How to get the most out of CD or DVD printing and packaging design

Whether your disc is for sale in a store or online, a lot can depend on getting the right design for your package. For audio CDs, the packaging must:

• Get the attention of consumers
• Convey the theme of the recording.
• Make it obvious to the consumer who the recording artist(s) may be.

For software, especially console or PC games, the theme of the game must stand out from the packaging to attract the attention of the consumer in order to make the sale before the competition.

The following guidelines are intended to help both those new to CD/DVD and packaging design, and seasoned professionals alike, to help you make the most of available resources, whether the project budget is large or small.

1) Use supplier disks and packaging templates

If you have decided on a duplication and packaging provider, ask them for their templates for the disc and the type of packaging you intend to use. By starting with the correct templates and specifications for your design work, you will save time and effort later if you find that you need to make modifications to the design to fit within the template parameters.

All professional CD duplication companies will have a set of templates on file for you to use and most will be happy to help you set up your design and understand how to use the templates at no additional charge for their service. You’ll usually be able to download the most commonly used types of templates from a company’s website, but if you’re working on a bespoke packaging project or something less commonly used, you’ll need to check with your print contact.

2) Choose the right software package for disc and packaging design

If you want your design to look professional and have a quality feel, you will need to use a quality software package to produce the design. Adobe’s design suite is ideal (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), also QuarkXpress, CorelDraw graphics suite and Xara Designer Pro will fit the bill and there are enough video tutorials available to view online, free of charge, to Make it a relatively easy process, as long as you are reasonably proficient with computer software packages.

The wide range of special effects and photo manipulation capabilities of these software packages allow anyone with little experience to create high-quality, professional-looking designs, and experts can do wonders very quickly.

3) Use CMYK image files or Pantone ink colors

Most images displayed on a monitor, such as on a website, are created in RGB (Red, Blue, Green) mode. When images are intended to be printed on card stock, paper, or any print receptive surface, they are printed using CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) inks. So if you intend to produce the design yourself, when creating your image for print, make sure you work in CMYK mode or convert your finished image file before sending it to your printing company.

Sometimes CMYK colors don’t look as vivid or pure as colors in RGB mode, so if you’re not sure how your image will look when printed with CMYK inks, be sure to get a printed sample before you print. go for the end. Execution in production. The image on your screen and the printed image can often look quite different. Printers often charge for this service, so it’s important to be aware of this and incorporate the cost into your project budget.

If your project is to be screen printed, it will be necessary to specify Pantone color codes for each separate color used in the design so that both the designer and printer know what to expect from the resulting product. Most good artwork software packages will allow you to view and select Pantone colors during disc creation or packaging design.

4) Resolution of images to be printed on discs or packaging

If you intend to use existing photos or images, or intend to take your own photos, make sure that the final image selected has a resolution of at least 300 dpi.

Most web images are set to 72 dpi to keep the file size low. File size isn’t much of a concern for a printer, so set your digital camera to its highest resolution to take pictures. Try not to overcompensate though, images at 600 dpi can be very clear, but then you are in the realm of giant file sizes which can be difficult to transfer if needed. 300 dpi is the optimal resolution.

Don’t be fooled into thinking you can take a huge image set to 72 dpi, reduce it in size, and change the resolution to 300 dpi. That just doesn’t work, the original image needs to be set to 300 dpi or higher to use it for printing. A similar rule also applies to resizing small images. If you have a small image at 300 dpi and you scale it to twice its previous size, then you have an image at 150 dpi, which, again, is not good enough for printing.

5) Fonts and text printing

If your design contains unusual fonts, be sure to make a note of the font names and provide font files for these to your printer. High-resolution fonts in an Adobe Photoshop design are usually fine, but if the text is very small or the font is very complex, it is recommended that you use a vector-based design program, such as Adobe Illustrator or Quark, for high-resolution prints. clear and crisp fonts.

6) Remember to include a margin for the “bleed” around the edge of the printed pieces

The “bleed” area around the edge of a printed paper part template is usually an area about 3mm wide around the outside of the visual part of the template. It is important that your design extends to the bleed area, especially if your image is complicated or is a photographic image. Remember to keep all text at least 3-4mm inside the template border (not including the bleed area). The bleed zone is there to make sure that the outer edge of the paper part, once cut, does not have white edges as a result of a slightly inaccurate cut. If your design features a solid color border, then this color should also extend into the bleed area.

7) Be careful about using solid colored backgrounds with photographic elements on discs

Discs will be screen printed or lithographically printed. When a design features a dark solid color background with small photographic elements within, then the disc will need to be printed lithographically. Printing solid, dark colors using the lithographic printing technique may cause inconsistencies in disc surface coverage. Screen printing would be the technique to use for solid colors. If you think your design might fit into this category, ask your printer for further advice.

Combining photographic images with solid colors on your disc cover is not recommended.

8) Orientation of the printed panel for card holders and digipacks

If you’re using the correct template for your CD or DVD card wallet or digipack design, then it should be pretty obvious how each panel should be oriented for printing. When printing a basic CD card wallet, for example, the front image should be on the right side with the back image on the left side so that the back image can be folded down with the spine of the package on the right side.

Image layout gets a bit more complicated when it comes to packaging like 4-panel digipacks. The template will require the front image to be placed in the bottom right position with the back image to its left.

The inside images (pages 2 and 3 effectively) should be placed on top of the front and back images but in the opposite orientation so that the top edges of all images meet along the center fold line.

9) Last minute changes to your CD, DVD and packaging design

If you need to make any major last minute changes to your artwork, be sure to check with your printing company that the changes will not affect the price quoted for the project. If you suddenly find yourself in a position where your project can only be printed using the lithographic printing technique rather than the simpler screen printing, you may find yourself paying more for the job than you originally budgeted for.

conclusion

Following the guidelines above will help you get the most out of your disc and packaging design project. Remember, if possible, to allow enough time for all stages of the project, as mistakes are often made when team members are under pressure. Also, ask your provider for assistance; they are unlikely to charge you for work that, as experts, takes them no time at all but can take you hours to complete.