CD DVD Duplication Vs. Replication - What's the Difference?

So you want to have some CDs or DVDs produced and want to know what your options are. The answer simply put is duplication or Replication.

CD DVD Duplication

Duplication is the process of recording or "burning" on to blank CD or blank DVD discs. The process is very similar to burning a cd or dvd using your computer CD or DVD drive. The top surface of the discs is printed using inkjet or thermal printing.

CD DVD Replication

Replication is a much more complicated process. A glass master is created from your master disc. A stamper is created from the glass master. The stamper is placed in a mold and the mold is closed. The actual discs are made from a plastic like material called polycarbonate. Liquid polycarbonate is injected and what comes out is a translucent plastic disc.

The discs are metal coated so that the discs can be read by a CD or DVD reader. Next, a translucent laquer is applied to the disc. The lacquer protects the disc and also makes it easier to print on.

There are a few things that you will notice when comparing a duplicated discs to a replicated discs. First, the bottom surface of the discs will be different from that of a replicated discs. Replicated CDs or DVDs are both silver in color on the bottom surface.

Advantages of Duplication

Fast turnarounds - Duplication is a much faster process than replication. 500 duplicated discs with printing can be finished within 48hrs compared to about 7 Days for replication.

No minimum quantity - There are no minimum quantities with duplication. Duplication can be done to as little as 1 disc. With replication there usually is a minimum quantity order of 500 or 1,000 discs.

Advantages of Replication

Better playback - Replicated discs are higher quality than duplicated discs. Although the use of high quality blank media and duplicating at a slow speed make duplicated discs good quality as well, some older cd/dvd players have issues with playing back CD-R/DVD-R discs.

Professional look - Replicated discs have a metallic silver bottom. Duplicated discs have a greenish/bluish tint on the bottom for CDs and purple color for DVDs.

Better print quality - For printing on top of the disc, replication uses either silkscreen or offset printing. These two printing methods in general produce higher quality prints than those offered by duplication (inkjet printing, thermal printing, etc.).

Conclusion

So what method is best for you, duplication or replication? The answer is simple. If you need a higher quantity of discs, say 500 or more go with replication. Even if you have a strict dealine to meet and can't wait 7 days, most replicators can get the discs replicated faster (even within 24hrs) with a rush fee.

If you need a small quantity of discs, say 50 or so, duplication will work fine for you.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 1-866-448-0958 or by email at info@burnsmart.com