CD-ROM, DVD-Video and others) it is necessary to make up all your data for transferring it into the CD. This process is called pre-mastering and the result of this process is the creation of the image of your future disc. As a rule this image I usually saved on the CD-R or DVD-R and such disc is called master disc; afterwards, with the help of this master disc will be made the necessary edition. If you have any idea how to design the disc itself and draw up the cover, then all you need to make the design of the covers and the image on the surface of the disc, taking into consideration all of the sizes, then we may start the production. The production of compact discs (CD) Nowadays there are two technologies that are being used in the production of the CD’s: replication and duplication.

Replication. The manufacturing of the CD’s after this technology is divided into to two parts. During the first stage the prepared image of the CD is transferred to the glass disc (the surface of it is covered with the special sensitive to light material photoresist) with help of the laser ray. After that, concentric circles (with millions of microscopic dimples and plain surfaces) remain in the photoresist layer. This glass-master is the image of your future disc. Afterwards, with the help of the atomizing method a thin nickel layer is drifted to the glass-master. The nickel layer is separated from the glass-master later on. This nickel plate is called “father” and is the specular copy of the CD. “Father” is used to create a number of “mamas” with the help of galvanic method, one of them goes to the archive for the future orders for replication. The above-mentioned method of CD-mastering is the most widely used. On the stage of replication, the discs are formed with the help of casting under high pressure from the clear granulated polycarbonate. After that from the side of the information tracks, the disc is metallized with a thin, sparkling, reflecting layer of aluminum and covered with the protective varnish. Afterwards the disc goes to the screen-printing or offset printing machine for the marking of the picture or image. The whole process of CD manufacturing takes only a couple of seconds, like placing an online casino bet. CD - mastering requires high-quality and expensive equipment. That is why it will be cheaper to use other technology if the replication is less than 500 copies.

The CD-R technology (duplication) enables to create your own CD-ROM for the spreading of files with a lot of information in it, without any data bases and programmes for compression and development of the multimedia. This technology may be used also for the recording of the sound in the studios, on the radio, for the advertising and compiled discs, as well as for the publishing of the musical discs in small amounts. So, if you have a computer, writable equipment for the compact discs, special mathematical software and CD-R, then you can make your own unique compact disc. This process takes approximately 20 minutes if you want to fill the whole disc. The automation complexes (like the one you can see on the photo) are used to make the duplication process quicker.

The printing on the surface of the compact discs(CD)

When you take in your hands the compact disc, the first thing you notice is - its inner image, its design. Further we will take a look at the technology of the printing of the picture (image) on the surface of the CD. We can mention quite a lot of possibilities: offset, screen printing, heat transfer, inkjet printing, aplicator printing and paper stickers.

All these technologies have their advantages and disadvantages. We will concentrate our attention only on three of these technologies of printing of the picture on the disc surface. You can download the templates with the sizes for CD imaging and the necessary logos in the CorelDraw format.

Screen printing on the CD. Screen printing  - is very old способ of printing the images on the different surfaces. It is obvious that this technique is now applied for the CD. This method is applied for relatively small duplication (about 100 copies) as well as for big ones. The advantages of this method are high quality of the picture (image) and relative cheapness, although there аre some disadvantages such as the absence of semitones and the difficulty in the manufacturing of the pictures with the quality of the photographs.

Inkjet printing on the CD. This method obtained its usage only not long ago together with the spreading of the equipment of this kind. The main feature that differs from the other methods - the full digital technology, that does not need the preparation of the inter materials (pellicles, films, grids, templates, etc.). That is why we have an opportunity to make check-signal copies and very small duplications (25-100 copies). Besides, with the help of this method we obtain the opportunity to print the pictures with the quality of the photographs on the CD (even for small duplications). The disadvantage is that it is necessary to use more expansive CD-R with the specially prepared surfaces.

Paper sticker on the CD. The advantage of this method is only the easy formation of the picture on the paper. We may call it the "domestic" method of making of the image. Now about the disadvantages. We cannot use such compact discs in modern high-speed compact disc drives, because we cannot center the sticker correctly. When using such disc we can observe vibration and the sticker after a period of time may "come" to the edge of the disc. First of all, the disc will not be read correctly (because of the vibration), but afterwards such centre losing may cause the damage of the drive.

Wrapping of the compact disc (CD)

Paper envelope. This is the most easy and the most cheapest way to wrap the ready made compact disc. With the help of such method of wrapping you will not have any expences on the design and printing of the cover, besides it is cheaper to send such disc by post. it is very convenient when you have to attach the disc into the book or journal.

Plastic box (JewelBox). You are all acquainted with such method of the wrapping, because it is the most widely used standard method. such box consists of three parts: base, cover and tray. The booklet is usually inserted in the cover, but between the holder and base - back cover. Usually the tray is black, but the rest of the parts are clear. In reality there is an opportunity to make your disc individual with the help of the coloured parts of the box. For example, the compact disc looks very attractive when all its parts are clear, including the tray. In this case the back cover is printed on the both sides.

The booklet. In most of the cases it consists of two pages and is inserted as a first cover (inlay) in the plastic box-cover. It is printed from the one side and bent in half, with the blank (no print) inside. But it is possible to place on the inner layout of the booklet the additional information, for example lyrics of the songs, or we can insert additional pages. The size of the layout of the booklet is 242х120mm, is printed on the whitewashed paper 170gr/sqr.m.

Back cover The back cover's size is 151х118mm and it must have stripped-cut for  to enable curving on the left-hand side as well as on the right-hand side (distance 6.5mm to insert it into the base of the plastic box (JewelBox)).

You can download templates with the sizes for CD imaging and the necessary logos in the CorelDraw format.

Cellophane wrapping. This means, that the ready-made and packed into the plastic box compact disc will be "glued up" into the clear protective pellicle. This pellicle protects the package from scratches and dust. Besides, you are sure that you are the first to use this compact disc.

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