CD/DVD Master Preparation Tips

“CD/DVD Master” is disc you provide to your CD/DVD vendor for replication or duplication of that media. Here are some helpful tips for creating a high quality master:

·Always use high quality media. All media is not same. Do your research and choose a brand that will produce a high quality disc consistently. ·Avoid burning from a network source. If your source files are on a network drive, copy files to your local hard drive before burning a disc. If you cannot move files to your local drive, please use “Copy To Hard Drive First” feature. Your burning software will create a temporary image file during burning process. When burn is complete, temporary file is deleted. ·Avoid burning on a laptop computer running on battery power. Fluctuations in available power may yield poor results. ·Always “Finalize” your disc. If you use drag and drop interface that is built into some operating systems (Windows XP), be sure to select “finalize disc”. This will increase “read” compatibility in other CD-ROM drives. ·Don’t use packet-writing method to burn master disc. This method is most common with burner drives that have “re-write” capabilities. It is similar to “drag-and-drop” method described above. This burn method produces discs that cannot be read on many CD-ROM drives. We cannot accept a master that is burned to a ReWritable (CD-/+RW or DVD+RW) disc.

Don’t use markers to label CDs and DVDs

Many people use markers to write on surface of their CDs and DVDs when labeling their media. What most people do not know is that using markers, such as Sharpies, ballpoint pens, or any other sharp object can be very damaging to media. Most markers contain chemicals that create oxidation, which can deteriorate CD or DVD. The oxidation can ruin aluminum, which covers surface of media and ultimately can destroy data on disc. Additionally, these types of markers can damage physical structure of disc.