Disc2Day CD DVD Duplication News

The topic of online music piracy has always been a contentious issue for many years now, and especially lately due to federal legislation that was briefly gaining momentum that would have curtailed certain freedoms on the internet. While there are certainly strong merits as to why the internet should be completely free and open to everybody, music piracy is the one area that has been surrounded by more myths than anything else. While we here at Disc2Day strongly support freedom of speech and a free and open forum to share thoughts, ideas, and inspiration via the internet, we also feel it is important to discuss why online music piracy isn't as glamorous as it seems.

The sharing and distribution of free music on the internet may seem like a drop in the bucket when comparing it to other injustices that occur in today's society. However, there are downsides to obtaining your music free of charge that aren't widely shared until it's too late:

- Audio quality: Most (if not all) free music files on the internet are in a compressed, low quality file format, in order to save server space and reduce download times. While it may not matter to some, the difference is noticeable if you compare to an actual artist-approved master recording. The highest quality audio file is usually .wav format, whereas the files obtained for free on the internet are usually compressed, low quality .mp3 format. So, if you're looking to download a classic album and listen through headphones to get the most out of your listening experience, you will be selling yourself short and sacrificing quality.

- Virus/trojan horse attacks: It is very easy to infect your computer with a virus and/or trojan horse if you don't know the ins and outs of protecting your computer. What may appear to be a legitimate, professional-looking file hosting site might actually be a haven for hackers and viruses. You are almost guaranteed to infect your computer with a virus if you make repeated attempts to obtain free music.

- Impact on the music industry: While it may seem insignificant that one person can have an impact on the music industry simply because he/she wants to download one song, multiply this by the thousands and it can be an important issue. The more music is distributed freely on the internet (without the artist's and/or record label's consent), the higher the costs rise for CDs, records, and other officially licensed products distributed by the artist and the record label, which results in more money out of your pocket when you go to purchase an item legally. This can also carry over into other products as well, not just music. Also, if you are an aspiring musician yourself, looking to shape your career around the music industry, you can probably relate. For example, would a painter allow his or her paintings to be copied and distributed without any consent or monetary reward for the hard work he or she put into it?

While it is virtually impossible to stop the tide of the availability of free music on the internet, we feel it is important to discuss why, in the bigger picture, it is more beneficial to both you and the artist to legally purchase content.

Labels: cd, complete package, duplication, dvd, replication

From all of us here at Disc2Day, we would like to wish everybody a happy new year! As everybody starts packing away their decorations and getting back to work and school, we look forward to being your preferred manufacturer of CD/DVD duplication packages, as well as your first choice for posters, business cards, and flyers. For the coming New Year, here are a few pointers to help your CD/DVD complete package project go smoothly:

- For packages of quantities over 500, "replication" is used to manufacture your discs. Replication is the industry standard disc making process that you typically see when you purchase a new CD at a store.

- For packages of quantities under 500, "duplication" is used. Duplication is a more expedient process of manufacturing discs, but with zero loss in quality. Duplication discs have a different method of applying the art on the disc face, as well as a different surface onto which the audio is copied.

- You have more choices for packaging besides a jewelcase. We offer digipaks, cardboard sleeves, eco-friendly cardboard wallets, and even simpler options such as white paper sleeves and "clam-shell" style plastic cases. And that is just for CDs: DVDs also have other options available besides the standard black DVD case - digipaks, cardboard sleeves, and jewelcases are also available for DVD packaging projects.

- Remember that the better quality art files you give to us, the better quality your CD/DVD/Print project will turn out! We highly recommend submitting layered Photoshop .psd files at 300 dpi in a CMYK color mode. However, since Photoshop is a very complex and time-consuming program and may not be the best choice if you are in a rush, we can accept .pdf or .jpg files - as long as they are 300 dpi resolution and in a CMYK profile.

- When submitting an audio master, make sure all the information on your master disc is 100% accurate and meets your standards. The best audio quality for master discs are .wav audio files. If you need us to create a master disc for you, please submit your audio files in .wav format with a detailed track listing so we know exactly what order your tracks go in.

- Plan ahead! It is very common, especially when you are in an independent band, to get a show scheduled and discover a few days before the show that you are down to 5 CDs - not good! If you sell CDs at shows in your merchandise booth, make sure to always have somewhere between 50 - 100 CDs in stock. And, if you find out that you are down to a small quantity of CDs, make sure to place your order for more CDs a week beforehand just so you are guaranteed to receive your CD/DVD packages on time.

With these pointers in mind, your next CD/DVD complete package project will be an easy and fun experience!

From all of us here in sunny Arizona, happy 2012!

Labels: business card, cd, cd packaging, cd printing, complete package, duplication, dvd, flyer, posters, replication

The holiday season is upon us once again, and for us here in Central Arizona we may not have the winter wonderland that is commonly associated with this time of year - but we still like to decorate our cacti with lights and ornaments!

For those of you that are in a band, or for those that are involved in film making or production, this time of year is ideal for getting your CD duplication or DVD duplication & replication complete package into production! There are numerous specials, deals, and sales for both duplication and replication projects, whether you are looking for a gift or simply want to take advantage of great prices for your own complete package project!

Be sure to check back with us regularly to get the latest updates for CD duplication and CD replication complete package news and specials, which are updated frequently.

From all of us here at Disc2Day, Happy Holidays!

Labels: cd, complete package, duplication, dvd, replication

The Blues Review Band was formed out of Bluesman Mike's passion for the blues. In New Year of 2007 he decided to go back to his roots by spending his birthday gift on a bass guitar and soon started jamming with a great friend and co-founder of the band, Doug Hill. It was one of those evenings while they're jamming that they decided to form The Blues Review Band. The 1st original members were Scott Stuk (drums), Avi Edelson (Keyboard), Doug Hill (Lead guitar) and Bluesman Mike on vocals and bass. Soon, they're all over the valley doing their love and passion - playing the blues and becoming one of the hottest blues bands out!!! They all had a blast playing all over town but Scott had to go to college and their full time jobs required both Doug and Avi to leave the band. Now Bluesman Mike is jamming and doing gigs with Bobby Nealy, a seasoned and veteran keyboard player from Phoenix, AZ who has been playing for the last 30+ years including playing with the likes of Archie Bell and the Drells, along with his new lead guitar player who is another veteran by the name of Sugar Bear, from Philadelphia who incidentally has been performing for the last 20+ years as a studio musician as well as on stage, a producer, and song writer. To round out, and keeping the band on the one, is his new but also a veteran drummer, Kenny Spencer from Ohio.

To listen to songs and get more info about the band, check out their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/thebluesreviewaz

If you find yourself in the Phoenix area this coming weekend, please be sure to check these guys out when they play live at The Public House Garage, Saturday Oct. 15th from 9:00pm till 1:00am! Public House Garage is located at 4855 E. Warner Rd. #A31B Phoenix, AZ 85044. The venue's phone number is (480) 940-6455.

Labels: blues, cd, featured artist, local, music

As we've been discussing various CD/DVD complete package design specifications and techniques, it is also important to figure out what type of packaging would be the best for your product. If you go with a package that doesn't fit with the theme and goal of your product, your exposure and sales will suffer. So, in this post we will go over some of the different CD/DVD complete package options and the pros and cons each one has.

• Jewelcases/Slimlines
Now, as you probably know, the most common packaging is the Standard Jewelcase. This is the plastic hinged case with either a black or clear tray that we have all seen at music stores over the years. The jewelcase is the best option if you're looking to put out an album, EP, presentation, or informational DVD/CD in a simple, easy method. Slimlines are very similar to jewelcases except they are thinner and only hold a 2 panel insert - there is no back cover. The drawback with jewelcases and slimlines is that they can crack or break if they are knocked around. So if you're looking to produce a CD or DVD that is going to be exposed to lots of traveling and crowds of people, you may want to go with either a Cardboard Sleeve, Digipak, or any other cardboard-based package.

• Cardboard Sleeves/Digipaks/Wallets
Paper/cardboard-based packages such as sleeves, digipaks, and wallets are great if you are looking to stand out from the crowd and do something a little different with your product. Cardboard sleeves are perfect for handing out "on the street" or tossing out to a crowd at a show. They are also great for demos and short films or small presentations. They withstand heavy traveling and can get knocked around with getting cracked or broken. The downside is that you only have 2 panels of art to work with, with no insert or tray for your disc. If you want a tray and more panel options, you might want to go with a digipak. If you are looking for something strictly cardboard but with the same folding/art options as a digipak, then a wallet might be the best choice for you. The downside to all of these cardboard-based packages is the cost can be more, and once they are unwrapped, water and moisture can warp the packaging.

• Other Packaging Options
There are also other packaging options available besides the popular plastic jewelcases and cardboard-based sleeves, wallets, and digipaks. If you are looking to put out a demo for free or to put under windshield wipers or in bars, you can simply go with a bulk disc order and have the discs stuffed into white paper sleeves. If you are putting out a film or video or presentation on DVD, you'll probably be better off with a standard or slim DVD case. You can also choose to have bulk discs made, and stuffed into plastic "clamshell" style cases, which are a step up from the flimsy white paper sleeves but still offer no options for inserts or artwork.

Please contact us today and we'll help you decide which CD/DVD complete package is best for you!

Labels: bulk, cd dvd duplication, cd dvd replication, complete package

In our previous post, we explained why we recommend using certain design programs when creating your CD/DVD complete package artwork. In this post, we will explain why we recommend that when you send us your artwork, they contain certain specifications to ensure you receive the best quality product - "more bang for your buck", so to speak.

During the ordering process with us, at some point you will hear us recommend you send us your art with these specifications:
• 300 dpi
• CMYK
• Layered (if using Photoshop)
• .PSD format (if using Photoshop)

Now, we will explain what these specs mean, and why we recommend them.

• 300 dpi
The acronym "dpi" stands for "dots per inch" - sometimes it is also called "ppi" or "pixels per inch", which is the resolution of the art file you send to us. So, 300 dpi means "300 dots per inch". If you look at a magazine or newspaper photograph under a magnifying lens, you'll notice the photographs are actually made of thousands of tiny dots. These are the "dots" that are being referenced. So, the smaller the dpi, the less detailed and more blurry - "pixelated" - the artwork will be. The reason we request 300 dpi is because it is not too small, nor is it too large. 300 dpi is the same resolution the human eye processes images. So while you can send us CD/DVD package art that is higher resolution, it is sufficient to only send us 300 dpi images for the smaller-sized printing that we produce.

•CMYK
The letters "CMYK" stand for "Cyan Magenta Yellow Black". These are the 4 colors that our printers use when producing the product. You'll notice that some companies may recommend "RGB" (Red Green Blue) as the color profile - that is because their printing equipment is calibrated to use the 3 color RGB method instead of the 4 color CMYK method. While for the most part there is not a huge difference between the appearance of a print produced in CMYK vs. RGB, the differences are quite noticeable when using very bright, vivid fluorescent colors, such as electric blue or neon green. These colors do not show up as vividly in CMYK format as they do in RGB. The flip-side is that, if you have a detailed photograph with shadows, highlights, and more natural colors, CMYK will more accurately reproduce the photograph in your CD/DVD complete package.

•Layered
The term "layered" is a Photoshop term that refers to the way the art file is set up. When a file in Photoshop is "layered", that means the text, photos, borders, colors, - every aspect of the design is separated and is able to be manipulated and moved around independently from the other elements. We recommend you work with layers and send us the original layered file of your CD/DVD complete package so if we need to adjust the art to fit our templates, or if we need to make changes to the art, we can do so. If you send us the art flattened, with all the layers combined into a single layer, we wouldn't be able to retype anything, and it would take longer and sometimes be more difficult to adjust the artwork if it is necessary to do so.

• PSD format
PSD format stands for "PhotoShop Document". This is the standard file format for art that is created in Photoshop, and is the recommended format for art that has separated layers. You can also send us CD/DVD complete package files in PDF format with the layers separated, but PSD format is generally the most compatible, universally accepted format when working in Photoshop. Of course, if you are not working in Photoshop, you cannot save your artwork in PSD format. If this is the case, we highly recommend you send us files in either PDF or, as a last resort, JPG format. If you choose these latter two formats, it is even more important to have the art in 300 dpi resolution, as JPG and PDF files are generally smaller sized and lower quality.

And there you have it! Hopefully by now you have a clearer understanding as to what our terminology and requirements mean. As always, you can contact us either by phone or email if you have any other questions regarding the design and ordering process.

Labels: bulk, cd, complete package, duplication, dvd, replication

Welcome to our first installment of our blog feature, "Design Tips & Tricks"! In our previous post, we explained why it is worth the time, effort, and money to learn how to create an amazing design for your CD/DVD complete package. We also touched on the realization that while not everybody may have the "artist's touch" for design, everybody can at least learn how to create designs in a style they are comfortable with, and within that comfort zone you can make designs that are just as clean-looking and cutting edge as a trained, paid professional.

In this post, we will discuss why we recommend Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator as the best design programs in the business, and how to get started using these programs.

As you may or may not know, these programs are the most widely-used among professional graphic designers and students. These programs are also what we here at Disc2Day recommend to create the best quality CD/DVD packaging. Their features and customizable tools are unrivaled. For the most part, Photoshop is the more practical program to start with, with more emphasis on photograph editing and a broader approach towards artistic development. Illustrator, on the other hand, is geared more towards type and logo editing, with more emphasis on crisp lines and solid, vector-based artwork. There are some drawbacks to both of these programs, though:
• They can cost upward of $900 apiece for the full program
• They are so large and in-depth that it can take years to fully master all the tools and features in the software.

However, there is no need to worry, because there are also other, more practical solutions to begin using these programs:
• You can download 30-day free trial demos from Adobe's website: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/
• You can also access countless tutorial videos and articles on YouTube and Google, that explain almost anything you'll need to know to get started.

So, please take some time to explore these programs and don't be intimidated by their scale. Even the most skilled professionals discover new features that they've never explored before.

Labels: cd duplication, complete package, dvd duplication, replication