HW: Alan Davey's "Sci-fi-delic" CD-R

[Paul Mather]

Steve writes:

=> Some CD-R's have proven to be highly "degradable" (especially the
=> green-backed ones, from what I've read).  And all of them are delicate
=> on the label side - if the wrong kind of glue is used to stick a label
=> to them, it can eat through the back of the CD and dissolve the data
=> layer.  Apparently CD-RW is much more robust.

Actually, if you read the small print on CD-Rs, you can find out whether
or not they are safe to label.  Most of the ones I buy aren't, and
explicitly tell you not to attach labels of any kind; they can only be
written on with a felt-tipped pen or similar.  If you want to put labels
on CD-Rs, you must make sure you buy ones which can be labelled
(tougher, less corrosive label side).  (Similarly, if you want ones on
which you can print, you have to buy ones that permit you to do that.)
Most manufacturers differentiate between their different types.
Lately, manufacturers like Kodak and TDK have been introducing CD-Rs
which feature a more robust label side (Kodak's "Infoguard" and TDKs
"Certified Plus").

So, it's not a generic weakness of CD-R, just a matter of buying the
right media for the job.

Cheers,

Paul.

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"I didn't mean to take up all your sweet time"
        --- James Marshall Hendrix