Best CD-Rs out there? Best printable jewel-case inserts?

[tzikeh]

Hey all -- I am taking part in a mega-music swap, and I need to burn some standard playable CDs (i.e. not a bunch of mp3 files). I also want to make nice inserts that I can print for both the front and the back of the jewel case (ink-jet printer, not laser). It would be especially helpful if the inserts come with photoshop templates to match up to the provided card-stock.

I'd also like any information on 2- or 3-CD jewel cases that have a center bit with teeth that *don't* crumble at the first hint of pressure.

(BONUS, but not a dealbreaker: you can print on both sides of the inserts--a cover that has track listings on the back, a back insert that has liner notes on one side and a design on the other.)

Has anyone had really good experiences with a particular brand of CD-R and/or a particular brand of ink-jet-printer-ready jewel-case inserts? If so, please leave a comment with info--much appreciated!

Comments

[xebgoc.livejournal.com]

we buy these things by the bazillions and buy them from bagsunlimited.com and/or Polylinecorp.com they sell primarily to professional outfits, but will sell to individuals and they have the best prices available.

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/c-486-inserts.aspx
http://www.polylinecorp.com/CD-and-DVD-printable-insert.asp

http://www.bagsunlimited.com/c-506-cd-recordables.aspx
http://www.polylinecorp.com/CD-R.asp

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Ooh, cool! And you find that the cut-out inserts fit the jewel cases well? Can you print on both sides of them?

[xebgoc.livejournal.com]

the inserts work great. we use them in a variety of ways. they're centered on the page so I don't see why you couldn't feed them back through and print on the other side once you figure out which direction to refeed them (I always screw up when I try to duplex manually...). especially with an inkjet that doesn't superheat, thus warp, the paper. We have probably done it... my students do that work most of the time so i don't see it.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Also - do you ever buy 2- or 3-CD cases, and have you found any where the center bit doesn't crumble?

[xebgoc.livejournal.com]

we do use the multi-disc ones a lot too because we have to re-package sets that come in cardboard foldouts - we circulate our CDs and those won't last more than a couple of check-outs. Also we have to replace Opera boxset cases all the time. The center spindle is just a weak link in the design. We buy inserts by the hundreds. They get replaced more than the outer jewel cases. There's not much you can do about it. The only other option would be to buy DVD boxes that have the press-button releases but those can be a pain in the ass and they're bigger.

[luminosity]

I do a lot of burninating, both CD's and DVD's, and my vote goes to Taiyo Yuden CD-R's and DVD-R's. Their fail rate is practically nonexistent, and they're usually on sale at supermediastore.com

ETA: getting my link right. :)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

OMG are you doing 2-3 discs? I was only doing one? Am I a failure n00b? Ack!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Oh - I'm *thinking* of doing 2 (or eesh, 3) - but in the past, what, eight years? I don't think any but a few MeFites have done it. The only reason I'm even considering it is that I can't narrow my choices to just 14 or so tracks! IT'S TOO HARD!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this matters or helps, but I have 20 songs on mine. If you have a bunch of really long ones, though, you probably won't get that many, but you can usually fit more than 14 these days. (Especially if you get the discs with 80 minutes' time.)

Hey, let me know if you'd like to swap our outputs too. I doubt I have much you might be interested in, but I'd love to see yours!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Re: swapping our own stuff: generally, after the cds go out, and are mostly received, all of the players who want to will upload their playlists in zipped formats for anyone else to download -- if you take a look through the thread you'll see links to posts from previous years' swaps, and each of those posts have a bunch of links to sets that participants from those years uploaded (pro tip for your music-lovin' self: a bunch of them *are still active links for downloading*).

So I'm all for swapping our own music, sure! But an easy way to do it is to wait for the post-mailing arrival-deadline thread and then share and share alike!

also

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

wander through all the previous swap posts (and follow links on those posts to other posts blah blah blah) - you'll find some flickr collections of the artwork (or lack thereof) that people have put on their jewel-case inserts. Some is really clever. Some is "METAFILTER MUSIC" in magic marker, with scribbled tracks in ball-point pen. It's a free-for-all, and nothing is expected but that you mail out five cds with music on them.