I'm using an Epson R200 to print on white
surfaced DVD-R's. When I purchased the
printer the selling point was that the ink is
water proof (it's not saliva proof which I
found out at the store Lol).
I've made about a dozen discs and realized
just yesterday that the ink smudges very
easily and if I just pinch the disc lightly ink
comes off on my hand and leaves behind a
finger print pattern. These discs have had
more than a week to 'dry' so I'm wondering if
this is supposed to be this way.
I have friends who have made cd art using
the printable stickers and those seem to be
very durable (bar water) when it comes to
finger prints and smudging. Maybe it's the
ink itself?
I can live with this because always grab my
discs by the edges but family and friends I'm
making these for are going to just screw up
the artwork.
I'm going to try purchasing some art spray
used to keep pencil sketches from
smudging and see if a light spritz of that will
help in some way.
Anyone else encountering this? Do I need to
give the discs more than week to 'dry'
correctly?
No they are Inkjet printable, white matte top. Fuji film actually. Kinda weird I think. Just to clarify, the ink isn't wet. It's dry but if you run your finder on it it will smudge, much like ink on a newspaper would.
you're right, the ink will have a tendency to smudge. i'm quite careful w/ my discs, so it not a major problem for me. say if there is moisture on your finger, and you touch the disc, there could be a tendency for it to smudge. now, if you touch it with water, or some other liquid, the ink will definitely smudge/run. i tried this myself by dipping my finger in water and lightly touching a printed dvd. and this was done a week and a half after the disc was printed. like you, i'm careful with my discs, but it's more of a concern for me if someone borrows a dvd or kids get a hold of it, etc. situations where i don't have control over the handling. and i'd rather not have to worry about that....
the soulution was quite simple. and you metioned this in your post. i have been using an acrylic gloss sealer. a brand called particia nimock's. got mine at wal-mart in the arts and craft section. all it takes it a few short sprays to just produce a mist over the disc. they protect the discs very well...brings out some of the color, and in the end give the disc a much nicer finish. once you've coated the dvd, you could spill a glass of water on it and it will emerge unscathed. the r200 does a great job, but this sealer is icing on the cake. makes it look even more like the real thing. i've done this with about 30 dvds so far...all look great and play well.
if you want to read more about what i've done and the product i'm using, below a link to a thread here at aD in which i discussed it. in that post, there's also a link to a thread from videohelp.com where i got the idea to begin with. you can go there if you want to read more about what others are doing. people have tried several different sprays w/ different opinions on which works best. i've only tried patricia nimock's and don't see myself having to experiment w/ anything else. hope this helps!
Pat nimocks mat spray is what I use. Its great. You just have ot be careful not to get anythign on underside of the disc. Also, it smells strogn so use in a ventilated area. I am just wondering since I am new to spraying, is there anyone here who has been spraying with this product for a long period of time. Does it affect long term playability of the disc?
Sakmd,
You're aweomse. Thanks for the info on the spray. I was wondering if the spray would make the ink run upon initial spritz, as a spritz of water would do. But you've answered that question for me :)
I'll be dropping by Walmart this weekend!!
thanks mucho,
Brock
thanks too sakmd..i'll also be dropping by walmart this weekend for the spray.i purcahsed the printable verbatim dvd +, and expereince on that the ink smudged after a week. was so upset about it, because it ruined the whole dvd. now i know where to go. by the way how much did you pay for the spray?
no prob...glad to have been of some help! yeah, the ink running while you spray won't be a problem. the only thing that may run is the sealer iteself...and that's only if you spray too heavy. just remember, a little goes a long way. a few shorts mists should do the trick. the back of the can says that after a few short sprays, and an initial dry, you can do a second coat. but for dvd use, i've found that just an inital coat is sufficient.
glad that my suggestion was of some help to you as well :)
as far as the spray, as i mentioned, i used the patricia nimock's gloss acrylic sealer. made by a company called plaid. a 12oz can at wal-mart is $4.97. hope this helps! should you go this route, i think you'll be pleased...let us know how it works out....
Even more on this topic.
I had initially printed on some White Inkjet printable CD's and those puppies don't sumdge at all. I went back to them last night and for hte life of me can't cause a visible smudge. Where as my DVD's get that 'newspaper effect' upon first rub.
My observances:
a. could be the white matte on the CD media. ?
b. My cds only had red and peach colors printed on them. The DVDs are all pretty much dark inks and black. So could be the darker colors don't set as well, OR maybe our eye can naturally see darker colors LOL Hence these would be the colors we would think are more smudge prone.
