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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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The FAQ Page is designed to help you fully understand questions you may have, such as the difference between replication and duplication. Also, the FAQ page will go step-by-step to explain certain things, such as autorun. In addition, the FAQ page will also help you with possible problems or errors you may have.
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Table of Contents:
1.Introduction
2.Contents of the CD/DVD
3.Artwork
4.Other Questions
1. Introduction
What is the difference between duplication and replication?
Duplication is used for quantities of less than 500 CD's or DVD's. Duplication is done by burning the data onto the disc. Replication is done with quantities 500 and over. Duplication can be done at home or in the office.
As mentioned earlier, replication is done with quantites 500 and over. Replication is the process of making CD's or DVD's with a glass stamper (or mold). It is done in a high temperatures, and in a dust-controlled environment. Replicated discs usually have artwork printed onto the disc using silkscreen or offset printing methods.
What's the difference between silkscreen and offset printing?
Silkscreen printing allows room for up to 5 different single colors, or up to all echa of the CMYK. On the other hand, offset printing allows room for intricate, full-color designs, crisp text, and skin tones. For simpler designs, use silkscreen, otherwise, use offset printing.
What are all the formats we offer?
We offer the following formats:
| Type |
Capacity |
| Regular CD |
650MB |
| CD-R |
700GB |
| DVD Video |
4.7GB |
| DVD-R |
4.7GB |
| Business Card CD |
50MB |
| Business Card CD-R |
50MB |
| Business Card DVD Video |
360MB |
| Business Card DVD-R |
360MB |
What about other types of media, such as Bluray or the Video CD (VCD)?
Yes, we can contact our suppliers and do Bluray or the VCD. Please email info@spell.com for a custom quote.
| 2. Contents of the CD/DVD:
How do I autorun CD-ROM's on my computer?
To autorun a CD-ROM, you first need to create a file call "autorun.inf" in the root directory of the CD-ROM. You can create the file with text editors like Notepad.
Make sure to put " " around the file name when you save it so the file is "autorun.inf", not "autorun.inf.txt".
The file really needs to be two or three lines long:
[autorun]
open=program_to_be_run.exe
icon=icon_to_be_shown.ico
Having an icon is optional, but of course the program isn't. Only self-executable files will work with this. Replace "program_to_be_run.exe" with your own program and "icon_to_be_shown.ico" with your own icon. See what you get.
The lines above only work if you have a self-executable file.
If you try to place in "open=index.html" won't work since it can't be open by itself.
How do I autorun an HTML file?
To autorun a HTML file, you can use our Program Starter here to help you out.
After you have unzipped the file, copy the startpgm.exe to the root directory of your CD-ROM
and then replace program_to_be_run.exe with startpgm.exe and the webpage you need to autorun. The example below will use index.html as the example. Your autorun.inf will look like:
[autorun]
open=startpgm.exe index.html
The default program that opens up HTML will be used. If Firefox or Netscape is your default HTML browser, the CD will display the HTML in one of these browsers.
How do I autorun an Video file?
If you are a Macromedia Flash or Director guru, then there's an easy way. If you're not, no problem. There are two methods. The first way of is to make a projector file from Flash or Director.
The simple autorun command (in the question How do I autorun CD-ROM's on my computer?) will work, because a projector file is a self-executable.
The other method is to start the video by itself. There are many formats to pick from. Videos are usually easily identified by their file extension. The most common are: .MPG, .MOV, .WMV, .ASF, .RM, and .DAT.
For MPG, WMV, and ASF you can use Windows Media Player to play the video by using startpgm.exe (in question How do I autorun an HTML file?).
For MPG, WMV, and ASF just using Windows Media Player will work since it is preinstalled onto PCs. However, for .MOV, QuickTIme is the most commonly used player.
QuickTime isn't on everyone's computer, though. Using startpgm.exe is ok if the user already has QuickTime installed, but you don't know that. The best way is to ask the user and then quit the program
if QuickTime is not on their computer. Two other ways are to convert QuickTime videos into Media Player videos, and to embed the QuickTime video into a Flash or Director projector.
Why does my DVD-R work on one DVD player but not on another?
This is a common problem. Usually one disc doesn't play on different DVD players because the players were manufactured under different tolerances. The high-end DVD players
follow the Phillips standard and they reject discs with poorly encoded video content or poor disc quality. However, the low end $30-$50 players can skip through bad content or tracks.
An oddity with low end players is that they are usually region free, so therefore they can play both NTSC and PAL discs.
There are a few ways to ensure your disc is more compatable:
1.Use high-quality DVD-R such as Taiyo Yuden, Ritek, Prodisc, etc. We always duplicate your discs with either the Taiyo Yuden or Ritek brand so that you don't have this problem.
2.Burn the disc at the optimal setting of the DVD burner. Burning the disc slower than the optimal speed won't help.
3.Make sure you author the content properly.
How do I send in my content to be replicated?
There are two options: by sending in your discs or electronically.
The first option is to send your content on a disc to us. Sending your content electronically is a bit more complex:
When you send your content electronically, via FTP, you should make a CD image and then zip the file to make it smaller.
If you use the ISO CD image, then it may get treated as a zip file instead of a CD image.
The reason? Because if compression software, such as WinRaR, is installed, WinRaR will treat it as a zip file, instead of a CD image.
For this reason, you should send your image as NERO instead of ISO. Sending in your image as ISO isn't the end of the world, but it does make things more complicated.
Another problem is with the Volume Labels. When you zip the file, the volume labels get messed up.
If you really have to zip the NERO or ISO image, please tell us what the volume label is so you will be sure to have the right volume label on your discs.
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3. Artwork |
What does CYMK stand for?
CYMK stands for Cyan-Yellow-Magenta-Black. CYMK is often called four-color printing. If your artwork is in any other mode, you need to change it to CYMK mode. If you are converting your artwork from RGB to CYMK, the blue color will definitely have a noticeable change when you convert.
In general, make sure to touch up your artwork if you have converted to CYMK from something else.
Why do I need my artwork in CYMK mode?
When artwork is in CMYK mode, making the film that is required for the printing becomes easier. It is the standard when it comes to full-color printing.
Usually there is minimal difference converting between RGB and CYMK mode. However, the contrast and brightness of the original picture might be distored. Also watch out for the color blue. When you change to CYMK, the color blue is almost always noticeably different.
How do I design my artwork so it prints out with good quality?
Using programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or Quark will help you edit your artwork. Use the artwork template to help you get the dimensions right. Make sure your artwork must be 300dpi and in CYMK mode.
Once your artwork looks good at 300dpi, send it in by either mail or electronically.
How do I send in my artwork to be replicated?
The short answer: either by mail or electronically. If you want to send in your artwork by mail, just place your artwork on a disc and send it to us. If you want to do it electronically, use www.yousendit.com to send your artwork to info@spell.com.
To see the specifications for the artwork of individual products, go to the left and click on the product you want to see and scroll down to the bottom.
The templates, sizing, and submission of the artwork is included there.
Can I specify exactly what colors I want on my artwork?
Use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) to make sure you get the specific colors you want. Printers and designers all over the world use Pantone numbers. The Pantone Matching System is the worldwide standard.
What is bleed and why does some artwork need it?
Bleed is artwork that extends beyond the wanted physical size. The only products that need it are products that requiring cutting or trimming
to a specific size. For example, the business card CD is cut out of a regular size CD. If you were to create artwork just to fit the disc, then the
cutting tool may create a white border along the edge. However, by having bleed, then the tolerance of the cutting tool won't effect your artwork.
What artwork needs bleed?
| Type |
Bleed |
| Regular CD |
no |
| CD-R |
no |
| DVD Video |
no |
| DVD-R |
no |
| Business Card CD |
yes |
| Business Card CD-R |
yes |
| Business Card DVD Video |
yes |
| Business Card DVD-R |
yes |
| DVD Case Entrapment |
yes |
| Jewel Case Inserts/Traycard |
yes |
| Cardboard Sleeve |
yes |
| 4. Other Questions: |
How do I prevent people from copying my work?
Sadly, there is no way to truely prevent this. People will always find ways to copy your work. On the Internet, there is software available to pirate your work. However, if you Google "cd copy protection," you will get suggestions to prevent the average person from pirating your work.
Can I get some sequential numbering on my CD or DVD?
Yes, you can! Just provide us with the algorithm on how to generate the numbers.
How do I get a barcode for my CD or DVD?
The Uniform Code Council (UCC) has an online membership application form so you to apply for your barcode. It costs about $750 for membership, no matter how many barcodes you need. If you don't want to pay for membership, or if you want a single barcode, you can get them from opportunists. Your barcode from an opportunist might be the same as another person's (the opportunist might have recycled the barcodes). Remember these barcodes are illegitimate. We strongly suggest you go to the UCC and get your barcode the right way!
If you have any questions that have not been answered, please email info@spell.com. Thank you.
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