Help with CD/DVD printing...

urbanpuma5 said:Alright, fine—just tell me which software you're actually using to design those DVD labels... you know, where you can put one image on one half and a completely different one on the other side.

I actually got this tiny little utility bundled with Pixar. I’ve messed around with a few others—some "DVD Labeler" thing, I can't even remember the names. Even Nero has some built-in tools for that kind of thing.
Honestly, I wasn't impressed; they all feel pretty amateurish. They're fine if you just need something quick—maybe a background image, the title, a tracklist... whatever. 😎

I just work in Photoshop and then import the finished JPG into the printing software.

Can you actually design a DVD sleeve in Photoshop, or... what kind of software are people usually using for printing stuff like that?

Yeah, I just set up a layer in Photoshop with the dimensions of a CD. It helps keep everything oriented correctly—I just turn it off once I'm finished.
When you actually go to print onto a CD or DVD, you use that specific little utility software that comes with the printer. You just import the image you made in Photoshop into that app.

Which version of Photoshop are you running? CS3? And how does the print quality actually turn out on a DVD?
I’ve never really messed around with this before, so I’m hitting you up with these questions because I'm genuinely curious... Basically, you take a Pixma iPhone 4, use Photoshop, grab some printable DVDs, set up a layer in Photoshop at the exact dimensions of a DVD or CD, drop in whatever images or graphics you want, then just feed that file into the little utility software that comes with the printer and print directly onto the disc itself...

I'm running CS2.
The print quality is perfectly fine. It lacks that certain luster compared to the originals—not that it could ever be identical, obviously.

You can prep an image for a DVD in just about any software. It doesn't have to be Photoshop. As long as you create a template to load into your printing program, you're good.

In Photoshop, just start a new document, duplicate the background layer, and draw two concentric circles within it (the outer and inner edges of the disc). They’re just there to help you align your other layers. After that, it’s all down to skill and creativity. Once you're done, hide that duplicated layer so it's not visible, select Flatten, and save it as a JPG—that becomes your template for the DVD printing software. Those programs are usually pretty basic; they just walk you through everything with a wizard until you get the final result.

Now, if you have any more questions... I'll be charging extra for those. 😬

🙏 thanks, I'll get back to you... how much are you taking starting today?😬