CD Packaging: Finding a Trusted Supplier

March 2016: The CD Printing and Packaging Project

Jane works as part of the design team for a well-known interior design company that specializes in design and decoration for large public buildings. In addition to design work, she also takes responsibility for marketing the company at trade shows, conferences, and business-to-business events. You’ve found that more and more potential customers are asking for information about your company’s past work and experience on a CD, and you’ve also noticed that many of your competitors are handing out CDs at trade shows and similar events, as well as distributing printed copies. information. As the business has grown, the shows they attend and the booths they hold are also growing, and to maintain that growth, Jane needs to reach more potential customers. During a meeting with her team, she decides that they will produce a document that will work within a web browser that can be placed on a CD. The CD, when inserted into the drive of a laptop or desktop computer, will automatically open the document showing the company’s work and capabilities.

Your competitors are distributing CDs in attractive, high-quality cases that contain informational brochures with instructions on how to use the disc, and are also promoting their business more. Jane volunteers to work on getting the CDs printed and the CD packaging as she has some experience producing artwork for print.

Finding the Right CD Printing and Packaging Supplier

Jane has previously worked with a local print shop who produces high quality promotional material for her when needed. She talks to her contact at the print shop and asks if they can recommend someone who offers a CD printing and packaging service. Jane receives some contact details for a potential provider, but she also does some research on the internet to find a provider of these services in the UK. She finds several suitable companies with good websites and positive customer feedback, so she makes inquiries and requests quotes for a print run of 500 CDs.

Jane is contacted by a project manager at a CD printing and packaging company recommended by her contact at the printing company. She also provided a quote for a print run of 500 CDs that is competitive compared to the other quotes, so she starts trying to set up a meeting with him to further discuss the project. Jane has allowed herself 3 weeks to complete the CD project in order to have the CDs available for her next big show. Unfortunately, she discovers that her new contact doesn’t return phone calls or emails in a timely manner and she begins to run out of time.

Jane decides to contact one of the other potential vendors on her list who has a reputation for good customer service and high-quality products. Your quote was a bit higher than the competition, but better service is a good tradeoff. She talks to Greg, who is a project manager and designer, and he recommends a meeting the next day at her manufacturing unit, since time is running out on the project.

Meeting with the Project Manager to discuss the packaging of the CD

Jane meets Greg the next morning at the company where he works, which has a CD printing and packaging facility on the same site. Knowing there isn’t much time left for the project, Greg gets down to business and discusses CD printing options with Jane. She has had small batches of CDs produced before by another local supplier who specializes in very small runs, so she has some experience of the CD printing methods available. She quickly settles on a 3 color screen print for the CDs with the company logo on a colored background with the silver surface of the disc peeking out in some areas to create a striking effect for the disc.

CD packaging options

Previously, Jane has only been supplied with CDs in plastic cases, but this time she needs something much more substantial and impressive to grab the attention of potential customers.

The options discussed are as follows:

Paper or plastic wallets – These provide only rudimentary protection for the printed and recorded surfaces of CDs and are the cheapest packaging option available. It is possible to fit a printed insert to the plastic wallet if required, but again it could only be used to contain the bare minimum of information required.

Clamshell and trigger cases – These cases are made from a durable and flexible polypropylene material that offers good protection for records and can be produced in various translucent colors. They’re flashy and quirky, but they don’t offer an ideal way to store printed information.

jewelers – They are made of a rigid polycarbonate material and are usually transparent. They are the type of case used for mass-produced music albums and most will be familiar with these after purchasing a music album in a retail setting. Jewel cases hold the CD in a tray that has a center peg to secure the disc in place. This tray can be black or clear depending on whether the printed rear tray card is printed on both sides. The rigid material used to make CD jewel cases can be prone to cracking or breaking under pressure, but they do have a provision for a front booklet to contain information about the contents of the disc or as a backup of the contents. A well-designed front booklet and back tray can make for an impressive end product. Jewelry cases are also available in a slim format that is about half the width of a standard jewelry case, and in a double or multi-disc format that can accommodate 2-6 discs if needed.

DVD Style Cases – These cases are made from a polypropylene material that is more malleable and less rigid than the polycarbonate material used to make previous jewelry cases. They are usually widely available in a black or transparent material, but can also be obtained in a range of bold, bright colors if required, although the cost tends to be higher. A DVD style jewel case is the type of jewel case you would normally expect to find a DVD movie in, in a retail setting, but they are equally capable of holding a CD with the benefit of being able to hold a large information booklet and printed wrapper. which slides into a clear plastic cover glued to the outside of the box. These cases come in a slim format if required and also in a multi-disc format capable of holding 2 to 10 discs.

Jakeboxes and presentation tins – These are the types of premium packaging offered. Jakeboxes are constructed of cardboard that can be gloss or matte laminated. They have a clever mechanism that presents the disc to the user when the package is opened, much like the “pop-up” mechanisms found in some children’s books. Presentation tins can be made as required with a custom design or standard round tins can be sourced and printed with spot colours.

CD packaging design

Jane decides to go with the DVD-style case after realizing that she needs her CD package to hold an information booklet on how to use the CD, which also contains more information about the company.

The bleed zone and brochure design

Greg provides you with templates to design the brochure and wrapper that show allowance for ink “bleed” and page positions. The “bleed” area is usually 3mm around the outside of the printed sheet and the printer will ask that any background image used on the sheet extend to the “bleed” area so there are no small white borders visible if the cropping is slightly incorrect. It only takes a discrepancy of a fraction of a millimeter to produce a small white border if the image does not extend to the “bleed” area.

Page positions are marked on each template. Jane needs a 16 page booklet and these must be printed in a certain way to allow the book to be assembled. For example, the book cover has the front image on the right side with the back image on the left side. Inside the cover, page 1 is printed on the left side and page 15 is printed on the right side. It is important to pay attention to how the book should be printed for a correct assembly in order to save time correcting possible errors.

Use of photographic images

Greg talks about the photographic images that Jane wants to use in the booklet and on the DVD-style wrapper, as some of them are quite dark. Dark photos can be difficult to print digitally, as they can come out darker than they appear on a PC screen, which can spoil the required effect. Test prints are essential so you can determine how an image will look when professionally printed and exposure adjustments can be made to the photo if it needs to be lightened or colors need to be enhanced.

Work in CMYK mode for printing

Another important consideration that Greg discusses with Jane is the print format required to follow his process. Many illustration software packages allow the user to work in RGB or CMYK modes. RGB mode is generally used when the image is intended for a website or on-screen display. CMYK mode is the mode required for printing. Users should be aware that colors can sometimes look quite different when viewed in RGB mode and then changed to CMYK mode. Block colors can be given a Pantone reference code, which is a standard color used by printers, allowing customers and the printer to be sure of an exact end result, especially when using a well-known company logo and logo. specific color is part of that logo. .

The conclusion and summary of the project

Once Jane has her artwork in order, the CDs and paper parts are printed, then the CDs are duplicated and the CD packaging assembly takes place. The process takes 4 business days, so she has her request 2 days in advance of the requirement. The project has gone well for Jane and the following points should be followed to allow similar projects to work just as well:

Research your providers online or by word of mouth – find a provider with a reputation for good customer service and prompt communication. The lowest price should not always be the main consideration. A cheap and poor quality product delivered late is unnecessarily stressful.

allow enough time – Discuss any time issues first with your supplier, so they can check if they can deliver your work on time. Jane’s run of 500 CDs in DVD-style jewel cases with printed booklets took 4 business days from receipt of master CD and artwork approval, and this is typical in the industry. Any errors or delays in a short notice order can be catastrophic and again very stressful for both parties.

CD packaging design – Discuss this with your supplier so that you are clear in what format the artwork is required. A good supplier will work with you to make sure the design is correct and the final product is of high quality. Most providers will have a design team that can produce the design for you if required. Please review any text in the artwork and make sure there is no potential copyright infringement with the images used.

CD Packaging Selection – Consider exactly what your packaging requirements are and if possible create a mockup to ensure the final product is fit for purpose.