CD/DVD Printer
 

Hi all.

Would apreciate your comments, opinions, experience, tips, advice, and so on, regarding maker and model of CD/DVD printers for small quantity jobs (Epson, Canon and the likes).

Best regards,
Arnaldo

I'm lovin' my relativley new Epson R200.
Besides doing a really nice job on discs, it also prints fantastic photos. New workhorse of my office really.

i have made a lot of search about the R200 and the I865.
Here are the results.

The epson is cheaper but has lots of disadvantages
it is only usb 1 while the canon is usb2
it is a slow printer the canon is faster
the tray seems better on canon
the head is removable on canon, not on epson. In case of problem you just need to change the head on canon.
Both model are Continuous Flow upgradable (see weink.com)
The canon has a better output (but on DVD the quality is medium since you need very special paper to get the best quality).
Text quality is better on canon
Both have templates in SureThing (the best program to print CDs) but epson has more ready made templates.
The canon has a special tray for photo paper (small size) that seems very convenient.
The canon has the memory slot that are available only on the r300 not on the r200
The canon is bulkier on the desktop
The only problem with canon seems it is not available in USA.

Thank you.

Best regards,
Arnaldo

In practice, USB2.0 is definately a factor in external hard drives, but is not a factor whatsoever in a printer. The transfer speed of the USB1.0 is MUCH faster than all but the fastest printer. Don't let USB1.0 scare you away. The R200 is a capable $95 printer. If you expect more, pay for more. It works well for me and performs as advertized.

Of note for those of you interested in printing directly to disk instead of to labels, a fact I didn't know until I bought and used my R200: the ink takes 24 hours to dry. A full 24 hours...step away from the disk!

I can't compare the two, but I am very happy with my Canon i865. For this price in a 4 ink printer, the photo printing is great. And the first time I printed to DVD I was amazed. Solid, fast, just plug in and go.

Aaron

i use the epson stylus photo 900 for printing on dvd discs... i've done over 600 of 'em so far.

printing full coverage on either disc or paper(box cover) will consume ink like a drunken sailor on shore leave consumes booze, lol... a buck a disc for full coverage(??).

i've also printed thousands of vhs/dvd box covers on epson printers... they really put it to you when it comes to buying ink... and the ink useage goes way up because the printer has it's own nozzle cleaning schedule, whether it's needed or not.

epson inkjets also require frequent manual nozzle cleaning, because they tend to clog up for no apparent reason... do a search on google, you'll see what i mean.

the latest trick is to put a chip on every ink cartridge, so that the cartridge can't be re-filled... the chip communicates with the printer.

i never heard of the ink taking 24 hours to dry, tho... i stack 'em up as they get printed, no problem.

i would be looking real hard at the canon.

<<<-- Originally posted by Patrick King : ... the ink takes 24 hours to dry. A full 24 hours...step away from the disk! -->>>

Yeah it only takes a few moments with the R300. Never used the Canon but sounds good!

Jake

the i865 is no longer in production, but the new ip3000 or is it 4000?? i cant remember now is the replacement which offers the same type of quality... if not a wee bit better..
much smaller too

I would like to put some very basic labeling information on a set of disks I am producing (like series title, vol 1, vol 2, etc). I would just like the disks to be identifiable when they are out of their case. It's part of an academic project so it needs to be neat, but not flashy.

Last time I checked, using Sharpie markers was thought to cause eventual degradation of the disks, as well as not looking too professional, and stick-on labels were thought to cause balance problems on playback. Have opinions changed on any of that?

The alternative of buying printable disks and a printer is not out of the question for me, but I'd avoid it if I could.

Thanks in advance for your information and opinions.

Linc Kesler

The following Canon models print directly on CD/DVD (click on a name for details):

i905D
i965
i9950
iP3000
iP4000

List prices are on this page (Australian dollars).

Interestingly, while the Canon Australia site lists CD/DVD printing as a feature of these printers, the Canon US site does not (only the two iP models are available in the US). Has anyone here in the US used the iP3000 or iP4000 models to print directly on CD/DVD? I wonder if it is just an over site, or if a special tray and software for direct CD/DVD printing is for some strange reason not included with the printers sold in the US.

I might be interested in getting one of these Canon printers in the future, but being in the US I’m not sure if the models sold here include the CD/DVD printing capability.

Christopher

What the $%#??? Looks like I'll be buying my printer overseas.

Reply from Canon USA
-------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Wisniewski,

Thank you for writing to us.

Unfortunately, the ip3000 and the ip4000 printer does not have the direct cd/dvd printing feature. Only the overseas model have that feature.

Thank you for choosing Canon.

Sincerely,

Janice
Product Support Representative
-------------------------------------------

This is strange. I called Canon USA about the iP4000. The rep said that the CD/DVD printing is not available, that Canon isn’t going down that road. Something about copyright fees.

Does anyone have recommendations for a reputable place to purchase one of these Canon models overseas?

Christopher

"Does anyone have recommendations for a reputable place to purchase one of these Canon models overseas?"

http://www.computeruniverse.net/products.asp

Best regards,
Arnaldo

Yes, I think it's Epson has a patent on that in the US. I got the same answer when I was going to purchase from the US. In the end I found one in New Zealand. www.ascent.co.nz. Good prices (For NZ) and pretty good service - dunno if they will send overseas.


Aaron