Recordable Compact Discs are sometimes supplied in place of fully manufactured CD and DVD Replication. A little knowledge goes a long way in avoiding disappointment later.

Many people purchase CD Duplication or DVD Replication but don’t understand the difference between the production processes. This is most important to understand in order to receive the quality of product they expect. Normally for quantities up to five hundred you will almost certainly only get the option of CD or DVD Duplication. For volumes from one thousand, DVD and CD Replication would be the normal product supplied.

Naturally not everyone who orders Replicated and Duplicated CD and DVD discs lacks the knowledge of the two processes but this id to help those that are new to these products are just haven’t had the interest in knowing prior to this. Firstly, for quantities up to 500, you will almost certainly be getting discs copied by burning the data onto a CDR using a duplication machine which may be a simple standalone tower with up to ten drives where the operator has to stand next to the machine feeding the discs manually. These machines are very basic and do not normally provide individual verification. Nevertheless, professional Duplicators will use automatics machines with large hoppers that verify every single copy against the original data.

With CD or DVD Replication and Blu-ray Replication for that matter, it’s a fully manufactured process and so the minimum order quantity is usually one thousand. A glass master is created using the original data and from this a number of stampers are made depending on the total discs required. The stampers are fitted to a pressing or moulding machine, glass beads are melted and pressed out to form the basis of the compact disc or digital versatile disc. At this point they already contain the digital data. They now have a reflective layer applied which is called sputtering and finally lacquered to add protection.

Once the Replicated media reaches the stage of completing the lacquering and are UV cured, they are ready for printing using a screen print or lithographic process. They are then finally moved into production for packing with the customers chosen packaging option. From these two processes of duplication and replication, it is easy to see why it would not be cost effective to replicated CD or DVD for quantities of less than 1000. Naturally, the lead time for this type of manufactured CD and DVD is much longer than CD Duplication and DVD Duplication. Normally between ten and twelve days for replicated product but duplicated discs can be turned around within twenty four hours by the more reputable duplicators who use state of the art copying machinery.

Prospective buyers of Copied CD and DVD should always ask the process that they are being quoted for. There are many poor quality CDR discs on the market that some suppliers may pass off to the unsuspecting as CD or DVD Replication when it is in fact CD or DVD Duplication. They will undoubtedly finish up with sub-standard product in that case. Unfortunately, there may be little that can be done after the event as that company may not even exist by then. Many of these duplication and copying companies are established to make a quick profit, they then move on forming new companies exploiting more unwary clients.

In conclusion and it doesn’t just apply to CD and DVD Duplication and Replication, it could be any product with a similar option of product. Do a little investigation on how these products are produced, ask who is the manufacturer, what grade of product is being supplied, what process is being applied. Be prepared to spend the time looking at sites like Wikipedia which supplies invaluable information. Above all check out the supplier though, this can be done in a variety of ways including credit checks to ensure they are a viable company in the first place, forums and Blog sites as well as asking the supplier for references and obtaining samples.