Duplication Centre

CD, DVD, Blu-ray duplication

01702 530 354

24 Hour Turnaround

Posts Tagged ‘DVD’

« Older Entries

Being Environmentally Aware: 21st May 2019

Tuesday, May 21st, 2019

Playing our small part and being responsible for our own footprint, is our starting point with environmental issues.

CD, DVD & BluRay has traditionally been a very plastic orientated industry, with the CD Jewell Case and the Standard Plastic DVD box being for many years, the norm for packing and presenting your discs.

Over the last few years, and in conjunction with current responsible thinking we have been  keen to promote our Eco-Friendly casing options.

We have developed our own templates and sourced FSC certified Sustainable card stock to provide our customers with a high quality, low price, ecofriendly range for CD, DVD & BluRay packaging.

These include:

  • Single Card Wallets
  • Double Card Wallets
  • Lancing Packs
  • 4 page Digipaks
card lancing pack with cd with woman and man in swimming costumes and a booklet

CD Lancing Pack with 4 page booklet

two card wallet with cds being inserted ,picture of a band in 40's clothes and 5 piece band

Cd single card wallets

As a result of this we have noticed a huge shift in the choice our customers make when deciding on their cases.

Our card wallets by far exceed the popularity of all our plastic options.

At the same time we are very respectful of peoples right to choose and still stock all the traditional case choices. Where possible and where the quality is good enough, we use eco plastic versions like the ecolite Amaray cases for our traditional dvd packaging.These are both fully recycled and  recycleable.

 

All of the templates for designing any of our card products can be found here:

https://www.duplicationcentre.co.uk/artwork-pdf-guidelines.html

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Customers, Design, Helping You Decide, The Environment, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Being Environmentally Aware: 21st May 2019

FREE CD’s ,DVD’s & BLURAY’s: 14th May 2019

Tuesday, May 14th, 2019

This year we celebrate 15 years of successful business.

 

We grew from a Recording Studio into one of the UK’s leading Duplication Company’s.It has been a great help to us when we work with musicians that we understand the importance and value of each individual recording /duplication order we receive, and have extensive knowledge among our staff who can advise, help and guide you through the process.

 

music mixing desk operated by a man

As we celebrate our success we are happy to offer 5 FREE units with every order placed until the end of June 2019; just add the words FREE5 in the special code box as you go through the check out.

You can get an instant quote and place your order with ease here: www.duplicationcentre.co.uk.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Customers, Helping You Decide, History | Comments Off on FREE CD’s ,DVD’s & BLURAY’s: 14th May 2019

Remembrance Day

Monday, November 5th, 2018

As we approach Remembrance Day we are proud to have duplicated many DVD’s and CD’s dedicated to the many who lost their lives in the Two World Wars and in other conflicts around the world.

We support Help For Hero’s and salute all those who fought to make the world a better place; and for those who still defend us in the Armed Forces.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Charity, History | Comments Off on Remembrance Day

Which CD/DVD Case is Right for You?

Thursday, July 5th, 2018

This article is revisiting the topic of casing and giving a more up to date analysis of what is available and popular at the moment.

Over the last few years there has been a great shift in the type of CD/DVD casing chosen by customers.This is partly due to the increasing access we all have to the digital world, where personalising and producing bespoke products is much easier and ever more professional in outcome.

Whether you are a band selling at gigs or a school producing a play or a company producing product or financial information it matters how you present your CD/DVD to your customer or client.

What are your choices?

The first decision to be made is whether you want printed parts with information on for your customer to read…if you don’t then your options are:

FOR YOUR CDS

A plastic Clam Shell Case or a plastic wallet ; both of these will allow your onbody print on the CD to show through and are a good  and  really low cost option.

The plastic wallet comes in single or double versions and also those used for inserting into books and magazines with clear self adhesive strips.

 

 

If you do want printed parts there are a wealth of options and things to consider.

By far the most popular form of casing currently is the card wallet which we print in full colour on both sides.

The Card Wallet

We have noticed a real shift in sales over the last couple of years and this has grown in popularity to become our best selling case option.There are many reasons for its popularity not least because it is very eco-friendly,unbreakable  and  easy to post. It is most popular however because you can tailor the wallet to print photos , text…whatever you choose…and end up with an inexpensive bespoke product printed on high quality fsc certified 350 gsm box board.

 

You can then choose to have these cellobagged or shrinkwrapped just to create the complete profession look or for selling online.

The CD Digi-Pak

Along side this is the CD digi-pak which is a 4 page card option with a clear or black tray for the CD to sit in; this gives

all the same benefits as a card wallet but has the more sturdy plastic tray for the CD to sit in.

And finally in the card range is the 4 page lancing pack which is a double card wallet with one side sealed with glue or left open for a booklet.

 

The CD Jewell Case

The CD Jewell Case….named because they are said to pick up light like jewells!! …. are transparent plastic, fitted with 2 arms that support the lid…these are by far the most traditional, and were the preferred option for many until recent times.

These too allow you to bespoke your order with 2,4,6 and 8 page booklets giving you the space to include all the information you want to; along with a rear tray,single or double sided for your track listings.

The jewell case also comes in a slimline version where there is no back tray so no art in the back, but still plenty of room for the booklet to be inserted in the front.We have the black tray option on the web-site but can order in a clear tray  if you wish.

 

FOR DVDS

For your DVDS the same decision process applies as with CDS….Do you want printed parts?

As a DVD and a CD Disc are the same size you can have any of the CD casing options if you want to for your DVD….. we do have customers who choose to have a DVD in a slimline cd case for example or in a CD card wallet…..however we do offer some other packaging products which are particularly designed for the DVD.

DVD Digi-pak These are made with the same high quality card as the cd digi-pak but are a different shape…rather more like a book …longer but nice and slimline in design.

 

Our DVD customers mostly still choose the AMARAY standard DVD case made of plastic which comes in single,double,3,4,5,10 way and so on….

 

The Standard Amaray DVD Case

 

They come in all colours but we advertised black and clear as they are by far the most popular.

 

The clear case gives you the option for a double sided wrap to be printed…the black for just single sided.

This traditional DVD casing can also be ordered with a DVD booklet 2 or 4 page.

 

Our web-site offers a free artwork creation tool and all the templates for both the disc art and printed paper parts are in our Artwork section. Artwork Creator

If you hover over the case options on the web-site you will also see an image and description of the case in question.After you have done this if you are still undecided give us a call and we’ll use our experience to help you decide. Instant Prices and Ordering

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Helping You Decide, The Environment | Comments Off on Which CD/DVD Case is Right for You?

Recycling /Upcycling,

Monday, June 4th, 2018

If you care about ecology and the careful and efficient use of our worlds resources you will be interested in reading read this article.

We have always viewed our general efficiency, in all aspects of our work as part of being an eco-friendly and responsible British Company. This includes the responsible choice and use of our own suppliers and supplies, careful budgeting and careful use of power (mainly electricity) and associated machinery. In addition to this we have internal policy regarding the recycling of any waste material.

This article is an informal piece about our most recent thoughts and practices.

From the start we use high quality casing for our Cds,Dvds and Blu-rays with the philosophy that in the long term these will provide the best protection for your discs and although some are plastic, will last a life-time so do not need to be replaced. This is slightly counter culture in what has become a throw away society in many walks of life, but there is common sense in choosing quality which will last; and despite this we still remain one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest for all of our products. There is a great deal of inferior quality, cheap packaging out there that is never use for any of our customers.

Over the 12 years that we have been in the duplication business we have noticed a large shift in the casing that our customers choose for their orders. From the days where nearly all CD’s were packed in a plastic standard jewel case and all DVDs packed in a Amaray plastic DVD cases, we now find that a much larger percentage of customers choose the more eco-friendly options of card wallets/digi-paks.

The card/paper we stock for all our printed parts is FSC Certified and sustainable. We feel this is a better option than recycled paper as research shows that due to the high volumes of bleach used to whiten the paper this is not as environmentally friendly…..which is not good. Responsible sourced and properly managed paper is a green industry, encouraging the growth of trees in the worlds forests. www.fsc-uk.org

In addition our, experience and the feedback our customers give us tells us that paper based products are less susceptible to damage in transit and less costly to courier, deliver and store compared to plastic cases.

Customer choice is highly important to us however and whilst there is a demand for the plastic standard jewell and standard DVD case and we continue to provide these on our web-site.

A large part of our recycling programme is to reuse all the incoming boxes and packaging to supply our out-going parcels.

Protecting orders is our top priority so this comes first however where possible we re-cycle all cardboard, jiffy/mailite bags and packaging, always removing any personal information on them first.

Good House-keeping in the production room means less waste, however on every order we do produce 1 or 2 over-runs of discs. This enables us to keep a control copy here of every order. We have researched widely the re-cycling of CD’s, DVD’s and Blu-Rays and have yet to find a highly sustainable channel for these.

We do however supply unburned discs to artists and students of design free of charge for sculpture or artistc projects.

There are also an increasing number of designers who use discs as the raw materials for projects like garden mosaics, lamps, dishes, picture frames, flower pots, mirrors, coasters and even a disco ball!! See www.zerowasteweek.co.uk for DIY ideas on how to recycle discs.

Another great use for discs is as bird scarers on allotments, they catch the sun if hung and will deter without harming birds who would eat delicate crops.

We minimise the use of paper by having an efficient invoice emailing and chasing system; although we will always send hard copy invoices if requested. We shred all paper that we can and this is re-used for animal bedding and then composted.

In short we view ourselves as a very eco-friendly company and we constantly update and re-visit our processes to see where we can improve and evolve in a productive and conscientious way.

Gained knowledge and know-how is the key here to keeping an efficient and eco-friendly approach in balance for our industry.
 

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in New Technology, The Environment, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Recycling /Upcycling,

The Blu-Ray

Thursday, March 15th, 2018

The Blu-ray Disc founder group was started in 2002 by MIT and nine leading Electronics Companies: Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Phillips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp and Samsung Electronics.

 

The name is taken from the blue laser that is used to read from and record to a Blu ray disc, the blue laser allows for a much higher density and hence a larger storage capacity and so the Blu-Ray disc is a digital optical disc data storage format.

It was designed to supersede the DVD format, and is capable of storing several hours of video in high definition (HDTV 720p & 1080p) and Ultra High Definition Resolution (2160p).

Although the Blu-Ray disc looks exactly the same as a DVD in size and shape there are many differences between media including storage capacity,laser technology and disc construction,image resolution and player compatibility.

The Blu-Rays storage capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB), like computers and ipods.

Storage Comparison:

DVD Single Layer: Can store about 4.7GB data which is about two hours worth of movie at Standard Definition…these are commonly referred to as DVD 5’s.

DVD Dual Layer: Can store twice the amount of data at 8.7 GB which equals about four hours of movie at Standard Definition ….these are commonly referred to as DVD 9 ‘s.

Blu-Ray Single layer: Can store approximately 25Gb data, this equals about 2 hours of High Definition Information or 13 hours of Standard Definition Information.

Dual Layer Blu-Ray :can store about 50GB data which is about 4 hours of High Definition Information or 26 hours of Standard Definition.

Laser Technology

Lasers are used in both DVD and Blu-ray technology .As the disc spins the laser reads the information stored on the discs and transfers both the picture and the sound to the television.

DVD: DVD players use a red laser at 650nm wave length to read DVD discs

Blu-Ray : Blu-Ray players use a Blue laser to read the stored information; the wave lenghts are shorter than the red at 405nm and are smaller in diameter, this allows for a closer and more precise reading of the information on the disc.

Disc Construction:

Physically DVD and Blu-Ray discs are the same in appearance:both have circular tracks on their bottom layer that enables the laser to read information stored on the spinning disc.

The tracks on a DVD are much further apart than on the Blu-Ray; you will see that it follows from this that the amount of information that can be stored on each type of disc is different; the Blu-Ray having the far greater storage capacity.In short a Blu-ray can squeeze about 5 times as many tracks onto the same size disc as a DVD.

Both DVD and Blu-Ray have a protective layer designed to resist scratching; the Blu-Ray in addition has a hard coating that makes it more scratch resistant.

Image Resolution

This is measured by the number of vertical lines times the number of horizontal lines of light in a picture.It is represented by the number of horizontal lines going across the screen like 480, 720 or 1080.The higher the number, the higher the resolution the more detailed the picture you see.

DVD: Almost all DVD’s have standard definition of 480 or enhanced definition of 520.This look ok on a standard television,utilising all the available pixels on the screen. If however this is blown up to a large HDTV the picture may look grainy.

Blu-Ray: The Blu-Ray was designed for the high definition 1080 display….since they can store 25 GB data you can fit a whole High Definition movie on a single layer. Blu-Ray currently has the best image resolution on the market and looks amazing on HDTV, they are one of the only sources that display in 1080.

Player Compatibility:

Happily Blu-ray Players support DVD’s and the image will be decent but obviously not the high definition quality of a Blu-ray.

Due to the  larger lasers used in DVD players they it cannot read the tiny grooves on a Blu-ray disc.

In short you can play a DVD in a Blu-ray player but you cannot play a Blu-ray in a DVD player.

 

Lastly and very importantly Blu-Ray can handle 4K (Ultra HD)...we don’t need an new type of disc for our new TV’s; you can have it all with the Blu-Ray !

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in New Technology, Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Blu-Ray

What CD or DVD case is right for you?

Tuesday, August 27th, 2013

It doesn’t matter what type of DVD or CD case you use, right?

Wrong.

In most cases, the DVD or CD case is more important than the actual CD label itself, particularly in the consumer markets. So which CD or DVD case is best for your company? There are several different options and we will cover all of them to make sure you are using the right type.

CD cases

CD cases tend to be smaller than DVD cases. They are almost the same size as the CD inside.

What types of CD cases are there?

Jewel case

These cases are said to pick up light like jewels, as they are transparent plastic, fitted with two arms that support the lid. They are the most common types of CD cases and allow for a small leaflet to be inserted in the front and back.

Pros: Strong protection, aesthetically pleasing, allows inserts and offers different variations that hold more CDs

Cons: Teeth and arms are prone to breaking, which render the holder useless. They are not environmentally friendly and they are bulkier than other case options.

The sleeve

A simple sleeve saves the most space out of any CD storage option. They are made from a thin plastic called ‘tyvek’ or paper.

Pros: The tyvek sleeves protect from water and spills, while the paper sleeves are environmentally friendly.

Cons: The paper sleeves don’t protect from condensation or spills. Both the paper and tyvek sleeves do not protect the CDs from getting snapped or crushed.

Eco-friendly options

  • Soft or Green case – most eco-friendly option, made from recycled discs and known for opaque quality
  • Digipack – only one component of plastic
  • Jake case – origami-like
  • WowWallet – FCC approved paper and cardboard

DVD cases

DVD cases are typically the size of a thin, A5 book in order to fit small booklets and extra information inside the case.

Keep cases

Most DVDs are encased in book-sized plastic boxes called Keep Cases. The front allows for a small cover to be inserted and the plastic is usually made from black plastic.

Pros: Strong, durable, allows for booklets and information to be slid into teeth and plastic covering.

Cons: They are not environmentally friendly and are expensive.

Bulk packaging

When it comes to bulk packaging, CDs and DVDs are both packed in Cake Boxes. A Cake Box piles discs on a spindle, with one large cylindrical plastic cover to protect them all.

However some of the cheaper CDs can also come in Blister Packs. Only blank discs are sold in this manner and it is advisable to at least buy sleeves to protect discs with information on them.

Hopefully this article proved useful for choosing your CD and DVD case needs. If you have any questions feel free to ask us!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Helping You Decide | Comments Off on What CD or DVD case is right for you?

Choosing a Way to Back Up Your Computer

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

When you need to backup your computer (or at least some of the files on it) there are more than a few options available. Some of the most popular backup methods currently are RAID mirrors, external hard drives, network drives, USB flash drives, tape drives, cloud storage, and DVDs. Choosing the right medium for you is a matter of weighing the pros and cons:

  • RAID mirroring requires a second hard disk drive (with closely matched specifications) for each drive you wish to have backed up. It can be an excellent solution as it keeps files perfectly in sync, even while they are running, and is thus an up-to-the-second backup. On the downside it is somewhat costly.
  • External hard drives can be of any size you choose, and can serve as a solid backup option. Like the RAID setup the up front cost can be relatively high, but it does allow you to take your files with you.
  • Network drives are a good option if you have multiple computers to backup files from. They’re more expensive than RAID or external drives because they require a housing which is bootable (usually running a linux distribution) but they can be very useful in multi-system households.
  • USB flash drives are generally only a good backup solution for small jobs or when you need to have ultimate (physical) portability, as their maximum sizes are quite tiny unless you begin to spend an extreme amount of money.
  • Tape drives are an old standard but are are often expensive as they have been phased out by other solutions. The tapes themselves can be a better deal than hard drives, and are portable.
  • Cloud storage has become increasingly exciting in the last couple of years, but as a backup solution it remains very slow. For small projects where you want portability such as working directories and music libraries the cloud is a great solution, but leave the big jobs out until internet speeds improve dramatically.
  • DVDs (generally the re-writable kind, though it’s also possible to use write-once discs) are a good, cheap solution for backing up your system if you are in a position to swap discs out as you go. DVDs offer the least expensive backup costs, and remain faster than cloud storage even with the need to swap discs in an out. Since backing up to DVD is a good, well-rounded and scalable solution that does not require a huge outlay of money, many people rely on it.

Choosing how much to backup is a very personal decision as well. Some people make whole system backups. Others may find that they are only concerned about things like photos, documents, and the like. In some cases a single DVD may be all a person needs to back their vital data up, but in others a great many gigabytes of data will be involved.

Once you know how much space you need you should make arrangements to secure adequate supplies. In the case of DVDs it is usually very cost effective to buy a spindle of discs and a storage case.

Your next step has to be to find a good piece of software. Fortunately you have a wide variety to choose from. Wikipedia has a list of free and paid backup solutions which, while not comprehensive, is a great start. Also be sure to check around on the search engines if you haven’t yet found something that suits your needs.

One good free program from the list is called Cobian Backup. Using this program it is possible to backup just part of your system or the whole thing, and store it on a variety of backups, including the cost-effective DVDs. It offers you a fairly easy to use interface so you can get started quickly. It can serve as a good first program while you are getting used to backups, and while you are looking around at other options.

Finally, when you make a backup the best storage place for it is away from your PC. If you happen to own a fire safe, placing your backups (such as DVDs) in that safe is a good way to ensure you can recover should anything unfortunate befall your computer.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in How To...! | Comments Off on Choosing a Way to Back Up Your Computer

What Causes Discs to Fail?

Monday, September 10th, 2012

Storing your files on a disc of any type is a relatively safe method of archival, but there are a few things you should be aware of in order to safeguard your files. The first is to of course use quality media, but beyond that, you can avoid damage by following a number of simple tips: Never expose your discs to extreme temperatures. Both heat and cold have an adverse effect on the longevity of discs. Cool, constant temperatures are best, so try and avoid sunlight, heaters, air conditioning vents, and the like. Remember that simply being inside of a container may not be protection. Glove boxes, trunks, and the like, while popular storage places in vehicles, are poor choices.

  • In addition to the issue of heat, UV light may damage discs. This means that sun is a double no-no when it comes to ensuring you do not damage your collection.
  • Do not leave your discs out in the open, or stacked on each other. While discs often come in spindles, this type of storage (particularly when done with loose discs) can lead to scratching of the protective layers of the media if dust and other particles are introduced. Instead, choose a storage solution which keeps your discs as free of such environmental hazards as possible.
  • Handle the discs from the outside edge and the inner ring. While fingerprints are not really a permanent problem (though they can cause massive temporary issues if left uncleaned), any kind of debris which may insinuate itself between fingers grasping either of the flat surfaces of the media can cause damage.
  • Exposure to various hazardous materials can severely degrade discs in a very short period of time, so it is imperative that you avoid exposing your media to any chemicals. This can include some aerosols which might be commonly used in your household.
  • Avoid moisture. Many people use water to clean their discs, but that is not recommended. Only use purpose-built cleaning solutions.
  • When using a marker, only use one that is appropriate to disc usage. Generally water-based inks and broad felt tips are better than other types. For the most safety, only mark the clear plastic interior of a disc.
  • Don’t put undue pressure on your media, such as by bending it or subjecting it to extreme rotational speeds.
  • Avoid adhesive labels. They can peel and cause issues with drive operation, leading to damage.

By doing your best to avoid the above problems, you can help to preserve your discs. With good care you should be able to keep them viable for decades.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in How To...! | Comments Off on What Causes Discs to Fail?

Music CD Digital Remastering – what is it and what are the pros and cons?

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Music CD digital remastering - is it worth it?

In the current age of constantly developing digital media, it is sometimes hard to keep up with the latest trends. One of today’s most popular buzzwords is ‘digital remastering’. This is applicable to both video and audio files but in this article I shall focus on the idea of audio, or CD, remastering.

To understand what CD remastering is, it is helpful to first know what ‘mastering’ is. When you duplicate a CD, you have an original, or ‘master’ recording. This ‘master’ copy is not necessarily the first recording of the audio content, but is the final edited version of it. For instance, if you are recording a radio-play or audio book, you may wish to add sound effects from another source in after the initial recording. Or, if you are making music, you might want to edit the singer’s voice or to equalize the sound. Many adjustments of these sorts can be made and the ‘master’ copy is the final edited version made before CD duplication commences. In some circumstances there is more than one master copy, for instance many ‘masters’ might be sent out to different CD duplication plants in different regions.

So, the process of CD mastering is the process of making the ‘master’ copy of the CD. Mastering had problems, however, when it came to analogue recordings, for analogue sound loses quality every time it is re-recorded or edited. This can make the audio sound fuzzy or start to hiss. This was particularly the case with cassette tapes.

However, with the advent of digital sound, CD remastering has become the remedy to this cause. When a piece of audio is remastered, very often the original recording of the piece, sometimes taken from before the CD master was even completed, and converted into digital sound, thus the editing can take place again, with no loss to the sound quality, creating a new master which can be used to duplicate the CD and release it again.

The pros and cons of CD Remastering make for a tricky debateBut there are arguments for and against CD re-mastering. Why? If a process makes an old song sound better and gives it a second chance to live, what can be the problem? Well, it depends on how well the audio has been remastered: Many classic albums from bands such as Kiss and the Beatles are now being re-released in digitally remastered form, but to modern tastes and standards. This often includes increasing the volume of a song to levels where the sound becomes distorted and starts to sound very different. this can dissuade people from listening to the music again, often without them even knowing quite why. Aside from this, many people see it simply as a marketing ploy, a way for shareholders in music labels and members of the bands to get even more money than they did the first time the song was a hit.

Despite these criticisms the point remains that, when done well by professional CD remastering technicians, digitally remastered CDs sell very well and do offer a new lease of life to the audio of the past. It also helps to preserve songs and recordings from the analogue era, as cassette tapes and vinyl discs alike become more scratched and naturally degrade in quality over time.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Helping You Decide | Comments Off on Music CD Digital Remastering – what is it and what are the pros and cons?

« Older Entries

Duplication Centre Resource Centre is proudly powered by WordPress | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS) | 35 queries. 0.039 seconds.