Burning your own home CDs and DVDs is probably second nature to you by now, but how can you make sure that they look good? Professional discs have labels or print directly on the disc face. You can achieve a similar effect at home.
Some discs have printable faces, designed for inkjet printers to transfer designs onto them. You’ll need a printer that includes a disc caddy and you’ll have to invest in discs with matt white tops, but this system works well. Alternatively, you might be interested in LightScribe, the technology that uses the laser in a DVD rewriter to transfer a design onto the top of a disc. Once you’ve burnt the data onto the disc, you turn the DVD over, put it back into the drive and the laser etches your chosen design onto it. Both the drive and the discs need to support LightScribe.
If you don’t have the necessary hardware to print or etch onto discs, all is not lost. You can simply use labels. CD labels are available from most office and stationery stores. It’s best to go for a brand name if you can. It’s more costly, but you won’t have to waste labels with trial and error because most software supports popular branded disc labels.
CD and DVD labels generally come in self adhesive A4 sheets that feed into standard inkjet or laser printers. By using a template that matches the label, you can set up the design and print it without any hassle. Most good label suppliers either offer Word templates with the labels or provide some on their websites for download.
If you’re using a jewel case for your CD, you can buy perforated, scored card from the same sources as the labels themselves. However, you may prefer to print onto ordinary paper or thing card and trim it to match the case yourself. Word includes a number of templates for jewel cases and there are also plenty available for download from Microsoft Office online www.office.microsoft.com. With a little practice your discs could rival anything available on the high street.
Design a label
By aligning a template with CD labels your humble printer can do the hard work
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Launch Microsoft Word and press [F1] to launch the Help pane. Enter CD labels into the search bar and press Enter. You’ll be provided with a number of CD label templates. Alternatively browse to http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/templates/default.aspx and search for CD Templates. Select one to see a preview. Click Download to open this template in Word.
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Now you can alter the text and images in the template to match the content of your disc. Once you’re happy with the design, print a draft copy on light paper and hold it against your labels to ensure the design lines up. If it doesn’t, alter its positioning and repeat. You can now print your label.
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Carefully align the label on your disc and return to Word. Now use Tools, Letters and Mailings, Envelopes and Labels, Options to select a pattern for the CD casing. Once you’re happy with the dimensions, select New Document and enter your design before printing the sleeve.
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