Help with CD/DVD printing...

Hey there...

So I just picked up a Canon Pixma iP4300... everything is awesome... seriously a killer printer...

But here's the thing. I pop a printable CD into the drive and fire up the original software that came with the printer...

The issue is I can't get the image to cover the entire surface of the CD or DVD...

That software just won't let me do it...

Does anyone know some good software for this????

If I’m following your train of thought correctly, you’re looking to print some custom labels for CDs or DVDs, right?
And am I right in thinking you want a full-bleed image—you know, one that covers the entire surface of the disc alongside your text?
If that's the case, Microsoft Publisher is actually an absolutely stellar tool for getting that done.
You can just head over to the official Avery Dennison website to download it, and the best part is that it is Free.
Here is the link to that specific page:
http://www.avery.com/us/Main?action=...twarecode=3200

Edward Foster23 said:So, if I’m following you correctly, you’re looking to print CD or DVD labels?
And you want a full-surface image covering the whole disc alongside your text?
Microsoft Publisher is absolutely perfect for that.
You can just grab the software right from the Avery Dennison official site. Free!
Here is the link to get you started:
http://www.avery.com/us/Main?action=...twarecode=3200

Actually, they don't want stickers, they want to print directly onto printable CDs/DVDs.

Sandra Hayes2, when you're doing CD label printing, you can totally customize your dimensions by going to File > Select Paper > New. The only real downside with that specific software is that you can't set sizes larger than 118 mm for the outer edge (and a standard DVD is actually 119 mm), but there's always a workaround! You can find tips on various forums about how to handle it—I haven't personally tried it because it seems like a bit too much hassle, and honestly, that tiny white border doesn't really bother me at all.

It looks like they aren't actually trying to print directly onto printable CD/DVD discs.

Thanks, ac_thunder! I definitely learned something new today. My printer isn't capable of doing that specific trick, so I guess I'll just have to stick to using Avery labels for now.

Jesse Johnson4 said:They don't want to print stickers... they want to print directly onto printable CD/DVDs.

Sandra Hayes2, if you're using CD label printing, you can actually set whatever custom sizes you need by going to File > Select Paper > New. The only real headache with this specific software is that you can't set an outer edge larger than 118 mm (even though a standard DVD is 119 mm)... but there's always a workaround. You can find guides on various forums about how to handle that, though I haven't personally messed with it. Too much hassle... plus, that tiny white border doesn't really bother me anyway...

What kind of software should I be using, and where can I grab a download?

Hi there... I’m running into this exact same issue. Anyone know how to fix it? I’ve been digging through the forums looking for a thread on how to adjust the settings to get rid of that white border, but nothing is turning up. Any advice? Please help... Thanks.

...so, here’s the deal—how do I actually print all the way up to the edge of the center hole on a CD or DVD? The Canon software caps out at a 32mm diameter circle, but the actual hole is only 22mm. Any ideas? Thanks.

Alright, once everything is finally printed out, how on earth am I supposed to actually get this onto the CD or DVD? What’s the best way to go about it... do I just feed some kind of adhesive sticker sheet directly through the printer, or is there a better trick to it?

Jesse Johnson4 said:Sandra Hayes2, you can actually customize the dimensions you want to print in Avery by going to File > Select paper > New. The only real headache with this software is that it won't let you set an outer edge larger than 118 mm—even though a standard DVD is actually 119 mm. There are workarounds for that out there on various forums... I haven't personally messed with it because it seems like too much hassle, and honestly, that tiny white border doesn't really bother me.

I can set the outer size to 119.

So, here is how you handle printing for a full DVD

Avery > File > Select paper > New > Outer size 119 / Inner size 22

Or, to put it more simply

urbanpuma5 said:Alright, once all that is printed, how do you actually get it onto a CD or DVD? What do I use? Do I just feed some adhesive paper directly into the printer or what?

There are perforated sticker sheets designed specifically for this. You print right on them. There’s even a little jig to help center the label perfectly on the DVD.
It isn't pricey, but honestly, it's a losing battle... labels can cause all sorts of playback issues with DVDs.

If you're hell-bent on giving your DVDs some "makeup" and don't mind the headaches—go ahead and use those DVDivko stickers. And that's not all. If you buy a sticker set as a gift, they throw in a 25-piece knife set for every occasion. So, if you're pissed because you can't watch your newly burned movie due to a universal label issue, at least you'll have plenty of knives to work with.😬

Alright, then, how exactly are you suggesting I pull all of this off...? In your good opinion, what’s really the best way to go about it?

Print onto a printable DVD.

Labels can actually cause some serious playback issues when you're trying to run a DVD.

Personally, I’ve spent years working exclusively with adhesive labels, mainly because I’m still rocking an older printer model that doesn't support direct-to-disc printing. Honestly, though, I haven't run into a single playback hiccup caused by a label in all that time.

Edward Foster23 said:I’ve been using labels for years because I have an older printer model that doesn't support direct printing onto CDs or DVDs. Up until now, I haven't run into any playback issues caused by the labels itself.

Well, everyone's experience is different. It obviously depends on which device you're playing the CD/DVD in and what's actually burned on it. On a PC, things usually work fine. Most of my experience comes from burning video DVDs—maybe audio CDs are more forgiving.😕
Go ahead, pop it into a DVD player, try a disc that sat out in a humid room, or test some old media that's already been labeled...
In my opinion, spending $120 on a new printer just to deal with subpar results isn't worth the hassle.

Emily Castillo4, what does the workflow even look like when you're dealing with printable DVDs then...
Does anyone happen to have a code for the Acoustica CD / DVD Label maker...

In my book, if you're looking at shelling out nearly $120 just to get a printer, it simply isn't worth settling for subpar results.

At the end of the day, everyone has to do what works best for them, or frankly, just what they can actually afford to do.

Edward Foster23 said:Everyone should just do whatever works best for them—or whatever they can actually afford.

Well obviously, it all depends on what you're using the DVDs for in the first place. For some people, buying a printer just doesn't make sense. But if you need to churn out a large batch of printed media, then yeah, it pays off. Let's look at the math—getting a DVD printed at a local print shop costs about $3.25 per disc. If you do it yourself, the cost of the blank DVD plus the ink is roughly $1.75 per disc. Basically, if you're printing around 150 discs, you might as well just buy the printer. At the end of the day, everyone's math is different depending on their specific needs.

urbanpuma5 said:Emily Castillo4, what's the actual process for printable DVDs?

The printer has a tray where you load the printable media. The process is exactly the same as standard printing.

check this out

I wonder if you could point me toward which printers actually support that feature... maybe throw out a few specific models if you happen to know them...

Canon, I'm running a Pixma 4200 (the one shown in the photo)
The newer version is probably the 4300, if I recall correctly...

I think Epson has some models out there too.

Alright, so tell me, what kind of software are you actually running when you're designing those disc covers? I'm talking about the stuff you use to layout a print for a DVD where you want to split the design—like, putting one image on the left half and a completely different one on the right...