For speedy copying of discs our short run CD duplication services are the ideal solution. Short runs of 50 to 500 discs can be achieved in just 1 day. This service is available for both CD and DVD and is perfect when the fastest leadtimes are required. Achieving customers tight deadlines is our speciality and short run CD/DVD duplication certainly makes sure almost all these deadlines can usually be met.

Short runs of duplicated CD’s can be achieved quickly using our automated duplication machines with built in multiple CD burners. Digital information including audio, video or general data can be burnt to these multiple drives in a very similar way to how you burn a disc on your home PC or laptop. Due to the multiple writers and robotics of our duplication machinery high output of discs is possible in very little time.

There is virtually no set up time involved for these duplicated discs. As long as the customer supplies an error free CD or DVD master then that disc is fed into our machines, archived and then the required amount of copies are burnt. Very simple but very fast and efficient with a run of 50 discs being possible in just 1 hour.

Artwork set up is also very quick if customers supply the disc artwork to our required specifications. All artwork requirements can be found on the Testa-Rossa website. If we receive the CD/DVD artwork as a print ready PDF then again this file can be fed directly to our CD thermal printers and the discs printed very quickly. Our top of the range digital thermal printers are also automated with robotics and require very little human assistance in the print process.

So when looking for a professionally duplicated and printed disc the short run services Testa-Rossa offer are certainly the best available in the UK. As a bonus we also offer lowest prices and the fastest leadtimes possible for these required short runs.

So, you have a really tight deadline and are wondering if it is possible to supply a .wav file for CD duplication by email?

The answer to this is yes in theory, but it may not necessary speed up the order process. It is possible to email a .wav file if both the recipients and senders email accounts allow for that particular size of attachment. If the file exceeds this permissible size then the other option is to use the Testa-Rossa “you send it” dropbox. If you wish to supply .wavs for CD duplication by “you send it” please send us an email to request the dropbox link.

To proceed with an order using electronically transferred .wav files it is necessary to download the files and then produce a PMCD master. To produce this CD master there is normally a charge of approximately £25 + £1 per .wav file. For instance a master requiring 10 .wav files to be added would cost £35 to produce. During the production of this master it is also possible to add extra information such as CD text and ISRC codes.

Once the PMCD master has been burnt it is essential to post a copy of this master to the customer for approval. Due to the source .wav files being transferred electronically the best way to check for integrity is for the customer to listen to the CD master. During the creation of the master a disc read check will also be run to check for any read errors on the disc. These double checks of read errors and listening test will give the customer peace of mind that the duplicated CD’s will perform exactly as intended.

All our CD duplication prices are available online at our Testa-Rossa website. Our UK low prices start from just £47 for 50 CD’s duplicated and printed. CD and DVD duplication with full colour gloss print prices start from as little as £60 for 50 copies. Have a browse through the website and we are sure you will find all required details on low pricing and how to submit an order.

For the quality of service Testa-Rossa provide we believe our prices are the lowest in the UK for CD and DVD duplication as well as CD or DVD replication. Cheap duplication services using cheap discs are offered by other companies but at Testa-Rossa we offer very high quality discs with outstanding quality print at very low UK pricing.

One of our lowest price replication offers is the glass mastering and pressing of CD or DVD with full colour print supplied on spindles. This cost effective solution provides the customer with high quality factory pressed discs at a very cheap price. Our customers can then choose to package the discs themselves and save some money on packaging charges.

If you are looking to keep prices as low as possible but still need the discs supplying in some form of packaging then we would recommend the simple clear plastic wallet. Your CD’s or DVD’s will be delivered already pre-packed into these clear plastic sleeves and ready for distribution.

One of the best value packaging options for CD duplication is the 5″ printed card wallet. This printed wallet is the type of packaging product you will find with Sunday newspaper CD and DVD giveaways. The product is usually made from 190GSM card board and is printed using an extremely high quality offset litho printing press process.

Due to the initial set up cost of manufacturing these wallets the product is considered to be cost effective from 500 units upwards. The card wallet is therefore more widely used with replication rather than DVD or CD duplication of smaller quantities. At very high quantities of 20,000 and over this printed packaging is even cheaper than a basic clear plastic wallet and can even be printed on a slightly more economical grade of board.

The size of a card wallet is usually quoted as 5″ square but more accurately the dimensions are 124mm by 124mm. The size of this wallet means that CD, DVD or blu-ray can easily be accommodated. It is extremely important that the wallet is manufactured to this exact 124mm square dimensions so that the disc fits perfectly in the wallet. If the wallet is too small then problems can occur during machine packing. If the wallet is too large the disc can easily fall out of the wallet during distribution or handling.

Artwork for a printed card wallet should be submitted on a CTP template, in CMYK colour and with image resolution of at least 300 pixel per inch. It is also wide to submit artwork with all text as vector information or outlines rather than rendering text down to pixel information. Another issue to check is that no artwork covers the “glue flap” area of the artwork as this can lead to failure of the print finishing if the glue cannot adhere to the printed area of card.

Our CD duplication services offer a full range of the ever popular digipack style of packaging. CD replication in a digipack starts from as little as 300 units but price per unit is much more cost effective once an order for 1000 or more units is placed.

All the digipack products that Testa-Rossa offer are very high quality offset litho printed onto 455 mcn white backed board. This is exactly the same quality that you will see in your local high street music store. There are some cheaper sub standard digipack style alternatives on the market but at Testa-Rossa we only use high quality print suppliers for our digipacks.

Standard digipacks start with a 4PP version, this features 4 panel printed full colour with a choice of a clear or black tray. A clear tray allows the artwork of inside right panel to be visible whereas using a black tray means there is usually no need for artwork on the inside right panel as it would not be visible under the tray.

There are many upgrades available for our digipacks. One of the most popular upgrades is a digipack with booklet slit or booklet pouch. This slit or pouch can accommodate standard sized CD booklet from 4 printed page up to 32 printed page. Other upgrades include extra panels and trays, some of the most popular are listed below

• 4PP digipack with 2 trays
• 6PP digipack with single tray
• 6PP digipack with double tray
• 8PP digipack with single tray
• 8PP digipack with double tray
• Gatefold 8PP digipack with double tray

It is essential that we receive approval of all artwork PDF files prior to CD duplication production or manufacture. Once we have processed a customer’s artwork we will always email the final PDF that has been prepared for print. This is the actual PDF file that will directly be used for printing so it is important that the customers checks all aspects of the file before giving email approval.

Elements to check for include:

• Text spelling and punctuation
• Correct fonts
• Alignment of artwork
• Page numbers
• Colours
• Overprint settings

Also, especially when approving multi page booklets be sure to scroll through all pages of the PDF. We often receive emails from customers who think there are pages missing from their artwork when it is just a simple mistake of not correctly scrolling through the pages of the PDF file.

When giving approval of any PDF’s for booklet, inlay, CD or DVD printing it is important to understand that a PDF viewed on a RGB computer monitor can never be an exact colour match for the final printed matter. The main reason for this is that computer monitors use a RGB colour system whereas commercial print is a CMYK colour process.

For critical colour proofing of artwork we can obtain colour calibrated hard copy proofs from our print suppliers. These colour proofs provide the great colour accuracy between proof and final print.

One essential part of the CD duplication process is the checking of masters for any errors. At Testa-Rossa we run a disc check on all masters received using Plextools. This analysis software checks the CD master for any read errors, ideally we need the errors to be zero. Read errors are usually the result of a badly prepared master, poor CD-R media or a damaged disc.

To eliminate or reduce the risk of disc read errors we always advise clients to use as high quality CD-R as possible. If your master is for duplication of CD audio then we would recommend using a high quality audio specific CD-R such as Sony or HHB. Always avoid burning the master at the maximum speed your burner allows, usually x2 or x4 burning speed is a good starting point. When your master is ready please ensure that the underneath is not scratched or marked as this can contribute towards disc errors.

CD duplication or replication in time for Christmas seems to be a popular enquiry in November. As usual at this time of year some of our customers may be a little behind with production of CD masters and artwork. Unfortunately due to high demand our CD duplication and replication services can take slightly longer on the approach to Christmas. Therefore when customers ask if turnaround can be achieved any faster the answer is quite often “no, sorry”.

Of course though CD or DVD duplication is a faster production technique so for some orders our customers may have to choose duplication in order to receive the discs for their deadline. Duplication of a disc can be achieved in just a day compared to replication which is 7 days minimum. If you are seeking replication of a CD album with packaging and printed parts then the manufacture will take at least 10 days. If Christmas deadlines are looming and you need the discs faster then the option of CD duplication can reduce this manufacture time.

Even with our CD duplication package prices in most cases the printed parts are still offset litho printed. So even though you may be opting for a faster duplicated disc you will still benefit from very high quality litho printed booklets and inlays. This combination of duplicated CD’s with offset litho printing for the paper parts gives a very high quality, professional end product.

Another common question we are asked by telephone is how to submit a CD duplication order. The way in which an order for CD duplication or replication is submitted can affect how quickly the order is processed and consequently the turnaround time. If an order is submitted with all production parts clearly labelled and to correct specification then this makes our job of processing run a little smoother and quicker.

It is also important to supply a purchase order, covering letter or one of our downloadable order forms. For each CD duplication order it is important that all the following information is provided:

• Address for invoice.
• Delivery address.
• Delivery contact telephone number.
• Email address.
• Order specifications.
• Quantity.
• Choice of proofing – hard copy or email PDF.
• Any email correspondence offering prices or estimate.
• Any specific deadline.
• Additional mastering requirements.

All of the above information should be provided together with production parts usually consisting of:

• CD or DVD master disc, please supply in as high quality format as possible.
• Artwork disc, please ensure all artwork files are supplied to required specifications
• Hard copy printed content proofs if available.

If we receive a CD duplication or CD replication order that consists of suitable production parts and all the information listed in this article then it is usually possible to process within a couple of hours. Once the order is raised on our system one of our customer services representatives will email over a pro forma invoice and soft copy proofs usually in PDF format.

When submitting CD duplication orders one of the main errors that we come across is when artwork is supplied in RGB colour. For CD duplication printing artwork always needs to be submitted in CMYK colour. The only exception to this rule is when the disc needs to be printed spot colour pantone. Artwork for CD booklets, inlays and printed card wallets always has to be CMYK. We estimate that approx 25% of orders are submitted using the incorrect RGB colour mode. Submitting artwork in the incorrect format will inevitably lead to delays in the order being processed and possible additional reprographics charges.

RGB colour is a mode used by computer monitors and TVs, it is not a suitable colour mode for commercial printing. Commercial offset litho print uses the CMYK process where any colour can be made from combining Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks. It is not possible to print from a RGB artwork file. Customers should always ensure that they are working in the correct CMYK mode within their chosen graphics or artwork application. It is not always possible to simply convert a RGB file to CMYK without opening the artwork in the original application it was created in, therefore it is important to always check you are in the correct colour mode before progressing with designs.

When customers supply artwork in RGB colour it is just not possible to proceed with the print order. Any RGB artwork will need to be re-supplied in CMYK as our printers will reject all RGB files and charge for re-supply. Testa-Rossa will always check for RGB content and give our customers chance to rectify and avoid these extra print re-supply charges. To avoid delays and potential extra charges always be sure to work in CMYK.