CD/DVD Publishing Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is thermal transfer printing?
2. What is thermal re-transfer printing?
3. What kind of media is used for Perfect Print thermal transfer printers?
4. Which Rimage CD/DVD publishing unit will meet my needs?
5. Have any Rimage products received any awards?
6. What are the recordable CD formats for the Rimage Producer II Publishers?
7. What are the imageable formats for the Rimage Producer II Publishers?

1. What is thermal transfer printing?

Thermal transfer printing is where pressure is applied to the CD/DVD print surface for proper imaging. The printhead in the CD printer presses the ribbon against the disc surface developing a line of contact between the disc surface and the thermal ribbon. The disc and the ribbon move together past the stationary print head. The ribbon must be in direct contact with the disc surface over every pixel to be printed.

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2. What is thermal re-transfer printing?

Thermal re-transfer refers to a method of disc surface printing where the entire label image is first transferred to a plastic transfer ribbon, one color at a time. The finished image is then re-transferred to the disc. This gives more control over the outcome because CD surfaces are unpredictable, varying from disc to disc and manufacturer to manufacturer. The re-transfer process allows label designers to do things previously unattainable with on-demand printing, such as edge to edge printing and printing on the hub of the disc. The effect is a label to rival one produced by silk-screen or offset methods, yet can be printed on-demand.

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3. What kind of media is used for Perfect Print thermal transfer printers?

The surface of the disc to be printed must be receptive to the wax resin in the area to be printed. Most silk-screening processes leave the disc surface with a thin film that inhibits proper transfer of the resin from the ribbon to the disc. In light of the requirements for successful deployment of Perfect Print, prospective users of the system should obtain a couple of screened discs that will meet their quality requirements prior ro pruchasing many discs.

Media surfaces such as ink-jet printable and dithered silk-screen are too rough for succesful thermal printing. Disc surfaces that are inherently smooth enough for succesful thermal printing are spin-coated lacquer (blank discs); silk-screened with a single ink (major manufacturer's white, or silver thermally printable discs), and offset printed discs.

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4. Which Rimage CD/DVD publishing unit will meet my needs?

View the Rimage product comparison and printer comparison tables to help you in your decision. You may also contact us at 919-873-9996 or via email at tst@trianglesolutions.com.

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5. Have any Rimage products received any awards?

The Producer Protege II DVD received the 2003 EMedia Editor's Choice Award. Read the EMedia Review.

The AutoEverest received the 2002 EMedia Editor's Choice Award. Read the EMedia Review.

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6. What are the recordable CD formats for the Rimage Producer II Publishers?

• CD-DA (Red Book Audio)
• CD-ROM (Yellow Book Mode 1)
• CD-ROM XA (Mode 2 Form 1, Mode 2 Form 2, Mode 2 with interleaved Form 1 and Form 2)
• CD-I
• Mixed Mode (CD-ROM and CD-DA)
• Multisession (both independent and incremental)
• Track-at-once and disc-at-once are supported

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7. What are the imageable formats for the Rimage Producer II Publishers?

The Producer Software Suite can create ISO 9660 images (Level 1; Level 1, Relaxed; Level 2, Joliet), Macintosh HFS, Hybrid ISO 9660/HFS, ISO 9660 with Apple® Extensions images, Rockridge, and UDF.

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