Anyone here have success with the Epson printer that prints on CD's?

The folks at the store said the same thing that DonM stated, that the Canon printer was the least expensive for ink.

Maybe I should move this to the "Bar"?

Hi Boo, I think your question VERY 'on topic', especially considering the fact that "Print Directly to CD" look a lot more professionally presentable and marketable for music CD demos & albums offered for-sale at gigs.

I too have been seriously considering switching to purchasing a printer which can prints directly to CDs as my handwriting (with sharpie pen) admittedly sucks. In the distant past, I used CD adhesive labels for my demoCDs, but then discovered from reports, that they can frequently became unreadable (over time) on a number of players. Don't know if it's the adhesive used (chemical change?) or the added thickness of the paper that causes this.

I too am very interested in hearing from experienced Printable CD printer experts here about 'which' specific printer(s) , and including model numbers, offer the best balance between print quality & cost effective consumeables prices as well.

- Scott

Hi Scott.

I have made demo cds for long time and I had the same problem with unreadable copyes.
I think that the problem was the speed of recording. Since that I switched my cd recorder to a low speed (max 12x ) the problem was solved.
Another tip:Try Pimaco that are thicker than other labels and you can print with photo quality.
Chico

Hi Brickboo:

I use the Epson R-200 for printing on the Music CD's I produce. It has been a little gem as far as I am concerned... with one minor exception. When it's time to replace the ink cartridges, they end up costing more than the printer did when I purchased it at Fry's Electronics in Arlinton, TX.

My buddy has an R-300 which cost considerably more and works well but is clumsy to load. It does not print much faster then the R-200. Paid $99.00 for the R-200 about a year ago. I have seen them listed for even less since then.

Hope this helps.

Rice (The Lone Arranger)

Rice,
The printing on the CD you sent me looks great!
BTW, I have listened to it twice and will be getting my critique together, as you asked.
DonM

I have studied this subject for a long time. Epson R200 and R300 (maybe others) are consistently considered the best. They make CD blanks that you can print directly to. Except... ink can/will smear if wet. Hand sweat, water... a mess. I know guys who spray clear lacquer over but others say oh my, could damage a CD player.

The best, by far, is the LightScribe CDRW by Hewlett Packard? I think that's the company. Anyway, LightScribe uses the same laser that burns the CD... you flip it over and then it will burn a very classy looking label on the other side of the disc. Requires special CD blanks. Not too pricey but way more than regular blanks. But for demo's cost per unit is not too important.

The look is great but the drawback is time to burn. Not good. You'd have to do it when you're doing other things. Looks great though. I don't know of another solution that produces as a good a result with no side effects. We're talking about 1-at-a-time burns, as opposed to a company doing 50 for you. Which would be the best way if you knew your music wouldn't change.

LightScribe CDRW, around $100.

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Me Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

I suppose if you get someone to make them for you, you're back to the copywrite issue. I'd be lucky to sell 20 a year here where I live. I don't play that much for copywrite to be worth while to me.
Scott if you get a CD printer of any kind, I know you will keep us informed.

I have the Epson R-300 ($109 at Costco) and I love it. The CDs look very good. I also like that it uses separate ink cartridges for each of the 6 colors. So if you are going through lots of red, you won't be throwing away lots of other ink when the red runs out.
I can't comment on what happens as far as smudging when wet since I haven't used it that long.
But I always found Epson ink jet printers to have by far the best quality.

Id be really interested to see the quality that thses budget CD printers do. One thing though is dont you need special cdrw-printables? im sure they arent as cheap as the budget 10 bucks for 50 generic cds.

Phil

I bought 50 printable DVDs from Costco for 43 cents each. discmakers.com sells white printable cdrs for 44 cents for $100 plus $5 shipping. It goes down to 36 cents if you buy a LOT.
The quality is excellent. Almost like a photograph. I did a CD at a bar and sold it with a picture of the bar's sign on the CD and its looks fantastic, in full color.

Plus if you figure the cost of labels and your time putting them on, it might not be much different, although I have never done labels. I was waiting for an affordable CD printer, and $109 is INCREDIBLY cheap for what it does. But then these guys make their money off the ink, not the printers, that's why they almost give them away. Costco sells a pack off all six ink cartridges for $58 i think but I will buy them from Epson ($17 each i think) so I can just get the colors I need.

A huge thumbs-up for the Epson R200 - an affordable CD printer and good all-around photo printer too. The sad news is that with just about all photo quality printers, you are really paying for the ink, the printer ought to be a give-away!! But, as has been said, at least the inks are separate, so you don't throw away your cyan just because the magenta ran out! The inks, by the way, are Epson's Durabrite inks - near archival quality and smudge resistant, if not totally waterproof. Much better, anyway, than the previous Stylus series ink carts. As long as you let the CD dry well, about 15 - 30min indoors, before you stack it or touch the ink surface you should be fine.

(Good OSX bundled software too, can't comment on WinXP)

For those who don't know, the 200 is computer dependent. The 300 will print directly from a memory chip from a digital camera without a computer. The price difference is LOW.
I have considered doing the following at my karaoke shows (which makes up the bulk of my business): record someone singing at a show, take a snapshot of them while they are doing it, sell them a CD for say $10 with their song and a picture of them printed in full color right on the CD.
For now, I am recording all the songs that are sung at a show and making a single CD (a lot less work) usu 20, and putting a pic of the bar on it. i sell it to the bar for $7 and they sell them for $10.
My first stab, they have sold 7 of the 15 i made. so ive covered my costs and its good PR and fun.
I suggest that you sell the CDs to the bar first and offer to buy them back if they don't sell for the same price. That way you aren't responsible if they get stolen or given away.
I do think that for a OMB, you would sell more CDs if they had color printing on them. Also, discmakers.com sells a cool cardboard display that hold CDs pretty cheap.

Brickboo, DonM and others:

I have been using the Epson R-200 for better than one year now. Never had a smear but of course, I don't take my CDs into the shower with me. This is not a speedy process, takes about 4 to 5 minutes per CD including label design which comes with the software. If you are into a high production scenario I would recommend a commercial house that does that stuff big time!

Blank CDs are not that expensive, its just sometimes hard to find the media since the poor klutzes at Wal-Mart don't know they exist. Fry's has been my main source due to cost but they are 200 miles away.

DonM - glad to know that the US Snail Mail package arrived. I am preparing a special ointment for you to use in treating your eardrums after hearing the stuff I sent you.

My Best to All, RICE (The Lone Arranger)

If you have someone make the CDs for you and sell that at gigs what are the implications? Anyone have info on that?

I don't think anybody is worrying about little fish selling a few of their own cds. Musician's Friend has some deals that would be hard to beat. Much less expensive than doing it yourself, but I haven't used them yet.
DonM

I know a guy who has sold 800 cd's and no complaints. Epson R300.

Here is an Epson ink comparison...
http://www.epson.com/pdf/Epson_Ink_Solutions.pdf


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Me Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

That will be me Duke!!!

Not all CD's are mine,I also print CD's for other people, and they like the way they look.


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Precision Mastering
http://vilo4.tripod.com/precisionmastering/

Master Your CD With Us!
Ask Me About it!
www.vicente-lopez.com

HE'S COMING, MAKE MUSIC, GET READY!

I will never buy another EPSON Printer again. Every Epson when switched does a song and dance for a few minutes each which dumps a load of ink into a bottom tray which contains a foam sheet to soak it all up. Inks frequently require changing compared to my previous HP Printer where inks lasted so much longer. I have been told that Canon printers are good and cheap to run.

Graham,
Do any of the Canon's print onto a CD. This is the reason I want a new printer.

Spoke with 2 different friends today who each own Epson 'Print to CD' printers (the R300 and R800). They both have owned theirs for about 8 months. Interestingly enough, they both told me that for the first 3 months, both 'print to paper' & 'print to CD' worked flawlessly producing impressive results, but after 4 months of moderately-heavy paper printing use,their printers began experiencing paper jamms, or the paper not feeding at all. On the other hand, they report that the 'print to CD' feature continues to perform flawlessly & deliver excellent output. They've subsequently discovered that these Epson printer models only include a SINGLE paper roller feeder, of which may be contributing to the problem. They also subsequently learned that Canon Printers utilize 2 paper feed rollers instead of one. All the review reports I've read, as well as from people I know that own Canon brand photo printers, seem to verify (to me) that Canon is the way to go these days in Photo Printers. Unfortunately, unless I'm missing something, checking on Canon USA's site, I don't see one which includes "Print To CD" (yet):
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=103

Come on Canon, when are you gonna to finally release a desktop inkjet photo printer which includes 'print to CD?'

Note: Epson has subsequently released the R320 which I hope fares better re paper feeding: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=47915738

Scott

[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 07-20-2005).]