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What is the difference between CD replication, CD duplication and CD burning?
What is the difference between a CD and a CD-ROM (and DVD and DVD-ROM)?
What is the difference between a CD-ROM and a CD-R?
How do I get CDs or DVDs with my artwork printed on the disc surface?
What is the difference between 4-color printing and full-color printing?
What types of computers will Mini CDs and other Shaped CDs work on?
What is a CD Master? How is that different from a Glass Master?
What is the difference between “Cut” discs and “Molded” discs?
How long will my order take to process?
Which Promotional CD should I choose and what do I need to consider when making my decision?
Can I put video onto a CD or do I need to use a DVD?
Can I put video and music onto the same CD or do I need to use both a CD & DVD?
How many minutes of video will fit on a CD?

What is the difference between CD replication, CD duplication and CD burning?
These terms mean essentially the same thing in that they involve the transfer of data onto a CD; the words are often used interchangeably, although the end result is quite different. Some companies refer to smaller CD production (less than 1,000) runs as either “duplication” or “burning” while larger runs (1,000+) are typically called “replication.” However, technically, the replication process is very different from the duplication or burning process.

CD-ROM REPLICATION
CD Replication involves the process of creating a glass master, creating stampers from the master, and extruding a polycarbonate substrate (or uncoated disc) from the stamper and lacquer finishing a CD. Replication is the standard production process used to make mass quantities of CD's. A "glass master" of your information is made which in turn produces "stampers" which are used for injection molding the information into a CD. The CD information is then metalized by a layer of aluminum. It is then lacquered, silk-screened with a decorative pattern, and ultimately packaged. This is the service offered by OneDisc.com.

CD-R DUPLICATION (AKA CD Burning)
CD Duplication is the process of duplicating data onto an existing pre-made disc. CD duplication is done by a master file and burning a CD-R, much like you would accomplish on your home computer. Your information is digitally extracted from your master source (usually a CD-R) and transferred to the blank CD-Rs. Your information is verified and the CD then accepted or rejected. This process is usually done only for smaller orders.

What is the difference between a CD and a CD-ROM (and DVD and DVD-ROM)?
A CD-ROM is simply a more technical name for a CD. The same is true for a DVD / DVD-ROM.

What is the difference between a CD-ROM and a CD-R?
“ ROM” means Read Only Memory, “R” means Recordable. If you want to get discs with no data on them so that you can create your own CDs, then you are looking for CD-Rs. If you want your discs full formatted, you should look for CD-ROMs.

How do I get CDs or DVDs with my artwork printed on the disc surface?
All of the CDs and DVDs produced by OneDisc.com including full color printing of your custom artwork directly onto the disc surface. Many companies use labels which creates a less professional product. For CDs, we use a very high-quality silk screen process. For DVDs (full size and Mini DVD), our standard is full color offset printing, which is the highest level of print quality available. OneDisc’s pricing includes this service at no extra charge. Our prices include all mastering and film charges.

What is the difference between 4-color printing and full-color printing?
Four-color process printing is the standard for offset print full color on paper and DVD’s. It is also known as CMYK (Cyan Magenta, Yeloow and Black). This is not advised for CD-ROMs due to graininess of color images. Solid colors (PMS - Pantone Matching System) should be considered for silk-screening.

What types of computers will Mini CDs and other Shaped CDs work on?
Mini and shaped CDs will work on most horizontal CD drives. They will not work on vertical drives (where the CD-ROM drive is turned on its side) or on slot-loading players (which some computers have and are typical with car CD players). If you want your CD to work in the maximum number of drives, you should choose either the full-size CD or else consider using a CrystalCD™ which holds 180 MB of data, with a clear plastic substrate surrounding the data.

What is a CD Master? How is that different from a Glass Master?
A CD Master holds your CD contents exactly how you want your finished product to function. We ask that you send us this CD Master rather than simply emailing or FTP-ing us your data files, because the Master preserves the structure of the files and how they function in relation to one another. OneDisc.com offers CD professional, streamlined mastering services if you choose not to create your own master.

What is the difference between “Cut” discs and “Molded” discs?
For mini and other “shaped” CDs (basically anything other than a full-size disc), there are two different ways to create these shapes.
- Disc Molding is by far the superior process. Disc molding refers to the injection molding process used in the CD Replication process (See CD Replication above).
- Disc Cutting is basically what it sounds like. The shape is cut down from a full size CD. Problems that accompany the cutting of CDs is that edges can be sharp, and in some extreme cases, small flakes of the CD can come off when the CD is run which contaminates the CD-ROM drive. Overall the finished product is less professional and less durable. We strongly recommend that you go with a molded CD rather than a cut CD.

How long will my order take to process?
Our standard turnaround time is two weeks. Rush service may be available on some products and services for an additional charge. Please call us to discuss your timing.

Which Promotional CD should I choose and what do I need to consider when making my decision?
We have four sizes of CDs, ranging from 30 MB to 650 MB capacity. Your choice of CD will depend on your content and complexity of your CD. If you plan to use video, you will probably need to use either the Mini CD (180 MB) or the Full Size CD (650 MB). If you want your CD to be Macintosh and Windows compatible, you should probably use a full size CD, although if the Macintosh CD reader has a center hub “clip” or horizontal tray, any size will work.

Can I put video onto a CD or do I need to use a DVD?
Many people think that you need to use a DVD in order to use video. You can in fact put video onto a CD-ROM. The video will play on most computers that have either a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM drive. However, if you choose to go with a DVD instead of a CD, the disc will ONLY play on DVD-ROM drives, not CD-ROM drives. Depending on your audience, you will need to decide how you expect that people will use the CD. For most business purposes, and even for many commercial uses, you will probably find it more effective to use a CD since currently more people have CD-ROM drives than DVD-ROM drives.

Can I put video and music onto the same CD or do I need to use a DVD?
You can put video and music on the CD. This type of CD is often referred to as an “Enhanced CD” and is very popular for musicians who would like to include one or two videos along with the full length music CD. Our professionals can create this CD format for you.

How many minutes of video will fit on a CD?
The number of minutes will depend on numerous factors, including the size of the window the video will play in, the video format, and the resolution of the video. We recommend using MPEG1 video format. A general estimate is that one minute of video equates to anywhere from 5 to 10 MB of space. So on a Hockey Rink 50 MB CD, you would be able to fit between 5 and 10 minutes of video, assuming there is nothing else on the disc.