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In your quest to find a reputable
duplication company to work on your project, you have no doubt been
asked many questions concerning your project and the type of media
you need. Aren't all burnable media the same you may wonder to yourself,
- but as you have come to find out, - there IS a difference between
the media used to manufacture duplicated orders and the media used
to manufacture replicated orders. We have put this sheet together
in an effort to explain some of the differences, answer some of
the questions you may have, and set aside some misconceptions about
both types of mediums.
Replication
Replication is the standard used to make mass quantities of CD's or
DVD's. A “glass master” of your information is made which
in turn produces “stampers” which are used for injection
molding the information onto foil. The mastered information is then
protected by layers of polycarbonate plastic. It is then lacquered,
usually screened, and ultimately packaged. Because most of this process
is automated, the cost per unit becomes factored in and very affordable
on orders generally greater than 1000 or 2000 pieces. Until recently,
almost all duplication companies replicated their discs and would
only offer service of larger replication runs to their customers.
Duplication
Duplication is the standard in which smaller quantities of CD's or
DVD's are usually manufactured. CD-R and DVD-r media is loaded into
burners. Your information is digitally extracted from your master
source (usually a master CD-R or DVD-r) and transferred to the blank
discs. Your information is typically verified and the copy then accepted
or rejected. With the advent, popularity, and reduced cost of writable
media, it is now possible to offer the same level of services to customers
that need smaller quantity orders as well as customers which need
larger quantities.
Is There any Difference?
THERE IS NO DATA DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PROCESSED DUPLICATION AND A GLASS MASTERED REPLICATION DISC. In fact, both processes extract the information from your master source in EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. Other than the way your disc is manufactured, - the biggest noticeable difference between a replicated disc and a duplicated disc may be the way the surface is marked. This is usually due to the cost restraints associated with the method chosen to process the order. There are generally four ways to label your disc.
The most professional and industry standard is the silkscreen. Screens will give you a very high resolution print on the silver lacquer disc surface. You should be aware that on smaller orders, - silk-screening your disc can be a fairly expensive option. It requires film images, the manufacture of screens, and PMS spotcolor inks. Because the setup for silk-screening can be manually intensive and fairly expensive, it is usually recommended to silkscreen larger run orders only. Streamline Multimedia offers silk-screening on all project order sizes. Cost for this option is variable and needs to be quoted on a per job basis.
The second most common method is thermal printing. Thermal printing is usually less expensive than screening because it doesn’t require film output or the manufacture of screens. Thermal printing is a great substitution to the more expensive silk-screening. While you do not get that silk-screened look, you do get a professional looking quality print.
Non-thermal ink. Non thermal is the most cost effective way to mark short run discs with full color graphic images. Non thermal printed discs are more expensive to manufacture than thermal or screen printed discs because they require a special surface. Non-thermal markings are usually not as crisp as thermal or screened discs, and in some cases may not be completely smudge proof. However, if you are determined to have a full color graphic image imprinted on your project short order,- this method may save you lot’s of setup fees, time, and money vs. silk-screening.
And the last method would be the simple inkjet/laser printed label. Although graphics printed on these labels look very sharp, this method is sub par to every other method mentioned. Labels will peel, fade, and deteriorate over time. You should choose "labels" as your printable option only after determining the budget and process restraints associated with your order based on quantity, process, budget, and other manufacturing options.
True or False: Disc's which are duplicated are not as reliable as Disc's that are replicated?
It may surprise you to find out that in most cases the answer to this question is FALSE. Writable media was invented for the storage of data. Audio CD-Rs and subsequently video DVD-r's were an offspring of the data disk. As with any new technology, there are bugs and glitches to iron out when trying to mass-produce writable media. In an effort to get product into the market place, many disc manufactures produced subpar product which had trouble loading audio and video and thus would keep your disc from “spinning up” in your player. Today’s writable media are manufactured under much stricter guidelines. It is true that there are still many inferior brands of discs saturating the market place, - but by choosing a reputable duplication company which uses only professional equipment and high quality media, you should be assured of receiving a quality product. At Streamline Multimedia, we use only the best equipment and grade A media (proven to “spin up” in almost all circumstances) available to process your order. At Streamline Multimedia, your product is verified in our duplication equipment prior to leaving our factory and will match your master source completely. We guarantee it 110%.
In Conclusion:
Duplicated and replicated disc's both have their cost and quality advantages. Streamline Multimedia is proud to offer both services. Ultimately, it is the consumer/customer that will choose the best method to manufacture the project. Streamline Multimedia sales advisers are here to help you put a project together that both meets your quality demands and budget restrictions. We hope that reading this information packet has helped you make an informed decision about YOUR project and the way you will manufacture it.
Sincerely,
Streamline Multimedia sales/project staff
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