What is the difference between Thermal Transfer, Photo Realistic, Screen Print, and Offset Printing?
First off, ALL are excellent methods for putting surface artwork on your media; BUT some methods are better suited for certain artwork than others. Thermal Transfer printed CDs and DVDs: This is the quickest and most cost effective method for printing directly on the surface of the CD or DVD. However, there are limits to this type of printing. This type of printing will print in single colors only; Black (default), Red, Blue. Thermal transfer printing works best with text and limited graphics (line-art). It does well with simple logos and designs/graphics. It also does well for a CD that requires sequential serial numbers or unique identification. It does not work well with gradient artwork, artwork with small/complex logos, and artwork that prints in full coverage. Photo Realistic printed CDs and DVDs: This is an excellent way to print high quality four color process artwork directly on the surface of DVDs and CDs. With this type of on-demand printing, there are no setup costs or film
