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Frequently Asked Questions About Our Services |
Artwork - CDs are reflective silver, not ‘paper’ white. How may this affect the label print? Artwork - How will you proof our Artwork ? Artwork - I’m producing a label design for a CD or DVD. What are the considerations ? Artwork - To save time can we ISDN or Email artwork to you for film output? Artwork - What type of artwork files can I send for film output? Service - How long will it take to do my order? Service - I'm on a really tight deadline for my CDs or DVDs. What can I do to expedite my order ? Service - What’s our minimum quantity? Service - Who should our cheque be made payable to? Service - You've quoted me for 5 colours, but I only want to use 4 - Why ? Tech - Do we use ‘Re-Writable’ CD-RWs? Tech - I need my CDs to work on a Mac and a PC. Does present a problem ? Tech - Is a DVD-RAM disk acceptable as a master for a DVD-ROM or DVD-Video? Tech - Virus Checking - What are your procedures ? Tech - What is the difference between Recordable and ‘Pressed’ CDs or DVDs? Tech - Why is a Master recorded using ‘Packet’ format NOT suitable as a master ? |
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When printing CMYK onto CDs we generally recommend that you specify a white base print for a more accurate colour reproduction. Some clients specify a CMYK print without a white base to get a slightly ‘metallic’ finish. When we quote for 4 colour / CMYK jobs we include the cost of a white base. If you are planning a spot colour design that uses a tint, a white base print gives improved contrast. Not specifying a white base may result in a ‘washed out’ look. Each design will print differently, and it is difficult to know how a specific design will print in advance. If you are concerned about colour reproduction specifying a white base print will help. |
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Before running films we will produce a PDF proof that we will email to you to sign off. |
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We print CDs & DVDs using a screen printing process, and this dictates the quality of print achievable. The quality of our print is directly related to the quality of artwork we receive from our clients. Most designs will print fine, but for best results try to avoid ‘graduated tints’. For example, a solid colour fading out to nothing may print with a distinct ‘band’ between light & dark. Consider also that tints will be printed on 'silver' unless you specify a white base as an extra colour. Large area's of solid colour can be a issue when printing CMYK. If your design is colour critical it may be best to print blocks of specific PMS colour as an extra colour combined with CMYK. When quoting on 4 colour / full colour work we include the cost of printing a white base, as this gives the best results. |
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Yes, you can ISDN or Email directly to our repro house. Before sending double check your artwork against our print spec. We don’t recommend emailing artwork bigger than 3Mb. Ideally you should include a PDF as a visual for us to check against. Call us to confirm our ISDN number or Email address. |
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Most Mac based artwork should be OK. Ideally please send Mac Quark or Illustrator files. If your design is made up in Freehand, Coral Draw or Page Maker we recommend that you convert it to EPS format with 'fonts to outline'. Alternatively an uncompressed PDF with embedded fonts may be acceptable. Double check that the number of colours used in your artwork matches the number of colours we are printing for you, and see our print spec's for technical details. |
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Yes. Before having your CD reproduced you should be absolutely sure that you are not breaking any copyright law or licensing agreement. If you are unsure: For music contact the M.C.P.S. – t. 0208 769 4400. This is the organisation that looks after copyright and licensing for the music industry. Most music publishers and artists are affiliated to them. If you have another company’s software on your CD you should get written consent from them before reproducing it. Even ‘free’ software will have a licence that determines how it can be distributed. We draw your attention to section 2 of our terms and conditions, and may ask you to sign a copyright indemnity. |
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Most diskette jobs are done on a ‘Next Day’ basis. Duplicated, unlabelled or paper labelled CDs are also mostly done on a ‘Next Day’ basis. Screen or digitally printed CD-Rs & DVDs usually take 3-4 days. Pressed CDs usually take about 1½ weeks, extending to 2 weeks in the run up to Christmas. DVDs & ‘CD Different’ CDs usually take about 2 weeks. Small numbers of DVD-Rs can be duplicated 'Next Day'. Audio Cassettes and Video's usually take about a week. Add 1-2 days if you need us to produce your films. To minimise turnaround times double-check your artwork or films against our appropriate spec. Most jobs are delayed because of artwork problems. |
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Use Pre Printed recordable media. Because we screen print CD-Rs & DVD-Rs before we duplicate them, we can print your CDs in advance and duplicate them as soon as your master is signed off. Our High-speed duplication equipment means that you can usually get your bulk CDs back ‘Next Day’. |
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We will duplicate from 1 upwards. We can digitally print or paper label 1 and up while our screen printing options start at 50 units – including full colour CMYK print. |
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We are in a small village in Shropshire, between Shrewsbury & Stafford. While many of our clients are London based, the use of electronic communication and ‘next day’ delivery services mean that our physical location is unlikely to be an issue. |
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Cheques should be payable to: Sabre Software Development Ltd and sent to 28 Shrewsbury Road, Edgmond, Shropshire, England, TF10 8HU. |
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Because most CMYK designs print best with a white base, we include the cost for this when quoting. The white base is the 5th colour. If you don’t need a white base print please note it on your order. |
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These are printed and applied to Recordable media, generally by hand. A quick and easy solution, but lacking in 'presentation'. |
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Allows a Black print directly onto the face of a CD. Often limited to plain text and low resolution, but may allow for simple logos. A colour option is under development but is currently subject to reliability issues. |
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Allows a full colour print on to Recordable media with a special coating via a modified inkjet printer. Good for full colour print runs in small volumes, but needs an extra coating to make it waterproof. The print is 'soft' and prone to scratching. Some times difficult to print to the edge of the CD, and some companies quote on a 'percentage' of the media covered. |
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The printing method used to commercially print CDs and DVDs. If you've purchased Music or Software on CD or DVD it's as likely as not been screen-printed. Minimum order quantities vary between duplication companies, ours being 50 units. Screen Printing needs film artwork from which printing screens are produced and is available from 1 colour to full colour CMYK. |
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Litho Print. The highest resolution printing process available CDs or DVDs in full colour. Limited to 'pressed' media and definatly not suitable for Recordable media. Allows the printing of higher resolution photographs and fine skin tones. A Litho printed disk is identifiable by its very smooth printed surface. Film artwork is used to produce printing plates. |
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No, all our CD-Rs are standard write once media. We do not offer a CD-RW duplication service. |
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No. The content of your CDs does not affect the price or turn around. Our only concern regarding your content is that is does not infringe any copyright or licensing agreements. |
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No. You will need to supply either a DVD-R master or for pressed DVDs we also accept a correctly formatted DLT tape. |
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As a courtesy we Virus check masters prior to duplication. However we advise clients to satisfy themselves that duplicated media is Virus free prior to onward shipment or internal use. Due to the ever changing nature of viruses, we can not guarantee absolutely that disks are virus free. See the page @ About Us > Terms & Conditions for full details on our Anti Virus Policy |
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The best analogy is to think of Recordables (-Rs) as blank Audio Cassettes. You buy blanks and then record data (music) onto them later. ‘Pressed’ CDs or DVDs are like records, in that a record is manufactured with the data (music) imprinted on it. The common link between CD-Rs and Pressed CDs is that once they are written or pressed, there is no going back. If your master is not correct we can not re-record. |
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The ‘packet’ CD format is used with CD-RW media. CD masters recorded in packet format are not acceptable. If you are creating a master for duplication on a CD-RW drive ensure that a recognised CD format is selected in the settings. Acceptable formats include ISO 9660, CD-XA, Mac HFS & Hybrid Mac / PC. See CD ROM > Mastering Hints and Tips page for more details. |
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Your design(s) which we are to print. The inclusive unit costs in our quotes are based on you providing us with 'Film' artwork. However many of our clients provide us with Mac based artwork files and we produce 'Films' for them for an extra fee. |
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Cyan Magenta Yellow Black. These colours when combined can produce full colour print. |
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The preferred master type for mass produced DVDs. Usually created by your authoring house to a set specification. |
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Used to create printing screens or plates via a photographic process. Film is a clear acetate which is printed in black by a high resolution image setting machine, from an artwork file. A film 'set' consists of 1 film per colour used in the design. A CD printed in 2 colour needs a film set consisting of 2 individual films, 1 per colour. |
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Describes how data on a storage medium is organised. The same data can be arranged in different ways depending on the target computer or player. Many media types can have lots of formats Example: A CD-R can be recorded in a whole range of formats depending on the final application. Audio CDs have a different format to Data CDs. Some formats may not be suitable for commercial duplication, notably the 'Packet' CD-RW format. |
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A Glass Master is created as part of the mass manufacture process when producing CD-ROMs and DVDs. Not required for short run CD-R or DVD-R based duplication. The cost for Glass Mastering is included in our unit cost. |
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A CD data format which will work on a wide range of computers. |
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The source medium that you as a client would give us to make copies from. Master's often have to be in a specific format. Please see our master specifications for technical details. |
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A term used to describe printing individual colours. Useful when noting the difference between 4 colour (Full Colour) CMYK jobs and jobs using 4 specific (Spot) colours. |
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Contact Sabre - Tel. 01952 820453 or Fax. 01952 811438 or Email: info@mediacopy.co.uk Site Design Creative Technology |
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