Re: [ARSCLIST] CD-ROM marking pens

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Mike:

I didn't write that part you quoted. I think Tom Diamant did.

My worst gaffe with the data side was applying labels the wrong way to 7
discs (one batch) from the duper at work. It was for a conference transcript
CD and I got two angry calls within 10 minutes of each other. I figured I
had really f'd up something but asked the second caller, who was less
hostile than the first, to send me back the disc. He did and I very quickly
spotted the error of my ways. Since we only heard from 5 people, I figured
it must have been only one batch so we didn't re-send the whole 300
conference attendees. Never heard from those other two folks. The very pale
green dye of the ultra-cheapo silvers makes it hard to tell the difference
in dim light or if you're in a hurry. Lesson learned from that is don't rush
even though applying the labels is super-boring work.

As far as accidentally writing with a Sharpie on the data side, it seems
like that would be no big deal as long as one didn't scratch the plastic
removing the ink. I'd think the pastic over the dye is much thicker and less
likely to leach anything than the foil and coating over the top of the dye,
but maybe that's not so.

All this Sharpie talk got me curious, so I dug out the oldest Sharpie-marked
CD I could find, which happened to be the first LP transfer I ever did, back
in 1998. It was burned to a Fuji 4x 74-minute CDR. It played just fine,
couldn't tell any difference from the WAV files that still live on my
storage hard drive. Then I found a cheapo generic-silver early 80-minute
CDR. It played just fine and disc in the same folder with the WAV files
worked just fine too. These were from late 1999.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Richter" <mrichter@xxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] CD-ROM marking pens


> Tom wrote:
>
> > However, for personal, casual, use I use a sharpie all the time and
never
> > have experienced any problems. Once I wrote on the recorded, burned,
side by
> > mistake and cleaned it off with isopropyl alcohol. It came right off and
> > I've been listening to that disc for a couple of years with no problem.
>
> The durability of the lower, polycarbonate surface is not in question.
> The issue is with the acrylic lacquer on the top surface. Most discs
> have an overcoating of more durable plastic above the lacquer; they are
> reasonably resistant to the solvents and may be written with a Sharpie
> without damage. Those without the overcoating are vulnerable and have
> been reported to have failed over time.
>
> My own policy is that where I have assurance of an overcoating -
> typically, printing on the top or an obvious layer above the lacquer - I
> grab a Sharpie and have little fear (and no problems in some thousands
> written this way). Where I'm uncertain - espeically when a moire pattern
> is visible - I use a water-based marker with India ink.
>
> Writing in the clear center area is safe, of course, but my printing is
> hard enough to read in full size.
>
> Mike
> -- 
> mrichter@xxxxxxx
> http://www.mrichter.com/