Follow This Sage Advise to Best Assure Print Outcome

Printing on discs results in different outcomes than printing on paper or board stock, which is important to remember especially when the themes on the disc is identical to the packaging. Disk imprinting results that are close to the actual colors of the art are generally accepted as fine.

Color Fact #1: Color matching is an art, an approximation. If you care about color outcome, you will want to add some time and spend a little money to get your colors verified before printing.

Color Fact #2: Your computer screen and prinitouts may show accurate colors, but almost certainly do not. These are usually misleading indicators of the true colors in your files. The printing industry prints the true colors using industry calibrated presses. There is little to no room to adjust colors on press, so get your files right and proof them with proofessional proofs.

Proofing for Replication:

Color Proofing - Risky/Popular (free/fast): Use only a PDF proof of disc imprint and packaging (your print samples as proofs are helpful only with a lot of luck). PDF proofing for disc imprint is the accepted standard. Skipping the hard copy proof for print packaging is risky, but becoming more common to help expedite.

Color Proofing - Safe/Popular ($/normal): Hard copy proofs of packaging (most cost about $45). Expetation that imprint colors will be pretty close to the art and look professional. Given plenty of extra time, completing print packaging and using a sample at press during imprinting to try to steer the colors toward the packaging is idea (can add about 2-5 working days).

Color Proofing - Best/Infreequent ($$$/extra time): Hard copy proofs of disc imprint and packaging (most cost about $45) followed by an imprint sample for the disc ($125) and inspection of print packaging before assembly (free) or press checks for either (usually larger runs 10,000+)