If you are replicating a large quantity of CD-Roms or DVD-Roms (1000 +), you will have a professional label inked directly to the surface of the disc. There are two types: silk-screened and offset print. What’s the difference and which should you choose?
- Silk-screened labels are labels where ink is literally pushed through a screen onto the disc. You can typically use up to 5 or 6 colors and each screen represents a color.
- Offset printed labels are labels where ink is placed onto the disc using special printing pads. The artwork will always be printed 4 color process over a flood of white ink.
Does it matter which you choose? Of course. You want to choose the method that will best represent your artwork. Silk-screening works well for art that has large areas of solid colors or does not contain a lot of complex detail. Art that is designed using all spot colors (PMS - Pantone Matching System) must be silk-screened. You can silk-screen art designed in 4 color process (CMYK), but the ink is a bit thinner so sometimes the colors are not as vibrant.
Offset printing has a higher resolution than silk-screening, so art that is more complex containing a lot of detail prints best with this method. This includes photographic images. Offset printing yields much crisper and sharper images and overall look.
When getting ready to submit your label art. Talk to your CSR to discuss how this will best print!
Tags: cd label, dvd label, offset print, offset printing, silk-screen, silk-screening