Does anyone know a spray (polyethlene coating or something like that) being used to coat a DVD after printing to add slight sheen and protect the printed surface. Has anyone ever tried something like this?

Interesting idea... I can't wait for some responses

There are supposedly some types of CDs you can buy that turn out shiny, but I only saw these once a while back when I was looking for printable media.. not even sure if they still make them or not

The Rimage Everest II applies a protective coat. Its is expensive though. I really like their products. We use one of their other thermal printers. You can see them at Rimage.com. B&H sells them.

I've heard some folks use a polyethelene spraypaint to coat thier DVDs.

I'm presuming you're talking about inkjet printing. In that case, one to try is Krylon 1301 Crystal Clear Acrylic.

I used it for some time while I was using inkjet. Works well, but takes a bit of experience to apply an even coat without a) getting any on the data side of the disc and b) not spraying acrylic all over the hub portion of the disc. Takes a few hours to dry and then you're good to go. You'll have your slight sheen and smudge protection.

But--there's some drawbacks. For one, if you're spraying relatively large volumes of discs (30+) then you certainly want to set up your spray shop in a well-ventilated area and make sure you have nothing nearby that can't take a slight overspray coating of acrylic. Secondly, because the discs have to dry you need to set them out somewhere safe unstacked for a few hours. At times my place looked like the invasion of the tribbles. CDs on the dining room table, coffee table, my bed, empty shelves...

AND...

...the stuff really stinks. My roommate said he actually liked it when I did a disc coating because it fondly reminded him of his former job in a petrochemical plant.

I'm not sure if Glenn is correct about the Everest II. It's a full-color thermal retransfer printer, but I don't think it applies a separate coating to the discs. Mostly because it doesn't have to. Once a thermal print is applied it's UV protected, waterproof, and smudgeproof. They come out of the printer in full gloss color ready to go straight into the cases. I don't have the Everest II, but I do have the Teac P-55. It comes with two ribbons: ink and retransfer. Nothing in there that applies a protective coating. I think such a thing is probably built right into the ink and transfer process. Glenn is correct that they're expensive: $4500-$5000. And they only print 12cm discs. They're a great investment if you're printing a lot of discs. Or I suppose you could just be filthy rich and want to print excellent looking discs for a hobby. :)

What I meant was the Rimage Everest II prints to a clear re-transfer ribbon then applies that to the Disc using heat and pressure. So the printed surface is protected from scratches. The Rimage Prism does not use the re-transfer process and the printing can scratch off. The main advantage to the Rimage printers is that they are fast and water-proof.

I will try the Krylon and see how it works. My goal is to protect the surface AND provide light gloss to the print, similar to inserting a DVD cover into a DVD sleeve.

I shall experiment.

Thanks for your responses.

Our little Kodak Easy Share Printer does have a clear coat segment that gets applied on the fourth pass (after CMY).

I also saw some spray in a professional photo store that was meant for application to inkjet stills for protection. Don't know why that stuff wouldn't work as well on DVDs.

-gb-

To me, the real problem is not the coating, there are numerous solutions to that. Dust is your enemy. As soon as you stop spraying, dust starts to drop on newly sprayed surface. Geting a clean air room/container is IMO the real question.

Best regards,
Arnaldo

Bill,
Instead of a spray, you might want to look at printable DVDs with a slightly different surface "style". I bought some Pro Disc brand ones from Meritline that have a pearl like luster finish; not as pure white as some, but very pleasing. Almost as though they were sprayed with a soft matte coating.
Hope this helps.
Ken
the Screen Skins guy

Thanks everyone,

I will check out the Meritline discs.

I wonder why discs do not have a photo type of paper finish like glossy photo paper....

maybe someday.

Have not tried these myself but Primera has released a new "TuffCoat with AquaGuard" that is suppose to be highly water resistant.

From their website: "Inkjet printed discs won't smudge, run or smear when exposed to rain, snow or spilled liquids."