How to choose the best CD & DVD Duplication supplier.

Choosing the right Duplication Company for you can be difficult. Often it's hard to make direct comparisons between quotes, which often seem deliberately difficult to read. To help you we've explained some of the issues which are worth considering when choosing between the good (look no further than Sabre!) and the bad.

Clarity & Speed of Quote. To be able to make an informed choice when selecting between duplication suppliers, you need a quote that is clear and easy to understand. How your potential supplier deals with your quote is likely to reflect how they will deal with your order. A speedy and accurate quote is a good sign.

What are being quoted? There are often several ways of duplicating and printing your DVDs or CDs which vary in cost and sometimes quality. Your duplication options are Recordable Media used for smaller volumes or 'Pressed' media for larger quantities. The common printing options available to you are Paper label, Thermal Print, Ink Jet Print, Screen Print and Litho Print. See our FAQ's for a full explanation of each.

Artwork. The print process determines the type of artwork you will need to supply. Screen and Litho printing work from 'films', and these are usually generated from Mac based artwork. In most cases you have the option of arranging films yourself, or having your chosen duplication supplier provide this as an extra service. Film charges generally quoted as extra's and costs vary widely with some companies quoting per 'film' with one required per colour and others per 'set'. You are wise to asses all these costs when obtaining comparative quotes - you will want to ensue you are comparing like for like.

Artwork Problems. Problems during a duplication project are as often as not Artwork related, and can cause the delays. Good duplication companies will issue specifications for your artwork to ease film production. These specifications should be easy for your designer to understand, however it's worth checking with a prospective duplication company how much they will charge for any amends, should your artwork not meet their specifications. Once a design is ready for film production or printing, it's worth knowing how your supplier handles proofing.

Quality of Screen Print. One of the variables which affects the final outcome of screen printed media is the maximum resolution or LPI (Lines Per Inch) of the film artwork. A higher LPI makes for a higher resolution print. Due to differences in equipment between duplicators this will vary from 75 LPI to 110 LPI for spot colour print, and materially affects finished quality. · Technical Backup. Can you rely on your supplier for technical information? As well technical details for your artwork, you will need specifications and guidance for your duplication Masters. For example, a default setting in a common CD-RW authoring software can mean the production of Masters unsuitable for commercial duplication, causing a delay for your order.

Recordable Media & Equipment. The media and equipment used for your shorter run CD and DVD duplication order will have a direct impact on the final quality of your disks. For example, we only buy CD-Rs manufactured by a particular Japanese factory, which we have used continually since the inception of our CD-R duplication service. We do this despite being able to buy bulk media at a much lower cost from our local computer super store. We do this because we will not compromise on Media quality. For issues related to CD & DVD Duplication equipment see our notes in the Duplication Equipment section. If just one of your distributed disks or tapes fails the downstream loss wipes out any apparent savings many times over.

Quality & Virus checks during production. A Virus check by your supplier prior to duplication acts as a double check to your own checks. Ask about quality schemes and how your CDs are check in production.

Turnaround times. Are they quoted and are they realistic? At Sabre we quote conservative achievable delivery times, but when in an emergency will work with you to meet improbable deadlines. Click here for some Case Studies

Production Options. As you can see from the list of printing options above, there are several ways of producing CDs & DVDs. Even if you are working to a very close deadline, there is usually a way of getting your job done. You supplier should be able to offer alternatives, and be knowledgeable about the pros and cons of each option.

The cost of non-conformance. How much would producing or shipping a bad disk cost you? A bad demo disk might cost you a lost sale, and it's worse when you consider what the lifetime value of that client might have been. If you are shipping a low margin product, the cost of replacing bad disks could turn your profit into a loss.