Logo Design for Non-Designers

The main purpose of this article is to help non-designers understand the logo design process, general terms, requirements and things to remember when ordering a logo.

When you decided that your company needs a logo you need to think if you need a completely new logo or redesign the old one (of course, if you have it) before searching for a designer. Redesign of the existing logo is often cheaper than design of a new logo.

There are a huge number of companies which offer logo design services. All of them have different prices, number of concepts and revisions offered. Some of them can design business stationery for you. Let's talk about every point in detail:

Price is important factor; it is very unusual to receive high quality at low price. But Internet is the place where designers work from all over the world and logos are going down in price. You can buy logo of satisfactory quality for $100 (yes, one hundred dollars). One of the very important factors affecting the price is whether design company uses clip-art (premade pictures or graphic elements) or creates unique logos. Be sure to find out this. Custom logos are much better because you will have exclusive logo nobody has.

Number of concepts is a number of ideas for logos which you will be offered after answering the logo design questionnaire. It is good to have more than one idea for logo because you will be able to choose. Usually, you will receive a couple of ideas in different styles. When you choose a concept for your logo you will be able to change it using revisions.

Number of revisions is a number of possible changes which you can request for a chosen logo design concept free of charge. You can change everything including color, font, graphic element, arrangement of the elements. The more revisions you have the more chances you receive a logo of your dream.

Turnaround time is an amount of time needed for work on your logo. Usually design process takes from 3 to 10 days. There are companies, which can do urgent orders but the cost of logo will be higher.

Number of designers - recently design companies started to indicate number of designers working on your project. Big number of designers should guarantee diversity of the concepts, but this factor is difficult to control and it is difficult to find out how many designers really worked on your project.

Stationery design - it is good if your logo design company will design business cards, letterhead and envelope for you. Usually, you will receive a couple of concepts of business stationery to choose from.
Things to remember during the communications with logo design company:

1. Number of colors of your logo. The more colors you have the more expensive will be cost of printing services.

2. Files optimized for print. Be sure to request files optimized for home and professional printing (tif, pdf, jpg, eps).

3. Source files of your logo (ai, cdr). Be sure to request source files of your logo; you may need them in future.

4. Use of photos in logo. It is very bad idea to use photos in your logo. Such logos are overloaded with graphic elements and have non-professional look.

5. Logotype with abbreviation or without company name. It is very difficult to advertise and promote your company with such logo. Logos with acronyms are good for very big companies which have a lot of money for marketing.

Logo is very important for each company and serves the crucial role of successful marketing. It is vitally important to have good logo from the beginning because redesign of logo will cost you a lot because of need to inform you clients about rebranding, change business stationery and logos on signs, cars, etc.

Logo Design for Non-Designers

The main purpose of this article is to help non-designers understand the logo design process, general terms, requirements and things to remember when ordering a logo.

When you decided that your company needs a logo you need to think if you need a completely new logo or redesign the old one (of course, if you have it) before searching for a designer. Redesign of the existing logo is often cheaper than design of a new logo.

There are a huge number of companies which offer logo design services. All of them have different prices, number of concepts and revisions offered. Some of them can design business stationery for you. Let's talk about every point in detail:

Price is important factor; it is very unusual to receive high quality at low price. But Internet is the place where designers work from all over the world and logos are going down in price. You can buy logo of satisfactory quality for $100 (yes, one hundred dollars). One of the very important factors affecting the price is whether design company uses clip-art (premade pictures or graphic elements) or creates unique logos. Be sure to find out this. Custom logos are much better because you will have exclusive logo nobody has.

Number of concepts is a number of ideas for logos which you will be offered after answering the logo design questionnaire. It is good to have more than one idea for logo because you will be able to choose. Usually, you will receive a couple of ideas in different styles. When you choose a concept for your logo you will be able to change it using revisions.

Number of revisions is a number of possible changes which you can request for a chosen logo design concept free of charge. You can change everything including color, font, graphic element, arrangement of the elements. The more revisions you have the more chances you receive a logo of your dream.

Turnaround time is an amount of time needed for work on your logo. Usually design process takes from 3 to 10 days. There are companies, which can do urgent orders but the cost of logo will be higher.

Number of designers - recently design companies started to indicate number of designers working on your project. Big number of designers should guarantee diversity of the concepts, but this factor is difficult to control and it is difficult to find out how many designers really worked on your project.

Stationery design - it is good if your logo design company will design business cards, letterhead and envelope for you. Usually, you will receive a couple of concepts of business stationery to choose from.
Things to remember during the communications with logo design company:

1. Number of colors of your logo. The more colors you have the more expensive will be cost of printing services.

2. Files optimized for print. Be sure to request files optimized for home and professional printing (tif, pdf, jpg, eps).

3. Source files of your logo (ai, cdr). Be sure to request source files of your logo; you may need them in future.

4. Use of photos in logo. It is very bad idea to use photos in your logo. Such logos are overloaded with graphic elements and have non-professional look.

5. Logotype with abbreviation or without company name. It is very difficult to advertise and promote your company with such logo. Logos with acronyms are good for very big companies which have a lot of money for marketing.

Logo is very important for each company and serves the crucial role of successful marketing. It is vitally important to have good logo from the beginning because redesign of logo will cost you a lot because of need to inform you clients about rebranding, change business stationery and logos on signs, cars, etc.

Rimage Everest 600 AutoPrinter Review

The Rimage Everest 600 CD printer is the 4th generation photo realistic thermal re-transfer printer manufactured by Rimage and was released in the 3rd quarter of 2008. The latest Rimage Everest 600 printer is fully automated, like the previous Everest III, with a 300-disc input capacity, PC and Macintosh OS X compatibility.

This review of the Rimage Everest 600 thermal DVD / CD printer is based on ten different criteria, on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 stars being the highest rating possible). We have run about 100,000 CDs and DVDs through 5 different Everest 600 printers over the past 4 months. Here are the results...

Price - The Rimage auto-Everest 600 has a MSRP of $9750, and a street price around $8500. The Everest 600 auto-printer is the most expensive printer I have used or tested, but the higher price may be justified depending on your requirements or needs. 1 star.

Speed - The Rimage Everest 600 printer will print approximately 65 discs/hour. The Everest 600 will output the same number of discs per hour no matter how light or heavy the print coverage on your CD or DVD. This is the case because of the 3 color panels of the CMY ribbon get used no matter what color your CDs or DVDs are. 65 discs per hour is pretty good for a full 100% print coverage, but a bit on slow if the artwork design is just a logo and a few lines of text. 3.5 Stars.

Bin Capacity - 400-disc capacity (300-disc input bin with the remaining bin used for output) . Like most other Rimage systems, the latest Everest autoprinter utilizes a 4-bin carousal that gives the user the ability to load a maximum of 300 CDs or DVDs at a time. Assuming you have enough unused ribbon in the printer, you will have 300 printed discs in about 4 and 1/2 hours. You can easily print more than 1200 discs per day. 5 Stars.

Reliability - The Everest 600 was extremely reliable in our 3 months plus of testing. Assuming you use approved CD or DVD media that does not stick together and have enough ribbon loaded, you can expect all 300 discs completed without error. 5 Stars.

Cost per Print - Color prints cost about $0.32/disc. If you use the black ribbon the cost per print is $0.15/disc. While this is on the higher side of CD / DVD printers we have used, continue reading on for cost justification. 1.5 Stars.

Print Quality - The Rimage Everest 600 printer has an extraordinary 600 x 600 dpi print resolution. Everest 600 prints small text sharply, high quality photographic detail, is great with halftones and gradients, and the color matching has been improved. The print quality is really something to be seen and compares very favorably to vastly more expensive screen and offset CD / DVD printers. Simply put, the Everest 600 delivers the best looking discs that I have seen in my 14 years in the CD duplication and printing business. 5 Stars.

Print Durability - Because the Everest 600 printer uses a thermal re-transfer process, the print on the discs is completely indelible and waterproof. In addition, the colors will not fade or lose their brilliance over time because the thermal re-transfer process protects the discs from external forces like moisture and UV rays. 5 Stars.

Easy of Use - This printer connects to your PC or MAC computer through a serial and USB 2.0 connection. Rimage includes an easy to use template software program called CD Designer that allows you to import standard graphic file formats like JPEG, TIFF, EPS and BMP. Users have the option of printing directly out of popular graphic programs like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator as well. Tip: Make sure to always use high-resolution artwork that is at least 300dpi for best results. 4.5 Stars.

Maintenance - The Rimage Everest 600 printer works best in a dust-free environment, so don't set it up in your warehouse. Like the previous Everest printers, the Everest 600 requires bi-monthly cleaning of the print head and air filters to archive the best printing results. If you use the proper CD and DVD media you can expect at least 50,000 prints before the print head needs to be replaced. We have not had to replace any print heads as of this review. Get more Everest cleaning and care tips by searching "rimage repair" in Google. 3 Stars.

Technical Support - Rimage has above average phone technical support for the CD / DVD equipment industry. To maximize uptime and customer satisfaction, Rimage offers a variety of expedited warranty and post-warranty upgrades. After warranty repairs can be expensive, as they are with other manufactures in this niche. That being said, I recommend buying this printer from a reputable dealer that has the experience to answer your technical support issues on the first call, and that can help with your operational requirements and repairs without the need purchase additional or expedited coverage. 4 Stars.

Conclusion - Rimage Everest 600 AutoPrinter (part# 4000471) is our top pick for an automated thermal CD / DVD printer for standard 120mm CD-r, DVD-r, and Blu-Ray media. Strengths are the brilliant print output, print durability, capacity, and the reliability to print 1200+ discs per day.

Click on the links in the resource box for more information and special offers on Rimage Everest 600 printers.

What You Should Know

With the increasing amount of CD duplication options
for equipment, its very important that you read the
reviews for the different types of equipment you
are considering before you make that final decision
and choose your model. 

The best CD duplication equipment for your project
will all depend on the volume of CDs you plan to
duplicate at a time, and the amount of money that
you are planning to invest on a particular piece of
equipment.

Your best source for reading reviews of CD duplication
equipment is on the Internet.  There are many
different consumer websites out there that will allow
users to post reviews of equipment, then rate them
on a five or ten point scale.  Anytime you are
reading reviews, it's very important that you get
your information from a trusted and reliable source.

Websites that are up by the owner of the product, or
those that are trying to sell you specific hardware
normally aren't the best to turn to when you need to
read a review.  No one who is trying to get you to
buy a certain piece of hardware is going to tell
you about the flaws the equipment has, or even let
you know about a competitor who has a similiar item
for sale at half the price.

All across the internet, you can find many different
websites that offer the information you seek.  There
are several that offer forums, where other users
will tell you honest opinions and give you feedback
about the equipment they own.  This can be a great
way to find out about the duplication equipment
your interested in and what else is available for
you to purchase.

Another excellent place to look for CD duplication
equipment reviews is trade magazines and even
electronic magazines.  Magazines will normally test
equipment then share their their opinions with their
readers.  Always be sure when you are reading a
review that it's an article sponsored by the
magazine and not a paid advertisement.

CD duplication reviews of equipment are a great
resource when trying to find a piece of equipment
to use.  With so many on the market, its always
good to have resources when you need to make
an important decision.  A review will also tell you
everything the label and description of the
product leaves out, which can help to ensure you
get the best piece of duplication equipment for
your hard earned money.

Tips For CD Duplication Side Business

The process of CD duplication has arrived in a very
big way.  Teenagers these days are using their CD
burners to rip MP3s from their favorite artists and
bands.  Companies choose to use CD duplication to
make backups of their software and important
documents.

Federal agencies on the other hand, are scrambling
to define and interpret intellectual piracy and
copyright laws as they relate to CD duplication and
the industry of music as a whole.  The movie industry
is also seeking how they can profit from using CD
duplication.  With so much attention being focused
on CD duplication, now is the ideal time to turn
your home CD duplication hardware into a very
profitable side business.

Believe it or not, you may already have everything
you need to get your CD duplication process going
in the right direction.  All you need to get your
business started is a computer, CD burner, CD
duplication software, and a few blank CD-R disks.
Contrary to what you may think, its that easy to
get going.

If you don't have a computer or a CD burner, you
really shouldn't worry, as purchasing a CD duplication
device is actually very affordable.  The cost of
stand alone CD duplication software has reduced
quite a bit over the years. 

Almost all home computers come with internal CD
duplication hardware (CD burners) and some sort
of duplication software as well.  CD duplication
media, such as blank CD-R and CD-RW are very
low in price and can be purchased at almost all
retail stores.

The market for your CD duplication service or
company is going to local bands and musicians as
well as small businesses.  Local up and coming
bands are often too busy perfecting their sound
to deal with the tedious and time consuming task
of duplicating CDs for their gigs.  They also lack
the money to order CDs from the big time CD
duplication companies as well.

The smaller businesses are pretty much the same, as
they are almost always unable to financially
justify having a technical or computer staff to
handle the backup and data storage aspects of their
company.  Many times, they will end up forgoing
needed data backups simply because they forget all
about it.

You can however, solve these common gaps, provide
needed service, and earn some nice side money by
starting your own duplication service that caters
to these types of clients.  By offering a reasonable
price, fast rate of delivery, and a quality product,
you'll get many repeat customers and a side
business that will keep busy for as long as you
want it.

The CD Burner

Many years ago, owning a copy of your favorite singer
or band would mean going to a retail store or buying
from an online website.  With the average song
count, you would spend at least $10.  If you were
one of those who couldn't afford to buy a CD, you
would probably have to wait for the local radio
station to play the songs you liked.

These days however, several music download shareware
programs make it possible to get your favorite
songs directly from other uses without having to
go out and buy them.  These programs will store
the songs you download to your hard drive, or
transfer it to your MP3 player if you prefer.

If you prefer to keep a complete collection of
the songs by storing them to a disc, you'll need
one piece of equipment for your computer - a CD
burner.

The CD burner comes in two forms: internal and
external.  External CD burners don't need to be
attached to your CPU, and they can be connected
to your computer through a USB port with its own
power source.  The internal type of CD burner
is the one that attaches to your CPU and fits
on the inside of your computer tower.

The CD burner is quite the piece of equipment
to have, as it can copy from one CD to another
or even from a hard drive to a blank CD, and
vice versa as well.

To use your CD player, you'll need to have
software.  You can find some types of this
software available to download for free on the
internet.  Some great examples include ISO
Recorder, Deep Burner, and Windows Media Player.

If you prefer, you can also purchase quality
programs as well.  Some examples of these include
Nero, Roxio, and Sonic Record Now.  The programs
that are free have the same burning capacity,
although those that cost money will give you
more features and overall flexibility.

Keep in mind that CD burners aren't limited to
only copying audio.  You can also use it to
copy document files, programs, games, videos,
MP3, and many other types of files. 

The burners with DVD burning capabilities will
enable you to copy your favorite DVD to another
CD in case you want to share it with a friend
or back it up.  You can also burn a movie to
DVD if you downloaded it off the internet,
then watch it on your television or computer.

Storing Your CDs

There are many different storage alternatives for
your CD collection.  The factors for storage include
how many CDs you own and how long you plan to keep
them. 

Below, you will find several alternatives for
storing your CDs:

1.  CD jewel cases
You have probably owned these before, as they are
the most common. They can hold your CD cover art and
are very easy to line up on a shelf.  Keep in mind
that they do break rather easily and they take up
quite a bit of space.

2.  Plastic CD sleeves
Plastic sleeves are cheap and thin, so they are
easy to afford and easy on shelf space.  Since they
are so thin, they obviously don't offer a lot in
terms of protection. For long term storage, they
generally aren't recommended. 

3.  Paper sleeves
For short term storage needs, paper is very cheap
and doesn't use much space.  Simliar to plastic
sleeves, paper is thin and doesn't offer very
much protection.

4.  Paperboard sleeves
Paperboard sleeves are much thicker than paper so
they will protect your discs.  They are also
inexpensive, although they can be hard to seal.

5.  Tyvek CD sleeves
Tyvek sleeves are cheap and they don't take up
a lot of space.  For long term storage, Tyvek is
normally recommended. 

6.  CD-ROM disc cases
These types of cases can hold a lot of CDs in a
small space and they may even help to keep out
dust.  They do however, make reading labels a bit
hard, they keep CDs out of site, and they will
take up a lot of space.

7.  CD spindles
Spindles are cheap and they hold several hundred
CDs in a small stack.  Sorting through them is
hard if you need one specific disk, which makes
it something that isn't normally recommended.

Quality At A Cheap Price

There has never been a better time than now to have
your audio book, music project, computer data, or
CD-R business card duplicated.  Unlike the days gone
by, these processes are cheaper than ever before -
even for those on a budget.

Over the last several years, the costs of blank CDs
have dropped quite a bit.  The retail chains such
as Office Max, Staples, and Best Buy run specials
on blank CDs where you can purchase a 50 CD-R spindle
for under $20.  You can even find similar deals
on Froogle, such as a 50 pack spindle of blank CD-R
disks for less than $12.

Those interested in CD duplication at home, will find
that many of the newer computers come packages with
a CD burner included at prices under $500.  If you
already own a computer and want to add an internal
CD burner, several retailers have brands for under
$50.  You can also purchase an external CD burner
for all your needs for under $100.

Making cheap duplications of CDs even more affordable
are the powerhouses such as DiscMakers, Oasis,
and CDman, all of whom specialize in duplicating
large quantities of CDs at low prices.  Not only
do these powerhouses offer superior quality at
a great price, but they also give great deals
on graphics, CD inserts, and jewel cases as well.

With cheap prices, you can get everything you need
at a price you can't argue with.  If you've
copied CDs in the past, you can quit paying high
costs and save yourself a ton of money.  Those
who offer CD duplication at a cheap price are
great at what they do - saving you a ton of money
for your CD duplication needs.

Preparation Tips

The master CD or DVD disk, is the one you will
provide to your CD or DVD vendor for either
replication or duplication of the media.  Below,
you will find some tips designed to help you
create a high quality master disc:

1.  Always use the highest quality media that you
can obtain, as all media isn't the same.  Do
your research, take your time, then choose a
brand that will produce a high quality disc each
and every time you duplicate or replicate.

2.  Avoid copying from a network source.  If the
source files for your disk are on a network
drive, copy the files to your local disk before
you burn a disc.  If you can't move the files
to your local drive, try using the copy to hard
drive first feature.  When doing this, your
burning software will create a temporary image
file during the burning process. Once the
burning has been completed, the temporary file
will be deleted.

3.  You should always avoid burning on a laptop
computer that is running on low battery power.
The fluctations that will occur in the available
battery power may cause you to have poor results
in your duplication.

4.  Always make sure that you finalize your
disc.  If you fail to finalize, the disc won't
play back.  Finalizing will also help increase
the reading compability in other CD-ROM drives.

5.  Never use the packet writing method to burn
a master disc.  This method is very common with
burning drives that have re-writing capabilities.
This method will produce discs that can't be
read on many CD-ROM drives. 

6.  Avoid any type of impact or movement of the
drive during burning.  Doing so can cause the
laser to skip or jump tracks, which will lead
to errors or a bad disc.

7.  If available, use the "burn-proof" feature.
This feature will allow the drive to slow
down the burn speed in the event the computer
can't supply the data fast enough.  Although
this can increase the burn time, the quality
of the disc will be much better.

8.  You should avoid having multiple applications
open when burning, especially those that
access the Internet or a network.  This can
hinder your computer's ability to supply data
to the burner drive at the necessary rate.

If you follow the above tips, you should
produce a master disc of excellent quality.  A
master disc is something you'll want perfect,
which is why you shouldn't take any risks.

Musicians And CD Duplication

These days, technology is always available for any
inspiring musician to record, create, and even
duplicate CDs.  The duplication of CDs will involve
CD-R media.  CD-R media prices have dropped a lot
over the last several years, making them affordable
for anyone who wants to use them.

If your band is ready to start selling CDs, your
best option may be to have your CDs replicated. 
Replicated CDs are the same CDs that you'll find
in music stores by major label artists.  They all
have excellent artwork printed on the CD inserts,
nice tray card inserts, screened art on the CD,
and they are even shrink wrapped.

The retail CDs that you buy aren't duplicated, they
are replicated.  This means that an exact replica
of your master CD has been stamped out on all of
the other CDs.  If you are serious about selling
your music for profit, replication is the way to
go.

The fact is, most stores simply won't sell duplicated
CDs.  Duplicated CDs can be against the law,
which is the main reason retail stores simply
won't carry them.  Replicated CDs let the stores
know that the CD is legit, and they will almost
always carry those CDs.

For musicians and inspiring bands, CD duplication
can tend to be a bit more expensive than that
of replication.  To duplicate CDs, you need a
computer with a CD burner, your CD-R media, cases,
and a lot of man hours.

With CD replication, you can get many more copies,
professional artwork, a barcode for inventory, and
cases included.  Replication is obviously to
expensive for those looking to simply back up
pictures and data on a personal computer, although
the prices are just right for musicians looking
to make profit off of their CDs.

Music CD-R And Data CD-R

People who are new to computers and duplication, will
sometims confuse CD-R music media with CD-R data
media.  While confusing them is easy to do, the
two are different indeed.  Even if you have some
experience with computers, confusing them is very
easy to do.

As you may or may not know, there are differences
between music CD-R and data CD-R disks.  The obvious
difference is, of course, the name.  With one
named CD-R music and one named CD-R data, you
know there has to be some type of difference
between the two.

What's known is that there are indeed technical
differences in what is embedded in blank music
CDs when compared to blank data CDs.  These
differences center upon bytes that are within
the sub channels of the blank music disks. 

This doesn't affect the quality, as both audio
and data can be duplicated onto both music CD-R
disks and data CD-R disks.  You can burn data onto
music CD-R, and music onto data CD-R media
without any problems.  Keep in mind, whether or
not you get data on a music CD-R will depend
on what type of hardware you use to duplicate
the CD.

If you plan to use a PC to do all of your burning,
it won't matter.  A PC doesn't differentiate
between music CD-R and data CD-R.  PCs will see
a blank media CD and duplicate information on it
that pertains to the settings you have outlined
in the software you plan to use to burn the CD.

If you plan to use a seperate CD burner, it
may or may not let you burn data or music on
a generic blank or data CD-R.  Some hardware
are funny like that, as they only want you to
use blank media with well known brand names
that they have approved of.

If you plan to do most of your CD duplication
on a computer, it really doesn't matter which
type of blank CD-R you use.  They will both
work fine in most cases when you store either
music or data.  When storing data, you have a
limit of 700 MB, while music will have a limit
of a little over an hour of tunes.

For your duplication needs, computers are the
ideal way to copy media.  You can use equipment
outside of a computer and CD burner, although
you'll need to check the operations manual
and see what they recommend for media.  If you
have a computer or access to one, it can do
wonders in the areas of music and data CD-R
duplication.

Intro To CD Mastering

Even though many assume that the mixing of the seperate audio tracks is the final step, a recording should always be mastered well in order to sound great.  CD mastering is the final chance for creative input when you create a compact disc. After the discs has been mastered, it can be printed, reproduced, and then sold.

The process of mastering a CD actually involves several steps.  The first step is putting the songs, or tracks at this point in the correct order.  The length of time between the songs is also adjusted, along with the editing of the songs.  Any unlisted or secret songs on the CD are normally added at this point as well.

There are several ways that you can go about mastering a CD.  First of all, the mix can be sent to a professional CD mastering engineer, which is what professional musicians normally decide to do.

The mastering engineers will often work in their own mastering facilities, which are very different from standard studios, in the fact that they have much less gear and are designed for the best possible playback of the mix as possible in order to fix anything that's wrong. 

Aside from mastering engineers, CDs can also be mastered at home using computer software.  This option is normally more realistic for unsigned artists or musicians who are just starting out with their music.  Depending on the software quality and skill of the individual doing the mastering, the CD may turn out perfect or it may sound very unprofessional.

You can also refer to online CD mastering as another option.  Cds that are mastered online can be great, as instead of sending a mix to a mastering engineer, the mix is instead sent via the Internet.  To do this, you'll need a high speed Internet connection.

The cheapest way to go about mastering a CD is with free mastering.  Artists and musicians may choose to use free mastering programs with demos or other earlier recordings that artists will use to send to major record labels to generate some interest in their music.

The major differences with a professional CD and an amateur recording is normally found in the mastering.  Every song that you hear played on the radio is thoroughly mastered in order to sound better.

While you can master using free programs or your computer, a professional CD mastering engineer is normally the best way to do business if your band is looking to make a profit from your music.

Intro To CD Duplication

The first thing you must know, is that there are many different types of CD duplication.  Some of them happen to be illegal, which is why you'll need to make sure that the CDs you are duplicating are allowed by local laws and regulations. 

The CD duplication process is basically taking one CD and making a copy of it, or if you prefer, many copies of it.  A CD can store information of many forms, such as pictures, movies, data, and even music.  Therefore, you'll need to determine which type of duplication you are interested in.

You'll also need to think about how many copies you plan to make as well, as the costs of equipment will vary.  Most computers that you buy these days will come with a CD-RW drive, and the software you'll need to make copies of the CD disks.

CD duplication is very easy to do, as you all you have to do is a few clicks.  Even if you are new to computers, you'll find that duplicating CDs is one of the easiest things you'll do with your computer.

With the common software, you can copy an audio or even a data disk in just a few minutes.  The most common program is Nero, as it does wonders for CD duplication and CD-RW drives.  If you have access to Nero, you'll find it very easy to use and very handy to have installed on your computer.

Once you begin to copy CDs, you can make copies of your audio CDs, back up your computer, even make copies of your pictures.  The sky is the limit with CD duplication - which is the main reason it has become so popular over the years.

How To Copy CDs

Copying CDs is something that is very popular now morethan ever.  When CD burners and duplication was firstintroduced, people caught on although it wasn't nearlyas popular as it is today.  These days, millions of people throughout the world copy audio, data, and even video to CDs.

To make a copy of a CD, you'll need a master to copy,a blank disk, a CD-RW drive, and the proper software.Most newer computers include either a CD-RW or DVD-RWdrive.  If your computer is older, you'll need to go out and buy the drive, which doesn't cost much moneyand is very easy to install.

If you have a DVD-RW drive, you'll be able to copyboth CDs and DVDs.  The rate of copying will vary,with 4X being the slowest and up to 48X being thefastest.  If your drive supports 48X, you can duplicatea CD in a matter of minutes.

Once you have the CD-RW or DVD-RW drive and some blank CD-R media, all you need is the software to duplicate.  Nero is among the most popular, as wellas Sonic Record Now and Easy CD Creator.  There aremany different types out there, from those that costmoney to the freeware software that doesn't cost anything to use.

Once you have everything you need, simply run the software and create your disk.  You can copy many types of media, including pictures, video, audio,and even data from your computer.  Depending on what you want to copy, all need to do is select it from the software menu and let it rip.

CD duplication is a lot of fun and easy for everyoneto learn as well.  You can back up a lot of things,or just save pictures of your special memories - thechoices are entirely up to you.

Factors In CD Duplication

The process of writing data to a recordable CD can be a complex process, as it demands a lot from both hardware and software programs.  Much of this complexity is hidden from the user by the program, although you should be aware of these factors.

Data The total amount of data you are writing is much less important than whether or not it contains large or several small files.  If there are a lot of small files, the system may have problems with locating and opening the files quickly enough to send them smoothly to the CD recording drive.

The computer Any interruption that may occur is fatal to CD duplication, so you should ensure that your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT don't load any TSR utilities which may interrupt operations.  Screen savers, alarms and reminders, or incoming faxes may also kill disc writing.  You should also turn off network sharing so no one will access the files that you are trying to write, as this could also kill your disc recording.

Hard Disk Speed To write an image to the CD, the hard disk from which you are writing must have a transfer rate that is fast enough to keep the memory buffer full in the CD recorder.  This normally means an average hard disk access time of 19 MS or better.

Defrag If your hard drive has to search everywhere over a fragmented hard drive for the data to be written, it can cause the operation to slow down or even cause a fatal error.  Therefore, always be sure to fragment your hard disk drive.

Recording speed Most new CD recorders and even some older ones, are capable of writing at two (sometimes even four) times the standard playback.  It should be possible for you to select the speed; as even though fast recording is a time saver, it can also cause some bad situations.

When you copy an ISO (image file) from the hard disk to a CD, the speed is rarely a problem as the image is already one large file in which the files and structures are already in order and divided into CD-ROM sectors. 

When you write from a virtual image, things can get a bit trickier.  In order to copy to CD, the program must consult with the database to find where each file should go in the image and where it is actually stored on the hard disk drive.

Then, it must open the file, divide it into CD-ROM sectors, at the same time sending the data in a smooth continuous stream to the recorder.  Locating and opening the file is a bit more time consuming, as writing is more difficult if you have a lot of small files.

Duplication 101

If you've been shopping for blank CDs or blank DVDs recently, you may have found yourself a bit confused by ll of the choices - CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW.  Trying to figure out the abbreviations etween them can be a bit mind racking indeed.

To make matters worse for those who aren't up on the lastest marvels of technology is the rate at which the industry of technology is evolving. Just when you think you've caught on to the concepts of MP3s and burning CD and DVD media, new twists on blank media hits the market and you found yourself confused more than you were to tart with.

The "R" found in CD-R and DVD+/-R media stands for ecordable.  It will tell consumers that these disks are lank recordable media.  You can record ovies, data, music, and photos on the disc, but the discs cannot be rased.

The "RW" on CD-RW and DVD+/-RW media stands for rewritable.  This lets you know that media with RW on hem can be recorded and erased several times.  Even though the prices for blank CD and DVD media is inexpensive, you can expect to pay a bit more for RW type media.

The biggest source of confusion stems from DVD-R and DVD-RW and how they are different from DVD+R and DVD+RW media.  In order to avoid a long technical speech on the differences, you simply need to know that each DVD types can record movies just like the next type.

DVD+R and DVD+RW are a newer more expensive technology that offers a few technical advantages over DVD-R and DVD-RW.  None the less, DVD-R has greater compatibility with more DVD players than any other format of blank DVDs.

If you have a newer DVD player or if you use your computer to play back media, you should have no problems with DVD+R/DVD+RW media.  Some say that they provide a better range of quality, although the quality is ndeed similar.

Keep in mind that all recordable CD and DVD media do the same thing regardless of their particular brand or xtension.  Because there is not an industry standard that involves DVD technology, not every DVD player is ompatible with each and every format you see on retail store shelves.

For this very reason, you should always check with DVD player manual to see which type of recordable media it will play back.  This way, you'll know what to buy the next time you go shopping for blank CD or DVD media.

Duplicating Within Your Budget

If you plan to produce, market, and sell your own
CDs, you have the need for high quality CD
duplication.  If you have the need for great
quality and great prices, you should thing about
things before you turn to one company to do all
of the duplicating for you. 

No matter what you use it for, CD duplication is
an expense that shouldn't take over your budget
at all.  Below, you'll find several tips on how
to keep duplication within your budget.

1.  Shop with comparison
All companies out there need to able to find the
company that is going to give them the best possible
price.  If you have access to the internet, you
can do this online.  Look from one company to
another until you find the best price that fits
your budget.

2.  Keep within your budget
Although this is easier said than done, it's
very important to find a company that can work
within your budget or you'll need to get a bigger
budget.  Even though you may not realize it now,
doing these types of things on credit can hurt
you later on down the road.

3.  Quality
If your music or other CDs mean a lot to you,
then you should put them in the hands of a reliable
duplicator - and never skimp on quality.  Always
make sure you a guarantee of the quality of their
work as well, to protect yourself.

CD duplication is a must have for the movie and
music business.  There's no doubt that you need
this type of service, although you should take the
time to find the best company for the job.  When
it comes to developing your product - you'll
want to have only the best.

Disc Quality

The high demand and dramatic increase in CD media,
plus the competitive pressures to squeeze out
every possible cost and improve the profit margins
have given rise to many manufacturers of CD related
media.  To help reduce the costs of increasing
capacity, many of these firms have relocated their
old manufacturing lines and hired staff that learn
on the job.

The biggest problems with CDs occurs when discs are
produced using older equipment then end up failing
when you try to use them.  Luckily, most of these
types will fail when you first try to record on
them.  There is however, a likelihood that the disc
will complete a burn and the media won't play at
all.

The agony of taking your photo or video treasures
and putting them on CD or DVD and then deleting them
from your camera or computer only to realize that
the copy is corrupted is far too much to risk.  The
brand name company's such as Verbatim choose to
guard their reputation for quality and durability
by using only advanced recording dye and other
types of technology to produce high speed discs.

The stability of the recording dye is very critical
as heat, humidity, oxygen, and even UV light can
degrade the dye.  Verbatim research has also proven
there is a strong correlation between the production
and bonding processes of disc quality.

For data and personal pictures that are important,
you should always buy quality CD media.  Then,
before you go ahead and delete the source file,
trying playing the disc back to ensure that it
copied correctly.  This way, you won't have to
worry about losing your precious files and photos
when you remove the source from your computer.

Differences Between CD DVD Media

Even though both CD and DVD disks have the same
media size and shape, the things they have in
common ends there.  There are many different
things between the two, such as what they hold
and how much they hold. 

Data pits and lasers
A disc has microscopic grooves that will move
along in a spiral around the disc.  CDs and
DVDs both have these grooves, with laser breams
applied to scan these very grooves.

As you may know, digital information is represented
in ones and zeroes.  Inside of these discs, very
tiny reflective bumps known as lands and non
reflective holes known as pits, which can be
found beside the grooves, reflect both the ones
and the zeroes of digital information.

By reducing the wave length of the laser to 625mm
or more infrared light, DVD technology has
managed to write in smaller pits when compared
to the standard technology of CD.  This will
allow for a greater amount of data per track
on the DVD.  The minimum length allowed for a
pit in a single layer DVD-R is .4 micron, which
is obviously more than the .0834 micron that a
CD offers.

The tracks of a DVD are narrower as well, which
allows for more tracks per disc, which also
translates into more capacity than a CD.  The
avaerage single layer DVD holds 4.5 GB of data,
while a CD holds a mere 700 MB.

Layers
As stated above, a DVD has smaller pits and the
lasers need to focus on them.  This is actually
achieved by using a thinner plastic substrate
than in a CD, which means that the laser needs
to pass through a thinner layer, with less
depth to reach the pits.  It's this reduction in
thickness that's responsible for the discs
that were only 0.6mm thickness - which is half
that of a CD.

Data access speed
DVDs will access data at a much faster rate than
a CD can.  The average 32X CD-ROM drive reads
data at 4MB a second, while a 1X DVD drive reads
at 1.38MB a second.  This is even faster than
an 8X CD drive.

Universal data format
The recording formats of CDs and DVDs are quite
different, as DVDs use UDF, or the Universal
Data Format.  This format allows data, video,
audio, or even a combination of all three to
be stored in a single file structure.  The
advantage to this is any file can be accessed
by any drive, computer, or even consumer video.
CDs on the other hand aren't compatible with
this format.

Copy Like A Professional

Anyone who has burned CDs in the past has had to
have encountered this problem - your CD doesn't
want to play in certain CD players.  You've probably
tried switching to a different brand of disks,
switching the writing speed of your CD burning
software, and yet nothing seems to work.

Most professional CDs that are purchased from a
retail outlet such as Circuit City or Best Buy
works in any type of CD player, which probably makes
you wonder what they are doing that your not.  All
of us wonder this, especially when out duplicated
CDs don't want to play back like they should.

Much to the contrary, it's because the music
industry burns their CDs differently.  Instead
of simply duplicating CDs, the music industry
chooses to replicate CDs.  Even though the
terminology may seem synonymous, the process is
actually totally different.

CD replication is used for the mass production of
CDs, which is normally more than 500.  Instead
of writing the data to a CD using a laser as
with duplication, CD replication uses a glass
master to stamp (or press) the data onto the
disc.  This helps to eliminate almost all of the
issues associated with playability that are
encountered when burning CDs at home.  CD
replication is a far superior process of burning
CDs.

Important to note, is the superior quality of
CDs that are pressed using replication doesn't
come cheap.  Even when using independant CD
duplication companies such as Absolute Disc or
Oasis, there is still going to be a very high
cost associated with the replication of disks.

For your next project, try having your CDs
replicated rather than duplicated.  This will
ensure your project is very high quality, even
though you'll need to order more than 500 CDs
to recive this process.

Copy CDs And Save Money

Just a short while ago, the only people who had
access to CD duplication were professional musicians,
record company executives, and the higher end
recording studios.  As technology increased and
became more affordable, private CD duplication
companies began to pop up all over the United States
and other major music centers throughout the country.

These days, CD duplication has never been more
accessible or more affordable.  Most home computers
and laptops come with a CD-RW burner and software
that is very user friendly, making CD duplication
very convenient.

Even if you are new to computers, you'll find
CD duplication very easy to figure out.  You don't
have to be a computer expert to use the CD-RW
burner or the software, as most of it is self
explanitory.  All you need to do is give it a run
and see easy things actually are.

Those who are needing a large quantity of CDs
duplicated or simply wish to have a professional
company burn their CDs, there are several out there
that offer great rates, package deals, and quality
recordings.  You can get as many as you want, with
quality that matches that of the master copy.

Most CD duplication companies offer packages that
will include inserts, tray cards, and even
packaging should you choose to take your duplicates
to retail sale. 

You can also choose to have your graphic work
imprinted on the inserts or have the CD duplication
company design a totally new design for your very
product.  If you are worried about the inventory,
barcodes can be imprinted on the CD case or the
sleeve by the same company.

For whatever duplication needs you may have, there
are companies out there that offer duplication or
you can do it yourself.  Either way you choose,
you'll get the copies you need in no time at all.

CD Terminology

Below, you'll find the most common terminology that
relates to CD duplication.  Even if you are new to
duplication, the terms below may help you learn more.

BLER
Block Error Rate.  This is the raw digital error rate
before any type of error correction.

CD
This the Compact Disc, a digital medium that's formed
of a 12cm polycarbonate substrate, a reflective
metalized layer, and a protective lacquer coating.

CD-R
Compact Disc-Recordable.  The term CD-R is used to
describe the technology of recordable CD along with
the equipment, software, and media that are used to
make the recordable disks.

Data layer
With CD-R media, this is the organic dye that is
sandwiched between the polycarbonate substrate and
the metalized reflective layer of the media.  CD-R
disks don't have any data on them at all until the
are recorded.

Injection Molding
This is a manufacturing method where the molten
material is forced into a mold, normally under
high pressure, then cooled so that the material
will take on the shape of a mirror image in the
mold.

Media or blanks
CD-R media are the disks that are used to record
digital information using a special recorder and
premastering software with a computer.  These discs
are made of a polycarbonate substrate, a layer of
organic dye, a metalized reflective layer, and a
coating of lacquer for protection.

Organic dye
The data layer of CD-R media is made from a dye
that is melted during the process of recording.
Where the dye is melted, becomes opaque or
refractive, scattering the reading laser so that
it isn't reflected back into the reading sensors.

Reflective layer
This is the  metal later that sits on top of the
dye that reflects the laser beam back to the
reading assembly.  This is normally 24k gold in
CD-R disks, although it can be silver as well.

CD Ripper Software

CD ripper software will open up an entirely new
way of how you listen to music.  With the use of
CD ripping software, you can take audio tracks
from a CD and them into audio files for use on
your computer.  You can save them as WAV, MP3, OGG,
or WMA audio files.  The term "ripping" is the
term used to describe this very process.

There are advanced CD ripper software as well,
which allows you to convert back and forth between
these formats.  You can also get software that
can record vinyl LPs and cassettes to create those
same audio files for your computer.

You can get a variety of ripper software programs
online by searching the internet.  Most software
is user friendly and offers you a variety of
options.  You should however, do some searching
and comparing before you decide which CD ripper
program is best for your needs.

Each type of CD ripper software will offer it's
own style and interface.  You should always make
sure the CD ripper software you choose is easy
to use and easy to understand.  It doesn't matter
how good the software is - if you can't use it.

When you explore the options of CD ripper software,
make sure you also check the software's editing
abilities.  With most programs, you can select
the output format for the music.  This will
include the bitrate, channels, and even the
frequency. 

Quality ripper programs will also tag the
encoded audio files with medadata, which will
contain information about the artist, song title,
track number, and even the album title.  This
will automatically be input for the file. 

Another great feature with some ripper programs
is the ability to delete the silence at the
beginning or end of song tracks.  Some programs
will even give you the ability to edit the
songs themselves, giving you full control of
the sound provided by your files.

For those who enjoy to listen to their music
from a CD, a CD ripper can aso be used to
select your favorite songs and create a mixed
CD.  Some rippers will even let you rip audio
tracks directly from a CD then burn them to a
new CD - without having to save them as a new
audio file.

With millions of people ripping CDs these days,
CD ripping is the wave of the future.  You no
longer have to keep your music on your computer,
as you can rip them to a CD or even put them
in your favorite MP3 player and take the music
with you - wherever you go.

CDR Brilliance

Several years ago, CD-R media and CD burners were
never imagined.  Computers were just reached the
GHz speed, with Pentium 1 just starting to reach
the horizons.  Floppy disks were the ideal way to
store data, even though it took several of them to
store most types of information.  Looking at things
today, you can see at a glance just how far technology
has come over the years.

These days, computers are in 2 out of 3 homes
across the world, with almost everyone owning one.
CD burners and CD-RW drives are just as popular,
with everyone realizing just how much money they
can save by burning their own disks and copying
their own media. 

There are so many benefits to CD duplication and
CD-R disks that it's mind boggling.  If you've
never owned a CD-RW drive or dealt with CD-R media,
you'd be amazed with everything you can do.  CD
media helps to simply life as we know it and make
things easier than ever before.

The theory of CD-R duplication is priceless.  Writers,
those that are self employed, musicians, small
businesses, hobbyists, and even fortune 500
companies can all benefit from the brilliance
behind CD-R technology.  Not only to do they
save you quite a bit of time, but they are
also very affordable while providing you many
different services.

CD-R media is used to store files and important
security documentation.  The media disks are
widely used in the computer field to conveniently
backup software and data on disc.  Musicians
as well choose to use CD-R duplication as an
affordable marketing and promotion tool to get
their music out to those who want it.

Even the corporate world as well, uses CD-Rs as
a cost effective way of mass producing training
videos and as an aid in converting to the
ideal paperless office.  You can also use CD-Rs
as a business card, as they are smaller than
a credit card and store all of your memorable
business card information.

With everything they offer you, CD media is
truly something you can't live without.  The
disks are small and easy to store, yet they
will hold an impressive amount of information.

For all of your audio, storage, or backup needs,
rest assured that CD-R media can help you meet
your demands.  The disks will last a lifetime,
making them perfect for special memories.  If
you have the need for storage or saving data
and pictures, CD media is the way to go to
ensure that your precious files will be there
each and every time you need them.

CD Mastering Engineers

If a recording artist or inspiring musician has
any hopes of having their songs played on the
radio, they'll need to have their rough mix
mastered very well.  The best way to do this, is
to hire a CD mastering engineer.

Professional mastering engineers can make a
decent audio mix sound great and a good mix
sound completely amazing.  There are many different
things that CD mastering engineers can do.  They
will work with the artist to decide what order
the songs appear on the CD, and also equalize
the volume of the different instruments in each
song and across the entire CD.

They can also help to add more definition and
clarity to the instruments in a song.  Then,
they will adjust the introductions and ends of
the songs, choosing the length of time between
the songs and adding crossfades or other nice
effects if they need to.

The order in which the songs on a CD appear
can greatly affect the way the CD progresses
when it's played.  If similar sounding songs
are placed side by side on a CD, it can lead
listeners into thinking the artist has a very
limited range.  It's ultimately up to the
CD mastering engineer to work with the recording
artist and choose the order of songs on the CD.

It's very important that the instruments in a
song and the songs on the CD be at an appropriate
volume level.  Within a song, the different
elements must be mixed appropriately in order
for the song to sound like it should.

The CD engineer can also give clarity and
definition to the different instruments in a
song.  The engineer will also have the task of
assuring that the volume levels across all
of the songs are the same, in order to help
the CD sound more cohesive while still leaving
room for dynamics.

The CD mastering engineer will also determine
how much time there should be between the songs
on the CD.  They will also fade and crossfasde
the intros and endings of the songs to make
them have a better flow.

For an interesting career, CD mastering engineers
is a great choice.  They make excellent money,
get to work with top artists, and enjoy what
they do. If you like music, this career may be
what you've always wanted.  For those who are
already in the profession - it's a job unlike
any other out there in the world.