In the not so distant past silkscreen was the main CD printing method for compact discs. As technology has advanced, other methods have come a long that not only improve the quality of the printing itself, but to reduce the cost for small quantities or “sprints”. Offset printing is one of the printing methods and is much prettier than the screen, but this process is still reserved for the production of large quantities executed. In the last 10 years of inkjet CD printing has also become very popular. One of the best innovations even for CD printing process is thermal printing or printing more appropriately called heat transfer.
This thermal printing technology can be used for color images by adhering a wax-based ink on the CD. As the CD and tape travel together beneath the printhead, the ink transfer ribbon is melted on the surface of the disc. When cooled, is permanently adhered to the surface. This type of thermal printer using the same size tape area for each page to be printed, regardless of its size or the amount of printing is actually used ..
Color printers do not have a black panel for each page to be printed, while color printers have three or four colored panels for each of the surfaces to be printed. For printing records, CMY is commonplace.
These printers can not vary the intensity of points like some other printing processes, which means that the images must be interpolated. At present, this type of printer is rarely used for printing on paper, but is ideal for media, such as CDs and DVDs among industry applications. This process is water resistant and very fast. The thermal printing process is highly reliable due to a small number of moving parts.
Regarding the low quantity or short run applications, thermal printing is the most ideal solution. The disk surface is water resistant, scratch-proof, and the colors tend to “explode”. This also has the advantage of being less costly production means that any other printing method in limited quantities. Thermal printing is the best choice for short-term projects CD duplication.