Hey all, I just bought an Epson 200 and was wondering if anyone knew of a better software solution that works with this printer. I previewed Acoustica's software but couldn't figure out how to get it to understand that I was printing directly to disk without using paper peelouts. Anyway, this issue has really been kicking my but, the only solution I may have is to use a template in Photoshop and then try and align it in the Epson Software. Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Didn't Epson provide you with their EpsonPrint software? That works quite well if you feed it an image from another program like Photoshop.

ShureThing labeller. Very Good.

Best regards,
Arnaldo

Hey Mike, yeah, i've been able to work with the software that Epson gave. As a side note, I did contact Epson to ask them what software was compatible with the Epson 200. They gave me the ol'e 'we don't offer support on third party software blah blah blah.' Which I thought was stupid. But either way, yeah, I just made the cover background in Photoshop and did it that way. It turned out well I think. So thanks for your time. I've looked at many ways of doing this, including the Surething Labeler. I hope I went the right way.

I echo Mike's experience.
Take a still from the video into PS, spiffy it up, and drop it into the Epson software.
The very first label I made came out great, and have had no problems since. The default settings in the Epson software worked fine.

Wayne

I use Diskus v3 from www.magicmouse.com with my Mac and Epson 900. Version 1 originally came with the Epson, as they had no Mac version at that time. They do have a Windows version (98-xp), although I haven't used it on a PC. I use SureThing on the PC at work, cause that's what they make me use. Diskus is easier and has more features. It does support the R200 and R300 as well as a lot other printers and labels.
Diskus also has good support for a variety of VHS lables, case covers, business cards, etc.

Mic

I just got a copy of Diskus -- it seems to work pretty well, with LOTS of graphics when compared to the Epson CD print software that came with the R200. The Epson software appears to handle frame grabs better, however. When writing a frame grab to a photoshop file from FCP-4, the 720X480 file imports perfectly when using the Epson CD software. In Diskus, the frame doesn't cover the DVD and requires stretching, which degrades the image. Maybe I''m missing a trick here....?

Well this is my assessment of the Epson 200. I have not yet tested the waterproofness of the printing. I have used the Epson for two weddings now. And I’m quite impressed with it. It prints text really well small. I’ve used Maxell’s Inkjet DVD-R’s and Verbatim’s cd-r inkjets. Both turn out well. I just did as suggested above, take an image roughly 5.5 or so and import it to the software that came with the Epson. The only downside to the printer is it is a little finicky with the tray that comes with it. Also the ink is a little on the high side, but that’ just part of the biz. For less than 100 bucks, I give it a 4 out of 5. (Rating system from X-Play off of G4-TV)

Diskus

I have usually scaled images smaller not larger, so I haven't noticed this.


Epson Inks - waterproof?

I was very worried about this with the 900. So I printed a disk. Let it completely dry overnight, then dropped it into a sink full of water and let it sit for an hour. I even rubbed it a little. Sure, some of the ink disappeared, but the images stayed readable. Everything was much lighter - VERY pastel, but it could still be read.
For short run custom jobs, this is good enough for me.

Well, I've seen somewhere a spray that you can spray to help seal the print. I think I've seen it with those really expensive disk printers. I wonder if this worth exploring. The image quality on the disk from the 200 is really good. I was immediately impressed.