What is the difference between CD replication and CD-R duplication ?
Replication usually refers to the process of making CD or DVD from a glass stamper (or mold). When melted polycarbonate is injected under high pressure onto the glass stamper, the bits of information are formed. A reflective layers is then coated on the disc so the laser beam inside the CD player or DVD player can see the data. Duplication, on the other hand, refers to making CD or DVD by burning data onto recordable media. For that reason duplication is usually limited to short-run smaller or urgent jobs. For large volume production, replication is the most cost effective and the discs produced are of higher quality. To the laymen, replication and duplication probably mean the same. But to the people in the disc manufacturing industry, there is a subtle difference. Replication can only be done under highly temperature and dust controlled environment. Duplication can be done in any normal environment such as in the office or at home. A replicated CD or DVD (so called pressed CD or DVD
CD replication is a “mass-production” injection molding method for manufacturing the highest quality and lowest price CD copies. CD duplication is a term that typically describes “buring” or writing low-volume production runs of CD copies. The decision to burn CD-R’s or to replicate CD’s is dependent upon the number of discs that you want to order. If you need a small number of discs, then burning may be the right choice. Replication (molding) of discs always should be the choice for larger orders. Consult your sales person for details.
