I've been using printable disks for the past 3 years or so. Whenever I buy I do a fair amount of research trying to find the best disk because I want them to look nice and I don't mind paying a few bucks extra. I also hate throwing away disks halfway through the spindle because I find something else better.
Print at home disks have been a mixed bag for me. Both the matte and glossy stick-on labels are of mediocre quality. After that, I switched to the Taiyo Yuden printable disks (similar to these), but in matte finish. This was an improvement in quality, but still not great. The matte disks just turn out dull and not very crisp to me. I figured that was just a result of printing at home and learned to live with it.
I've used Taiyo Yuden media for several years--never had a coaster that wasn't MY fault! The watershed discs are great--I often record TV cartoons for the youngest members of the family, and inevitably some discs have been defaced by spilled drinks. The watershed discs solve that problem, although care must be taken not to scratch the picture surface when washing the disc.
Now that the matte disks have run out I have bought these and am extremely impressed. The color vibrance and image sharpness is exceptional. It's easily on par with a glossy photo print you get from a quality print lab. They are miles ahead of the matte disks in image quality. I use an Epson Artisan 710 printer along with the Epson disk printing software and have no problems with these disks. The ink dries quickly and doesn't smudge when I take it out of the disk tray.
Taiyo Yuden also has an established reputation as a top quality disk maker. The last 100-count spindle of Taiyo Yuden disks I went through burned 100% perfectly. I trust these will perform similarly.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Taiyo Yuden Galore
Taiyo Yuden has the reputation of being a premiere blank disc
manufacturer, and it is well deserved. I've never had one of their
discs fail to burn. These DVD Recordable Media Discs rock!
But the exciting thing about this particular disc is the glossy Watershield surface. Simply put, if you start with a quality, high-resolution image and print with a high-resolution consumer printer [I use an Epson R260], you will be amazed at the image that you'll see on the disc. It looks in every way completely professional. Plus, they give you maximum print area... onto the hub. And a big bonus is that, while some manufacturers recommend that you let the ink dry for 24-hours before handling or playing their discs, these dry super fast. Given that temperature, humidity and ink type will affect drying times, I won't promise a specific time frame. However, living in coastal California with moderate temps and humidity, I've handled these discs after an hour or so and they were ready to go.
The only downside to Taiyo Yuden discs is that they come at somewhat of a premium price. So, I don't use them for every application. But when I want to impress someone or when I want to give them the very best that is available to me, I ALWAYS burn to Taiyo Yuden Watershield.
But the exciting thing about this particular disc is the glossy Watershield surface. Simply put, if you start with a quality, high-resolution image and print with a high-resolution consumer printer [I use an Epson R260], you will be amazed at the image that you'll see on the disc. It looks in every way completely professional. Plus, they give you maximum print area... onto the hub. And a big bonus is that, while some manufacturers recommend that you let the ink dry for 24-hours before handling or playing their discs, these dry super fast. Given that temperature, humidity and ink type will affect drying times, I won't promise a specific time frame. However, living in coastal California with moderate temps and humidity, I've handled these discs after an hour or so and they were ready to go.
The only downside to Taiyo Yuden discs is that they come at somewhat of a premium price. So, I don't use them for every application. But when I want to impress someone or when I want to give them the very best that is available to me, I ALWAYS burn to Taiyo Yuden Watershield.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)