Knowledge is Power!
Learn some of the CD & DVD duplication vocabulary...
Click on any of the words in the list below to see its definition.
Barcodes ; Basecoat ; Bleed ; Booklets ; Capacity ; CD-R ; CD-ROM Drive ; CD Traycard ;
Colour Separation ;Digital Audio ; Digital Data ; Digital Printing ; Digital Proof ; Film Separations ;
Glass Master ; Gradient ; Injection Molding ; Inner Hub ; Inserts ; Jewel Box ; Label ; Master ;
Mastering ; Mirror Band ; Mixed Mode ; Offset Printing ; Process Printing ; Registration ;
Registration Mark ; Selection number ; Silkscreening ; Spot Colour ; Stacking Ring ; Stamper ; Template ; Track ; Track List/Log Sheet ; Trapping ; Turnaround time
The Glossary
Barcodes : Universal Product Codes (UPC). No two barcodes are alike. Composed of vertical lines and numbers that are used to identify the product when scanned by a computer.
Basecoat : Term used to denote a colour applied and cured on a CD before the other colours are applied. Most of the time, basecoats are white. The purpose of the basecoat is more or less the same as in any painting scenario. The basecoat allows consistent colour, brightness, and serves as a background to graphics.
Bleed : Extra area of image on your artwork that extends 1/8 of an inch past the crop mark. Acts as a safety incase the printer cuts outside of the crop mark.
Booklets : Used to display artwork graphics and can consist of several pages that are stapled like a magazine and inserted into standard packaging.
Capacity : (DATA CAPACITY) The amount of information that can be stored on media. A CDs capacity is 654.7 Megabytes (Mb), or 74 minutes and 30 seconds.
CD-R : Is short for "CD-Recordable". Recordable CDs are WORM (Write Once, Read Multiple) media that work just like standard CDs. The advantage of CD-R over other types of optical media is that you can use the discs with a standard CD player. The disadvantage is that you can't reuse a disc.
CD-ROM Drive : Hardware (machine) that reads the data from a CD ROM disc.
CD Traycard : Used to display artwork graphics and is inserted into a standard CD jewel box. Note cassettes do not have traycards.
Colour Separation : In process printing, the artwork must first be separated into the 4 base colours before proceeding to film and press. Most good graphic programs have this ability built in, however, you should take care to prepare your graphics correctly where appropriate.
Digital Audio : Any source of audio, which has been converted to a digital form. CD-quality audio is audio sampled at 16-bit resolution and is the Red Book standard in the audio industry.
Digital Data : Information that has been stored in digital form.
Digital Printing : The term used to describe any printing technique which does not involve the generation of film to print (as in offset printing). Generally, digital printing uses high end inkjet, laser and other printing presses.
Digital Proof : The term describing a more efficient mechanism for reviewing final artwork before proceeding to press. Digital proofs are appropriate for all printing and silkscreening except where accurate colour reproduction is an important goal. In these cases, other proofing mechanisms may be required.
Film Separations : Film separations are used to create the image to be printed on inserts, CD and cassette labels.
Glass Master : The starting point of the CD replication process. A large glass disc that is coated with a photosensitive material that is then bombarded with laser light to encode the date. Exposing the glass master creates a 'father'.
Gradient : A transition between one colour and another, or one shade of a colour and another, or one density of a colour and another.
Injection Molding : A mold (containing the 'stamper') is injected with melted plastic under pressure. Once cooled and removed as a solid, it becomes a clear plastic disc. The impression from the stamper is transferred to the plastic disc.
Inner Hub : The area from the inner hole on a CD to the area where the mirror band begins. The inner hub's main purpose is for easy handling by machines and people.
Inserts : Used to display artwork graphics and can consist of several panels that are folded into standard packaging.
Jewel Box : Industry accepted plastic CD case.
Label : Printing that appears on the actual CD. Printed using either screen, pad or offset printing methods. This term is also used for the paper labels found on vinyl records.
Master : The final recording that is to be used as a source for the mastering process. Usually in DAT format. When referring to a CD-ROM master, it is the disk image that has been written to a Pre Master CD, Exabyte tape of 4mm DAT tape.
Mastering : The formatting of audio, computer data, or both. The information is encoded and written to a Pre-Master CD. Different encoding options will be used, depending on the final format (CD-DA, CD-ROM, etc.)
Mirror Band : A slightly lighter area of a CD in which information is not stored but reflective material extends. It is located between the inner hub and the main information area on the CD.
Mixed Mode : A CD that contains different information on separate tracks. Most common form places computer information in track 1 and audio information in the subsequent tracks.
Offset Printing : A printing technique which is more efficient at higher volumes, it involves the use of film and plates to print on the target surface.
Process Printing : The combination of 4 base colours (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) to produce any colour in the colour spectrum. Otherwise known as CMYK.
Registration : The ability to place the target image in a precise location on the target surface. A tight registration is important so that no spacing appears between two adjacent colours on the CD or other printed material.
Registration Mark : Guidelines that should appear in artwork and film to guide the press operator on setting up overlapping or adjacent colours.
Selection number : A selection or catalogue number is used for tracking purposes at the manufacturing plant as well as at the retail level. Most numbers consist of 3 letters and 3 numbers (ABC-123).
Silkscreening : In layman's terms, painting the CD with a graphic image using film to generate screens in which the paint is pressed through.
Spot Colour : A single colour appearing in artwork i.e. put your finger on a spot and name the colour. All artwork can be printed as either a spot or process colour. For richer colours, combinations, gradients, or vivid images, process printing is more appropriate. For all other situations, spot colour printing and silkscreening is more appropriate
Stacking Ring : A raised ring on recordable CDs which allows spacing between two CDRs when stacked on top of each other. The stacking ring presents limitations during the silkscreening process.
Stamper : A part created by plating onto the 'mother' in the electroforming process. It is used in the injection molding process to create the clear plastic discs.
Template : A blank artwork design to be used as a container and guide when preparing your artwork.
Track : Each indexed piece of music on an audio CD. There is usually only one track on a CD-ROM, unless it is mixed mode then it will contain one track of computer data as well as several audio tracks. A CD can contain up to 99 tracks.
Track List/Log Sheet : A list of start times and duration should be supplied with your master so that the mastering engineer knows exactly what is on your tape.
Trapping : Ensures colors stay within the lines during the film output process.
Turnaround time : The estimated time it will take to complete your project once all the materials have been submitted.
