Lightscribe Disc Labeling System

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Lightscribe was introduced in the first quarter of 2005 as a new way to label discs without having to rely on external devices. Lightscribe allows the creator to actually burn an image onto the disc without having to run it through a label press of specialty printed stickers or scribble on it with a sharpie.

Introduction

Since the creation of the recordable disc, man has been searching for a way to write the contents of the disc on a label. I don’t know what came first, but for entertainment purposes, I’d say shortly after man found the sharpie permanent marker, he realized he had really lousy handwriting. Again, man did not know what was on his discs. Then man developed stickers that he could send through his printer and apply the sticker to his disc. Although this system freed man from his horrible handwriting, the application of sticker to CD often led to peeling labels and junk CDs. Man strived to find the perfect way to label recorded discs.

Lightscribe is man’s new answer to the problem. But just exactly how does Lightscribe work? Does it allow you to burn the image at the same time as burning the CD or DVD, and how long does the process take? Is it in color? How much more does it cost in order to run this process, and most importantly, is it worth it? Read on, and decide for yourself.

What is Lightscribe and why is it so different?

Lightscribe is a technology that uses a special disc drive, special media, and label making software to burn labels directly onto CDs and DVDs. Label designs are laser etched, not printed, so there’s no ink needed, no smudging and no peeling. Instead, when the laser initiates a chemical change in the disc coating and the end result is the laser-etched label. Labels can be whatever you want them to be. You can write plain old text describing your disc, or add photos to customize it just a little. You could go all-out and scan a copy of your original disc and using the software laser etch that onto the disc for the ultimate label experience!

The major difference in the drives themselves is the addition of a small sensor located close to the spindle, what this sensor does is retrieve the Lightscribe authentication off of the disc, and allows the drive to control the disc during the burn process. While printing a Lightscribe disc, you can actually abort the labeling process and later continue it; as long as your labels are saved in the exact same location, it will start all over again, and burn the images in the same location. This is good in case you add additional files to your disc; you can add the additional files onto the label.

Next: What is needed for burning Lightscribe >>
 

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