Victoria & Travis write:
My question is where do you get the disk that you give to your clients? We don’t give away high resolution disc, only web quality, but we get the disk from the local office max, they are blank, and we write the customers name on it with a sharpie. Considering our new Nikon D700, new website and blog, and other new purchases we have made to improve our image we are very embarrassed by still handing out the sharpie written blank office mask
disk, HELP!!!
Dear Victoria & Travis,
You should be embarrassed. We are only as strong as our weakest link. It sounds like you’ve got some good stuff going, good gear, new website & blog & other new things that are helping to improve your image, and then you deliver the final product in a crumpled up paper sack. You know?
Don’t fret (and I’m done hammering on you) – you’re headed in the right direction. If you are buying the blank disks that are WHITE, you should see that on the label it says “Printable DVD/CD.” That should give you a little clue.
The obvious secret to this is that there are printers designed to print directly onto these disks. You can even make custom labels and graphics.
I recommend the Epson brand of printers and what you want to look for is one with the feature called direct CD/DVD printing. They don’t make the model anymore that I have, but here is a link to the Epson site section for the printers with this capability: http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/CDLanding.jsp
I’ll talk more about this in a day or so with an in-depth look at how I package my digital files.
I’m with Sara. TIME CONSUMING. I was using the lightscribe method and my writer stopped working so I started printing cd labels and pasting them on the discs. I need a LOT of time saving tips. Being the only one running the business and only being “part time” (is there really such a thing? because I still work more than 40 hrs a week), my to-do list is miles long, stressful, and there never seems to be enough time in the day. Yes, I know…go back to previous blog entry 😉 LMW!! (Love My Wootness!!)
Thank you! I have been hand making my packaging and while it is crafty…its time consuming…
I have the Epson Artisan 835 All In One. I LOVE this printer. It features the direct CD/DVD printing as well as the ability to fax. If you’re serious about this business-owner thing *grin*, I highly recommend being able to fax things. I’ve used it countless times for business use, and several times for personal use! On a side note, there have been several times at my day job (one hour photo lab) that I have had to ask customers for releases from photographers. (They’ve forgotten the release at home or something similar.) In the 4 years I have worked there, I have only had a small handful of photographers who have been able to fax things to the store. So, think of it as being able to offer another service to your clients!
I currently use lightscribe disks with an image, and design a case using a print. They look nice, but still not the quality you can get if you order custom disks & cases from a lab. I am not at a point I want to add $30 to the price of a disk, so this works good at the moment.