During our Session meeting last night, we discussed (among other things) our current tape ministry. We have made the move from cassette tapes to mp3 based recordings. But there was some discussion about how the labels will be affixed to the CDs. Apparently, some older CD players don’t work well with paper labels. So, one man mentioned the possibility of purchasing an HP inkjet printer which would allow us to print directly to the surface of each CD. We may go that direction, but a recent experience urged me to offer another idea.

My father just bought a new computer at MicroCenter (I think). The system is pretty high end and seemed like a good deal for the money invested. But one of the most interesting features is the Light Scribe DVD/RW drive. If you are unfamiliar with this technology, you should read this article and watch the short flash video. The drive itself has the capability of etching onto one side of your DVD or CDR a monochrome image of your label. It even allows for pictures. What a deal! I was pretty excited about this idea as I pay someone else to produce my story CDs. So, for the past half hour, I have been investigating the seemingly perfect solution to our church’s need.

Then I read this article.

Yep, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Sure, it makes a nice image on the CD, but if it takes 18 to 28 minutes to do it, that’s not a very efficient use of time. If we were to get an order for 10 CDs, that would take a minimum of three hours just for labeling! Yikes! Perhaps the printable CDs are the better option? Anybody have any experience with this?