I'm also using Epson Artisan 50 printer + TY Watersheild DVD printing with Continuous Ink system.

Hey Taky, Which CIS system and ink are you using? How good do you rate it? Do you have any problems with ink drying and clogging the print heads?

Lukas, rub the back of the disk tray with an abrasive paper like sand paper etc it makes a lot of difference and the slipping should stop.

Jim, I tried 3 CISS from ebay and other online reseller. The one I am using now is very good. Ink quality is great. No clogging. I have to prime the ink once in a while using the printer utility.

I have recommended the one I am using to other members. However, some said their customer service is horrible. So i don't want to endorse them publicly. If you are interested, email me at info@lacolorshop.com and I'll tell you =)

Sorry to disagree with my pal Chris Harding but the DVD box is what the bride sees, not the DVD. That's why we put money into a classy, well designed but simple insert but leave the DVD face clean with just the necessary text and our logo. The only time the disc is seen is when it's being taken out of the box and put into the player say 15 secs.

Only the TY watershield-type discs don't need spraying - which gives you the option of spraying with gloss or matte. We use bog-standard cellulose not the expensive so-called specialist cans - we're protecting the surface of a piece of plastic - not rocket science.

The only exception are our demo discs which we have face printed and sprayed by the 1000 - then burn the to need.

DVD Cover / Box
 

Phillip,

I agree with you on the initial impact the appearance the DVD box offers...what program do you use to create the photo / graphic layout for the DVD container exterior / sleeve?

I have recently heard of "BelightSoft" but I am interested in what you and others are
using for quality and simplicity.

Thanks,

John Reilly

I use Corel Draw - formerly v8 - just upgraded to X5. I'm sure there'll be a host of "old fart" sighs if not responses (and I've always stuck with what I know and works eg I still use WordPerfect as a word processor) but for the insert you could use practically any drawing programme which allows you to work in layers.

We created a template which prints cutting marks, line up marks for the spine and the two faces. The bottom layer is all the guides which aren't to be printed.

The second layer carries all the static text and guides which do print.

The third layer carries the variable material.

It takes about 10 minutes to create the insert. We print on a colour Xerox laser printer on 90gsm paper.

We grab a still from the programme for the front, use delicate, subtle greys for the text and an equally subtle logo on the reverse.

In fact the loudest thing on the case is the holographic sticker which shows we've paid the PPL copyright release licence fee (£5 per disk) which the UK recording industry has had the brilliant good sense to invent.

Overall it's definitely not rocket science.

Hi Philip

You do of course realise now that I'm heartbroken??? However you are right and we not only give the bride a printed DVD BUT also the very best case sleeve that we can. I have to admit that I only use plastic cases (and even those seem hard to find now so I buy 'em in boxes of 100) I do take time with choosing the still for the face of the cover and each and every time I present the bride with her DVD set, the FIRST thing she does is look at the cover photo!! Luckily I must be doing something right because the comments are always postive!!

A photographer friend does his albums using simple supermarket style albums and when I was doing photography I always used to buy special white wedding albums with embossed gold lettering and present it in it's box complete with a tissue paper wrap. This always had the desired effect and created a good impression from the very start (if the wrapping is good then the rest must be good!!!)

Maybe extra special presentation for the DVD case (a nice white box with tissue paper) is what's needed??? I supply 3 DVD sets ..(one for the B&G, and one for each parent so I'd have to have 3 boxes)
The marketing guys swear that packaging is 90% of the sale so should we also look at packaging more carefully????

Chris

This is what I did for the DVD and BluRay package. Both include the disc label design and DVD/Bluray case insert.

I use Photoshop for all the design work. For the DVD insert, I printed using Epson inkjet printer on letter size photo paper on the top left. I only need to trim the bottom and right side. I have included the link to the template you can download here

BluRay Case Insert Template for Download | L.A. Color Blog

Yes but I knew you Aussies could take it!

Seriously, you're absolutely right - packaging is as important as the product itself - and that includes writing literate letters, nicely laid out, making smart, effective websites, right down to wearing polished shoes on the job. It's all part of our product and reflect on the way we do our job.