Any advice on the best way to print dvd case covers. I currently use a Photoshop template i found online. I use photos taken at the photo session and edit everything in Photoshop 7 on a Mac G4 and print on an Epson r300 with 8.5 x 11 inch glossy paper. Final product is pretty good, but I can't get Photoshop to print all the way to the edges thus leaving a visible border. I don't like the white trim it leaves around the edges. I know it's because the printer needs handles to pull the paper, but is there another way you guys/girls get around this.

Hi Bobby,

Ditto. When I print on an Epson Stylus Photo 900 I can't get rid of the edge border. It forces me to create designs that aren't full bleed. I've been using standard photo paper but just ordered the Neato perforated DVD case inserts. They are the international sized 'A4' which is slightly larger than the US standard letter paper (8.5x11). My hope is that the printing will be edge to edge.

More info here:
http://desktoppub.about.com/od/paper/g/isosheets.htm

I print the first 1/4 inch on a piece of heavy paper so I can see where the printer will start printing. I then use this as a 'carrier'. Since the carrier has a mark where the printer will start printing, I use a small piece of double stick tape and put it on the carrier paper near where the printing starts. I then tape the paper that I will use for the cover and tape it on tape of the carrier paper, with the edge right where the printing starts. I then put this double piece of paper into the printer and tell it that I have a legal size piece of paper (although it really isn't). When it prints it leaves a white border on the carrier paper and then starts to print right at the edge of the real paper. When I am done I carefully peel the real paper from the carrier paper and am ready to apply another piece of paper on the carrier and print another on this re-usable template.

I use the epson R200 and you can, indeed, get the image to print from edge to edge. In your printer properties you have to enable borderless printing.

What I do is allow it to resize it to fit on 8.5x11 paper. Granted it's a tad short in the width but only by about a few milimeters. I then only need to cut a little bleed off the top and bottom to make it fit into inserts. My vertical cuts are as flush as possible to make up for the lost width.

You'd assume allowing the printer to resize the print image to fit 8.5x11" paper would cause it to be subject to interpolation artifacts but it seems I've been lucky...the prints look just as good as when I print full size, borderless.

If I understand how your printing, other than getting a printer with less non-printable area; I dont think there is much you can do.

unless of course the template you are using clips it, have you tried removing the template (I presume its a white mask) and printing on what was covered

Personaly I got sick of the problem and just switched to leather dvd cases.

Hi Bobby,

Me again. I found this and ordered some of the photo quality glossy 11x14. Interesting concept - true full bleed for inserts with perforation and no hassle of cutting or image placement. I'll have to do some trial and error printing to set up a template. I'll let you know how it goes...

http://www.prolabel.com/dvd_case_inserts.htm

<<<-- Originally posted by Joel Peregrine : Hi Bobby,

Me again. I found this and ordered some of the photo quality glossy 11x14. Interesting concept - true full bleed for inserts with perforation and no hassle of cutting or image placement. I'll have to do some trial and error printing to set up a template. I'll let you know how it goes...

http://www.prolabel.com/dvd_case_inserts.htm -->>>

You'll have to let me know how the Epson ink jives with that paper. Sometimes odd brand papers don't work well with particular printer inks whether it be drying/cohesion or color rendition. Thus far I've been very happy with my Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper. Drys practically instantly, and colors are very true to what I see on the screen.

I will second Glen's comment. I use the R200 with epson heavyweight matte paper and I am very pleased with the results. Very low cost overall, from the printer down to the paper, and the quality, in my opinion, rivals our prints that we outsource for our photography.

"You'll have to let me know how the Epson ink jives with that paper. Sometimes odd brand papers don't work well with particular printer inks whether it be drying/cohesion or color rendition. Thus far I've been very happy with my Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper. Drys practically instantly, and colors are very true to what I see on the screen."

I use no-name paper right now and am pleased with the results. Its not the quality I am lookiing to improve on - its the design (full bleed) in combination with a faster workflow. I know you take a lot of pride in your covers and it shows, but I'm pretty much on an assembly line here...

Joel,

I'm assuming the cost is not a big issue for you here, but the R200 is a great printer for those covers, in my opinion. They are often found for 79US so you could pick up a couple, and with some 8.5X 11 photo paper, you can print a full cover in under a couple minutes at photo quality. I'm not sure how many copies you need to make but I have found this to be a very affordable and quick solution that provides clean results. Also offers the advantage of cheap replacement of the printer if it dies after a couple hundred covers and DVDs.

I have made great DVD jacket covers not using photo paper but HP Premium presentation paper. It is 32lb. weight, brightness level "92", matte finish and is coated for vibrant colors. It comes 150 to a pack and was about $10 at Officemax. Under a plastic DVD clear sleeve it looks glossy. I print with a canon I850 printer.

Regards,

Mark

Hi Mark,

I'm using the double sided version of that paper now. I prefer the way matte paper handles and its a great bargain. I use it for my double sided brochures...

Hi Joel,

Sounds like we are on the same wave length. The other thing I didn't mention about the HP paper is there is no bleed thru and the ink is not absorbed due to the coating which makes the colors very vibrant. I just can't see wasting the extra $ on photo inkjet paper when this does the trick.

Regards,

Mark

<<<---I use no-name paper right now and am pleased with the results. Its not the quality I am lookiing to improve on - its the design (full bleed) in combination with a faster workflow. I know you take a lot of pride in your covers and it shows, but I'm pretty much on an assembly line here... -->>>

Well, I kind of doomed myself when I did a couple of clients' covers like you saw. Now they all "expect" that. I've gotten fairly quick at designing them using the same template. They all look pretty much the same but with different people..lol. But hey- it's unique to them I suppose.

The one thing I will have to do is get out of my low-key style of design. High key graphics use up so much less ink and are, conversely, less time to print.

Thanks alot for all the input. I will definitely try to "fool" the printer that I have legal size paper inserted, but I will also try to check the printer settings. Let me know how that perferated 11x14 paper works. If it can save me time, it's definitely worth a shot.

Bobby, can you tell me where you got the Photoshop template online? Thanks, Jeff

I don't like the glossy paper. It sticks and looks spotty when it's placed in the DVD case. I like to use a photo quality non glossy paper myself.

Try designing the cover with a white background, thus hiding your borders? Just a thought...

"Bobby, can you tell me where you got the Photoshop template online? Thanks, Jeff"

www.neato.com has a 'software and downloads' section that has a ton of templates.

I did a search online about a year and a half ago and found it. If anyone wants it send me an email. I don't mind sharing.

I too have the Epson R200 and design all my covers in Photoshop CS. I purchased a cheap software called DVD&CD Print for $10 at http://www.northcardinal.com/productdvd.html

It tricks the printer into prinitng a full page image and works great everytime :)

Thanks Bobby but your email address is blocked on this site. You could send it to me (I'm not blocked) or whatever. I appreciate your help. - Jeff