The answers to everything duplication blog

Macrovision Ripguard protects most burning and decrypting made from a computer, it prevents the ripping of content from the original DVD.

Setting up the DVD master is a little bit tricky. First, your authoring software need to support a DLT drive, because the content will be written and submitted in a DLT format. The DLT will then be embedded with RipGuard encryption, and lastly be uesd for replication.
We suggest replicated check discs on all RipGuard titles because there is additional content/information added to the master, and at times, depending on the machine or the authoring, it could affect the playability of the DVD.
Costs to consider are RipGuard embedding, and the royalty charge per disc to Macrovision.

Macrovision ACP copy protection prevents and distorts copies made with an analog device such as VCR, DVD recorder or other analog recording devices.

The protection needs to be enabled, or “flagged” during the authoring stage and the authoring software should support Macrovision ACP Type II. The content can either be written to a DLT, or exported as a DDP 2.0 file format then burned as a DVD-Rom.

A replication check disc is “pressed” with the actual replication press, and it is created with the same glass master that will be use to press the rest of the project.

It is the only safe way to proof a replicated CD/DVD, because all the CD-R or DVD-R that we can create from computer & recorder are “burned”, especially if you are concern with the layer break of a DVD-9 project

One of the biggest challenge in a replication/duplication project is making sure the artwork looks as good as it can be. It sounds straight forward but color proofing is a beast.

A few reasons to complicate matters: our monitors, most monitors are non-calibrated so colors will vary from one to the other. Therefore our pdf proof is meant for type, position and image proofing only, not for color proofing. We should not fully trust our office machine to reflect how our piece is going to look. Each printer is calibrated differently, the same piece will look different from one printer to the other.

One might ask, how do we ever get the right color? First off, if colors are important, always request a hard copy proof. It lets you look at your piece on paper, rather than the monitor, so you make the right judgement. It’ll also show how the press is going to interpret the colors in the piece. Furthermore, consider Pantone colors if there are strict color rules you have to follow. Pantone color printing usually increases the cost of printing in booklets, trays and digipaks.

Lastly - have the right expectations, in reality, each time the press prints there will be a small variation, even with the same piece.

We recently did a job where the client requested 2 different finishes of silver. It is very simple but gives a very interesting effect. The job was done in 2 color silkscreen with matte varnish.

To give the silkscreen colors a bit of a pop, we added a special white mask underneath them, the result can be seen here.

The way to set this up is simple; the areas that need varnish will be given a distinctive pantone (PMS) color. Vector art is preferred.

Thermal print is the technology we used on short-run CDs or DVDs (< 500 discs). It utilizes dye-sublimation method to print directly onto the disc face, thus no labels, to achieve highest photolistic print quality for short run discs today. The print is UV stable, and the printable area goes all the way into the center of the disc.

For large run CD replication or DVD replication, offset or silkscreen printing will be used instead.

This question come up all the time from customers, and I usually ask them 2 questions. What is the quantity needed? How soon do you need them?

Duplication is a “burn” disc from either a CD-R or DVD-R, the turnaround time is faster than replication, and on an extreme case we can push to get 500 done in a day. However, the cost per unit is higher once you break the 500 quantity mark. Duplication doesn’t have any minimum and can be done as low as 1 copy.

Replication is a “press” disc from our big machines, there are a few big machines involved for a replication job. The usual turnaround time is 10-12 business days. Replication has a lower per unit cost, because once the machine is set up we will just let it run (takes about 3 seconds to do a disc). If you are doing 500 more and can wait for 2 weeks you should consider replication.

DVDs can be region coded so that a US made DVD cannot be played in Asia, Europe etc. There are currently 6 regions, such codes are established to allow titles to be distributed in different parts of the world at different times.

This is a good option if you plan to have a release for North America, and another release for the same title in Europe or Asia countries. So people can only purchase the DVD that is made for that region

The region code needs to be added at the authoring stage, and cannot be apply afterwards

The region codes are:

1: U.S., Canada, U.S. Territories
2: Japan, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East (including Egypt)
3: Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong)
4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean
5: Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Union), Indian subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and Mongolia
6: China

We accept a variety of formats: pdf, psd, ai, eps, tiff, indd, jpg. Of course, some file formats are preferred over the others, but our graphics department will look over the file and notify you if there are any significant problems.

A good rule of thumb is to go with an uncompressed format, jpg, gif or bmp are usually compressed and will degrade the quality of photos and images.

A graphic / artwork template shows the size and folds of a printed piece. It is usually in the form of pdf, eps or psd. If you are just starting out with the design, download the template and use it as a guide. If you have already completed the design with another company’s template, no worries, sizes between companies are usually very similar. Our prepress department will notify you if there is any significant discrepencies. Make sure there is enough bleed beyond the trim line.