Inkjet Printable Vs. Thermal Printable -
Which is best for you?
Many different types of printable media exist. Inkjet white, inkjet
silver, hub printable, clear hub, thermal printable, which one is right for
you? I hope I can give everybody a better understanding on the different
types of printable media available at BurnSmart.com.
Thermal Printable vs. Inkjet Printable
What's the difference between the inkjet printable and
thermal printable? And which one's the best for you? The following
comparison will help you decide.
Inkjet Printable
In inkjet printing, the ink solution is sprayed onto a
disc surface that is specially designed to receive, hold and absorb the ink
droplets. The technology produces photographic quality results for
sophisticated, multi-color, high-resolution graphics, and images on your DVDs
and CDs.
Inkjet CD DVD printers are generally lower in price
than thermal printers. BurnSmart.com offers
inkjet CD DVD printers
starting at about $595 (XLNT
IDEA Xi440 CD DVD Inkjet Printer ***Free Ground Shipping), on the other hand, thermal CD DVD printers start at
over $3,500.
The main disadvantage of inkjet printable discs is
that the discs are more susceptible to smudging and require time to dry.
Lick your finger and rub an inkjet printed discs, it's going to smudge.
The release of
Taiyo
Yuden WaterShield CD-R media and
Taiyo Yuden WaterShield DVD-R media has eliminated the smear-factor.
However, the price of WaterShield media is still very high (about $.62/pcs for
the WaterShield CD-Rs
and $.72/pcs for the
WaterShield DVD-Rs). With
time, the price of the new water resistant, smear-proof media should go down.
In short, if you are looking to print full color
images, you don't expect to print large volumes, and you can factor in some
drying time, then inkjet printing could be the right choice for you.
Print Samples
Taiyo
Yuden WaterShield CD-R
Prodisc
Inkjet Silver Hub Printable CD-R
Ritek Inkjet
White Hub Printable CD-R
Taiyo Yuden
WaterShield DVD-R
Thermal Printable
Thermal printing employs a heat transfer ribbon that
bonds the images to be printed directly onto the thermal printable DVD
or CD. Thermal ribbons cost more than inkjet cartridges, but the
throughput of thermal ribbons is higher (about 2,100 black full discs using
the
Rimage PrismPlus. The print surface is of thermal printed discs is
more durable. Thermal printed discs do not smudge like inkjet
printed discs.
Thermal CD DVD printers are also faster than inkjet
printers. The
Rimage PrismPlus will print a full disc in 10 seconds for one color, 18
seconds for two color, and 27 seconds for three color.
The major drawback of thermal printing is images.
Thermal CD DVD printers are not meant for printing discs with high quality
graphics or fancy color patterns. Thermal printed CDs and DVDs look best
when used for simple one color printing such as simple text, logos, and line
art. If you are looking for to printing simple text and are looking at
printing a higher volume of discs, thermal printing may be the right choice
for you.
And while a variety of color ribbons are available,
including some two- or three-color ribbons, thermal printing is designed more
for basic, one-color applications, such as simple words, logos, line art, etc.
And though some new thermal printers now offer photographic quality to compete
with inkjet printers, the equipment and consumable costs are still on the high
side.So if you don't need fancy graphics or photographic quality for DVD/CDs,
but you do have a lot to print and you want a more durable, smudge-free
surface, thermal transfer printing is probably your best bet.
Print Samples
Prodisc
90Min Thermal Printed Sample
Rimage Everest & Teac P55 Thermal Retransfer Printer
Then there is the
Rimage Everest and
the TEAC P55
printers. No other printer compares to these two printers. These
two printers provide for amazing photo quality prints coupled with high
durability.
The Everest and p55 printers utilize a
retransfer printing process. The CMY panels are first printed to a clear
retransfer ribbon inside the printer. Then, using heat and pressure, the
printed image and a layer of the clear ribbon are applied to the disc.
The finished product emerges dry, durable, and ready to handle. As soon
as the discs come out of the printer, they are ready to handle. No
stickiness or smearing here.
The Everest printer uses special media made
specifically for it. Everest compatible media is a little higher in
price than standard printable discs.
The TEAC P-55 just released a new ribbon they call
VersaMax With
the Versamax ribbon, you can now print on almost any type of CD or DVD media.
There is no need for special coated discs, the equal majors savings on media.
If you're looking for the cheapest way to produce
discs, the Rimage Everest of the Teac P55 is probably not for you since the
cost per print for both of these units runs about $.33 - $.45 a disc.
However, if you want to produce the highest quality discs with ease and
quickness, you might want to inquire about one of these elite disc printers.
If you have any questions, call us anytime toll free
1-866-448-0958.
I hope the above information is helpful. If you have any questions, please
contact me via e-mail at skim@burnsmart.com
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