What are the Differences Between Printing on the Disc Face and Printing the Rest of the Packaging That I Should Keep in Mind When Designing?

When the printed packaging and paper parts are printed digitally in 4 colour process (CMYK) using liquid inks and on-disc printing is done with inkjet technology, while the processes are similar, some colours-blue and orange in particular-look very different due to the different inks and different substrates. In general, the digital liquid ink prints are brighter and more saturated than their inkjet equivalents.

If matching the disc to the rest of the packaging is important to you, it is a good idea to ask for proof copies of all your items. However, because of the different processes involved it may be impossible to provide an exact match.

When discs are printed using inkjet technology or for larger runs (over 1000) silksctreened and the rest of the packaging: CD Booklets, CD inserts, digipaks, CD wallets are printed with liquid inks, using a high-quality process liquid electrostatic lithography. There are few key differences to keep in mind:

The tonal range that one can hold while silkscreening the discs is 15-85%. Tones lighter than 15% may blow out to zero, and those darker than 85% may fill in completely. As a result, it is recommended using very dark or very light photos on the disc. High-contrast images work best. Subtle changes in tone can be lost in the silkscreening process. Gradients or blends do not print well, and can look uneven or blotchy. We strongly recommend avoiding gradients or blends on the disc. Gradients that look smooth on CD packaging don't translate well to the silkscreen printing process on the disc. Highlights and shadows don't offer smooth transitions, instead dropping off dramatically and resulting in an uneven, rough-looking line. Due to registration issues with silk-screening, it is impossible to print overlapping screens such as duotones or spot colour mixes (e.g., 25% PMS 115 and 65% PMS 215) on the disc. The line screen on the disc is 100 lpi, which produces lower-quality images than the 200 lpi printing for the offset-printed packaging. Expect to lose detail and overall image quality if you print an photo on the disc.

South African born Keith has lived in the south of England for most of his life. After graduating from University with a degree in Business Information Systems Management he decided to start Strawberrysoup; a website design company based in West Sussex and Dorset.
Keith successfully gained entry into the Southampton University Air Squadron and spent over 12 months training to fly. Since then he has continued to follow his interest in flying and has now began his own training in the form of a Private Pilot's Licence.
Keith also spent 13 months working within the Image and Printing Group at Hewlett Packard in Bracknell. Throughout his time there, he was responsible for many activities including events organisation and website design and maintenance.

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