Lightscribe

[cdeemer]

What do people think of the Lightscribe labeling system?

[Chuck Engels]

I don't like Lightscribe for a few reasons;

1. Not in color

2. Takes way too long to print

3. Discs are more expensive than inkjet printables

4. You need a special DVD Burner

I love my Epson R220 and the Verbatim Inkjet Printable Discs
I can print a full color disc with amazing quality in about 2 minutes.

[Bobby]

Ditto. And I (perhaps we, if I remember Chuck) got the R220 as a refurb for about $60 with ink carts. You may be able to find similar or better deals. Full photo quality was not so much of an issue for me. Prints fine DVDs.

[Chuck Engels]

Got a refurb from Wolf/Ritz Camera, Google Checkout coupon of $20 and a discount, all came to $26 including shipping
That was over a year ago.

[ridon127]

I have lightscribe on both my computers. I like it just fine.. I do agree it is slow and not in color but for me it serves its purpose. I just bought 100 dvd's online for $49.. I didn't think that was too bad. They were Verbatim 16x -R lightscribe. It also depends on what you are burning on the disk. If it is pictures, there is a longer burning time. If it is just words, it takes less time.. Guess it is just a matter of preference..

[Peru]

I have the HP Photosmart D5160. It prints well, and I use a refill kit and bulk inks to keep costs to a very reasonable level.

Don't depend on the provided software to work, however. I had several hours logged in to HP Support until they finally admitted that there was no fix, and suggested using a third party disc printing application.

I use Acoustica CD?DVD Label Maker with excellent results. It allows me to adjust and fine tune the specs of their preset templates to exactly the area of the available print space.

Also, a word on inkjet printable discs:
If you don't get the waterproof discs, don't get them wet. They will run and smear.

[Chuck Engels]

I just bought 100 dvd's online for $49.. I didn't think that was too bad. They were Verbatim 16x -R lightscribe.

I just bought 2 packs of 50 Verbatim Inkjet Printable discs from Micro Center for $13.00 each, that's $26 for 100, 1/2 the price you paid Donna.
Not to say that Lightscribe isn't what's best for some people. I have to use ink for the printer, Lightscribe doesn't, but it is not a very large amount just for a DVD when most of it is while anyway. All in all I think the inkjet printables are cheaper and look nicer, you do have to be careful not to get them wet unless you waterproof them

[RJ Johnston]

I really like LightScribe. It does't waste ink, doesn't smudge, is very neat, and it is not as slow as you might think if you use the Lightscribe software that is available from Lightscribes website. The software is developed by HP. It's a lot faster than Nero's labeling software. You don't have to cover the entire surface with images; you can print titles that wrap around near the hub end and get discs printed in a couple of minutes. You can repeat the burning of the label to make the images and text even darker. The disc is automatically perfectly aligned so you can keep adding more stuff to the label at a later time. There was a really good deal on Ativa discs at Office Depot. They even come in different colored surfaces now.

But I also have a Canon printer that can print color labels if I want, but haven't done so except a couple times. The ink will smudge if gotten wet. I've heard of people who spray a protective coating on top so it won't smudge.

[ridon127]

I just bought 100 dvd's online for $49.. I didn't think that was too bad.

I spent hours checking out the price of DVDs. I found some cheaper but the shipping was high.. This was free shipping..

I didn't pay for them..The school did..I love it when they buy things. They are for the yearbook but she told me I could have what is left..

[Ron]

You'll probably get a 50/50 here, but I like Lightscribe myself, although I really have nothing to compare it to. I needed a new DVD drive and the Lightscribe drive was really cheap, so I purchased it. The disks it creates are pretty neat. And like RJ said, if you burn it twice, you get better results. The jury is still out whether they will last longer than ink printed disks, but it's not that expensive of a decision to give it try. It may be all you need.

[RJ Johnston]

I'm thinking that maybe one day they will come out with a LightScribe disc that has special chemical properties on the label side that can be color activated by the laser.

[George Tyndall]

What do people think of the Lightscribe labeling system?

I use my Epson inkjet for printing directly to printable CDs , but for my DVDs I really like the appearance of the LightScribe surface.

I invite my clients to feel the smoothness of the laser-printed label on their disk and to note how permanent it is. They seem VERY impressed.

hp recordable DVD+R 16Xs currently cost about $0.50 each.

I'm anxiously waiting for a manufacturer to begin producing LightScribe Blu-ray DVDs.

[momoffduty]

Looking to buy either a lightscribe or DVD printer and have been researching. Need help on a few things. I have had the best luck using Verbatim 8x DVD-R and haven't seen any lightscribe available at that speed, only printable discs. True?

Been on Amazon and other sites looking for both types and did not find any refurb at the excellent price that Chuck got. At a total loss on which product and where. It would need to be an external. Any advice? Thanks.

[ridon127]

Looking to buy either a lightscribe or DVD printer and have been researching. Need help on a few things. I have had the best luck using Verbatim 8x DVD-R and haven't seen any lightscribe available at that speed, only printable discs. True?

http://www.yesbuy.net/verbatim-dvd-r-8x.html I found this website for the disk.

[Chuck Engels]

The R220 has been discontinued and existing units are rather expensive.
I got mine so cheap due to a tip on the forum, it was a major sale at Ritz Camera and a Google Checkout Coupon.
Probably won't see that kind of a deal again for awhile.

The replacement is the R280, currently $99 at the Epson Store.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/cons ... d=63069504

Refurbished for $55
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/cons ... r0302DNCRN

There is an excellent deal right now on the RX680 (scanner and printer) $119
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/cons ... d=63069505