Re: [ARSCLIST] Fact or fiction: Sharpies damage cd-r?

[Mike Richter <mrichter@xxxxxxx>]

P.O. Box Center wrote:

> So is the writer just copying the press release from the company that makes
> the "special" markers or is there actually some evidence that certain kinds
> of markers damage cd's and others don't?
>
> I have not noticed any playback problems on cd-r's that I labelled with
> sharpies, but then again, I have not been engaging in that practice for 
> long
> enough to make a controlled comparison between non-labelled and sharpie
> labeled cd-rs, much less test this product which I haven't bought.  Anyone
> have any pertinent experience or data?

This is a *very* old story. It was addressed in the primer at my WWW 
site when the first pages were created nearly a decade ago.

Solvent-based markers such as the Sharpie are known to have destroyed 
CDs by etching through the acrylic lacquer top coating. Water-based pens 
and discs with a less vulnerable overcoating are not known to fail 
grossly, but Media Sciences ( http://www.mscience.com ) reports reliably 
that they have measured degradation when even water-based inks are used 
on overcoated discs. However, in all fairness, it is necessary to add 
that Jerry can measure phenomena well below the threshold for practical 
effect.

A cautious archivist (are there any others?) will use a water-based ink 
and mark a code in the central area of the disc where no recording 
occurs. That code would serve as an index to the information others 
might write on the disc itself. As a serious recordist but by no means 
an archivist, I use water-based pens and preferably ink-jet printable 
blanks. While I've used the pens sold by TDK and others, I prefer one 
from my local art-supply store: Faber-Castell PITT artist pen B. (The B 
is for a brush tip which lends a certain flair to the text.)

Before closing, the risk with ball-point pen is dramatically greater 
since the nib can easily scrape through the acrylic coat and 
mechanically scribe the metallizing. Where the solvent danger occurs 
over time, the ball-point pen is capable of instant destruction.

Mike
--
mrichter@xxxxxxx
http://www.mrichter.com/