What kind of printer, Jill?
I have an Epson Stylus Photo R300 which prints on CDs/DVDs, and it came with a utility to print on CDs/DVDs. It will read native PSD files; I don’t have to convert to JPEGs or anything. Very slick.
Lou.
Yes, Epson is good (smart) about that…Epson Film Factory will do all files as well. I bet Jill has the same printer you have Lou.
Lou,
I’m considering the R200, but read a review that indicates a smudging problem when printing to a CD or DVD. Have you experienced this?
—– Kenny
Ken,
Only if you try to print on a CD or DVD that isn’t marketed as "printable" or unless you really try to smudge it, I guess. I still have many stick on labels and use those by applying prior to printing also. They work great. But I also use a vector program (Illustrator) to make my own print templates. You can do a lot more than most of the "built in" programs, which are a bit limited with what you can do.
Bob
Bob,
The article I read mentioned that unless you use some type of spray and allow the disk to dry for 24 hours, it’s easy to smudge the label with an even slightly sweaty finger. I hope this isn’t the case.
—-Kenny
Ken,
Sweaty or wet will certainly smudge, as the normal inkjet ink is not water proof and the material on the disk is not all that absorbant. They are sort of like coated paper where the same thing is true.
Bob
I’m still thinking it’s my next printer. I’ve always been partial to the Epson photo line and I’ll just be careful with the printable disks.
Ken,
The Epson software is certainly good enough for most consumer purposes. The only thing that drives me batty is that there is *NO* undo. Not even one level. I’m constantly resaving files with new names just so I can go back in case I make a mistake. You forget how much you depend on Undo until it’s not there. 🙂
Bob,
Yeah, Illustrator comes with a template for CD/DVDs and the jewel box. I’ve used that for my business. Just a wee bit more powerful than the Epson software. 😉
Lou.
In order to eliminate the need for "undo," is there a way to prepare first in Elements or another graphics program and then open that file in Epson’s CD/DVD template?
Lou,
I have caught myself more than once thinking I’d call back an email I’d just sent because of a typo, you know, just like the edit button here for posts…:)
Ken,
Sure, but I’ll often take a picture from Elements and then add all the text in the Epson software. If you type in a bunch of text, then move something else, then click on the text and hit <delete> by mistake . . . poof, it’s all gone and there’s no undo. Or if you have some text items lined up, and move one by mistake or change its color . . . yep, no undo. You really forget what your basic assumptions are about software until things like undo or cut & paste are missing (don’t worry, it does do cut & paste).
Nancy,
Oh, I know what you mean, and it’s not just for typos. I (used to???) have a reputation for flame e-mails in my younger days. My wife called them Lou-grams. I’m in a 12-step program… 🙂
