How do thermal disc printers work?

A: There are a couple of different ways that thermal disc printers work, both of which involve the use of a fixed print head and a polyester ribbon coated with ink:

1. As a disc and the print ribbon are forced under the print head, tiny pixels are heated and cooled to melt the ink off of the polyester film.
2. Thermal retransfer printers use the same basic steps but, instead of printing directly to the disc, the image is printed on the underside of a retransfer ribbon. The retransfer ribbon is then fused with the disc. This method will help cover any irregularities that may be on the disc surface and provides additional UV protection to your disc art.

Polyline has just added Rimage thermal printers and publishers to our disc publishing product line. We're still working on the marketing materials, but feel free to call us at 1-877-807-8095 to ask about the Rimage line.

What should church CD labels look like?

The best advice I can give you is to make sure you include important information about your church (street address, worship times, phone number, Web address) right on the disc label. The sad truth is that CD packaging gets lost. The CD is sometimes passed to friends and acquaintances without the original packaging. So, if you don't have that important info on the disc, the person listening to your CD may not know how to reach you.

Besides that, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of options available to you. Some churches choose to include a picture of their pastor on the label. Others choose to use an image of the church building or worshippers. Still others choose a more symbolic representation of their services: candles or praying hands.

An excellent resource of inspiration or feedback of your designs is the Church Marketing Lab on Flickr. The Church Marketing Lab grew out of the peer review section from the blog Church Marketing Sucks and is organized by the nonprofit Center for Church Communication.

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Can my LightScribe laptop really print CDs?

Q: I learned why paper labels are not a good idea, and want to learn how to print directly on the CD. Can my LightScribe laptop really print CDs? Where do you put the ink in? Are other systems better?

A: Yes, your LightScribe enabled lap top really can print CDs. The LightScribe doesn't use ink but instead uses its laser to "etch" a design into a special, dye coating on the label side of a LightScribe disc.

LightScribe discs are printed in grayscale, like a black and white photo. Because many new laptops and desk top computers come with a LightScribe burner built in, this is a great solution for a business or individual who is burning only one or two discs a day, but still needs to create a disc with a polished and professional look.

The Pros:

• If you are printing low volumes, you don't need to worry about purchasing ink refills and related pains.
• Many new computer systems come with LightScribe built in.
• Creates professional looking discs.