A better way of labelling your discs! (Lacie LightScribe DVD+R 4.7 GB 8x)

Member Name: Lucius86

Product:	Lacie LightScribe DVD+R 4.7 GB 8x
Date:	26/05/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Perfect quality, no data errors, no visible wear, fast data write speed, looks funky!

Disadvantages: Takes a long time to etch your image, one colour, really needs a double etch pass, bit expensive

I have always hated disk labels - they use up quite a bit of ink in your printer, you need to keep on adjusting the print settings to take into account the different paper type, it costs extra money for the label themselves, plus the software that comes with the printer to print the labels usually annoy me in their simplicity. So when I recently purchased my LG Blu-Ray combi disk drive (which I reviewed here: http://members.dooyoo.co.uk/cd-writers/lg-ggc-h20l /1237770/), I thought I would take up the opportunity to try out the Lightscribe technology when I next came round to buying a new spindle of discs.

These DVD consumables are of the DVD+R variety, so make sure your DVD burner can support this format (most do, but some very old disc burners may not!). The disc can store any type of data of up to 4.7 GB in size on its single data side. They are quite expensive compared to bulk DVD consumables on a spindle of 50 discs for example, but what you are paying for is the Lightscribe technology. The 8x data write speed is very fast, and allows you to burn a full DVD in under 7 minutes if you drive can go that fast.

Lightscribe uses a special coating on the top of the disc that allows your compatible burner to 'etch' on an image, text or pattern onto the disc permanently. When you are ready to etch the image on, you flip the disc over upside down and then prompt the software to start the process. Please note however that the technology only allows one colour, so your end result will be a contrast change in the colour variations much like a greyscale newspaper picture.

I was amazed by the end quality - it truly does look fantastic, but I would seriously recommend doing a double pass for the deeper contrast in colour. This does take longer as you would expect, taking between 35-45 minutes for a single disc. But once complete, it doesn't smudge, it's of a better quality than that of a standard laser printer, and looks cool in the way it reflects the light. To put it bluntly, the end result was flawless, and after 2 months of use the colour has yet to fade. You also don't have to worry about the sticker peeling off under heat! I have done about 11 of these so far, and not one has been a corrupted disc - something you sometimes get when buying bulk spindles of CD/DVDs.

The lightscribe etching process takes its time, but I think the benefits far outweigh the cons, and from now on all my future discs be of the lightscribe variety, and I would not hesitate in purchasing this particular product again.

Summary: I wish I had a lightscribe drive before -

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