10/26/2007 Mac

When you begin

To print your creation, you'll need to be in the Media function. When you first go to the media function you are asked to customize based on for the media you are planning to use. Check which labels or other media you plan to use, and click OK. Note also that any new media supported since product release can be updated here; media definitions are automatically downloaded.

To customize the media list at any time, choose Edit Media List... from the Media pop-up menu.

Calibration

Most printers require calibration in order to print your labels dead-center:

1. Press the Media function button
2. Select your printer from the list under Calibration:
3. Press the Print Page button then hit Print in the sheet that follows
4. Follow the instructions on the printed sheet

• Using a ruler, measure from the Left to the mark and enter the measurement in the field marked Left
• Using a ruler, measure from the Top to the mark and enter the measurement in the field marked Top

DiscLabel maintains calibration settings for each printer.

The default mark calibration is at 20mm from the top and 20mm from the left. A perfect printer will print the mark at exactly those distances. Note that the mark is always printed uncalibrated whatever measurements you enter. Only the labels and the label outlines are printed using the calibrated distances you provide.

Printing

1. Choose the type of label paper you want to use from the Media: pop-up menu
2. Drag your design, or design element in the selected design, from the list on the left to the slot you wish to print
3. Drag from one slot to another to print multiple copies
4. Press Print
5. Set any printer options (such as output quality and output media if printing direct to CD or DVD) in the print sheet that follows and press Print

Note: If you are not a registered user, DEMO: DiscLabel.com will be stamped on your labels. This is so that you can create printed labels even with the demo version. We strongly encourage you to purchase DiscLabel.

This is what you can drag and drop, and other interactions, with DiscLabel media:

drag from design to media slot
if the design has a compatible design element it will drop there.
drag from media slot to media slot
if the same design in the originating slot has a compatible design element it will drop there.
click remove button that appears in top left of media slot when mouse is on top:
removes design from media slot.
click arrow or drag design element to compatible media slot places element in that slot.
click arrow or drag design element to compatible media slot places element in that slot

 

When you drag a design onto a slot on the media, you can hold down the option key to drag the design to all of the identical slots. This can save a lot of time when you have a page of 30 core labels that you want to print all the same.

If you have only a CD defined in your design, but no core, you will find that you can still drag the design to a core label slot. In this instance, only the center part of the CD will be imaged onto the page so that you can match up a combination of core and non-full-coverage CD labels.

Direct-to-Disc Printing

On some printer models, you can print directly on CDs with a coated surface. DiscLabel supports many popular printers with this functionality. If your printer can do this, to print direct-to-disc you first need to select your printer model in the Media: pop-up menu. If your printer model isn't there then you can try a close match (for example, most of the Epson R-series printers work with the same media choice, and the Canon iP6600D works with the same settings as the iP4000).

When a direct-to-disc media choice is made, two additional fields appear at the bottom of the Media controls: Printable Diameter and Hole Diameter. You can use these controls to match printing precisely to the printable CD you are using. You need to do this because some manufacturers coat CDs further to the edge or center than others. Without the adjustment, DiscLabel might miss printing all the way to the edge, leaving an unprinted white circle around your design. Alternatively, DiscLabel could end up printing ink on the plastic portion of the CD, which is messy, and has to be wiped off.

To match the CD you are printing to:

1. Measure the diameter, the longest distance edge to edge, of the coated, printable area of the disc, and enter it into the Printable Diameter field.
2. The Hole Diameter is the diameter of the unprintable interior portion of the disc. Measure the interior unprintable region as wide as it goes, and enter this number into the Hole Diameter field.

To print direct-to-disc your printer will need additional settings. Some or all of these may apply:

Epson

1. In the Page Setup dialog, select your printer under Format for, and then select a paper size of A4, A4 CD/DVD, or A4 manual feed.
2. In the Print dialog, under the Copies and Pages pop-up menu select Print Settings, and there set the Media Type to CD/DVD before printing.
3. Some models (R800, R300) require creation of a Manual Feed Printer Driver Variant, and you must print using that printer selection, or the printer will report that the wrong tray is loaded when you print.
4. Some newer printer drivers (eg. R1800) also require changing a page setup option that defaults to Standard just above Media Type in Print Settings. That too needs to be set to CD/DVD, or you will see the error: paper source not set correctly.
5. In the Paper feed panel, instead of selecting Print to CD, try selecting Manual Feed.

Canon

1. In the Page Setup dialog, select your printer under Format for, and then select the paper size for your CD tray.
2. In the Print dialog, under the Copies and Pages pop-up menu select Quality & Media, and there set the Media Type to Printable CD (recommended) before printing.

Bleed

DiscLabel prints a 2mm bleed beyond the label perforation in all directions to cope with inconsistencies in setup accuracy and varying label types. You can change the bleed from DiscLabel's Preferences:

• Choose DiscLabel–Preferences from the menu
• Click the Paper button
• Change the bleed to the desired value

Rasterize Printing

DiscLabel normally prints by sending high-level graphics commands to the printer driver, and the printer driver ultimately does the rendering required to print your label. Depending on the printer driver this can mean that gradients, shadows, and some transparency settings do not match what is shown on-screen. If you check the Rasterize Printing checkbox in DiscLabel's Paper Preferences, then DiscLabel itself will do all the image rendering. When you print, complete images, similar to printing photographs, are sent to the printer instead. The result will match the screen image very closely.

Problem-Solving Printing

In the Media function the display only changes based on the choice of media. In order to print the different elements of your design you must select one of the media that will accommodate them, and then drag your design (which must contain a matching design element) onto the media.

For example, to print a Jewel Case Tray Insert you must have the CD Jewel Case Tray Insert design element defined in your design as follows:

In the Media function choose a Jewel case paper type, such as Fellowes/NEATO A4 Jewel Case Tray Liners, to print your tray insert. In order to print the cover you must choose the appropriate cover stock for the kind of cover you're printing. If you're using Fellowes/NEATO labels, you will need to use the CD Jewel Case Booklet design element to make your design and print to Fellowes/NEATO A4 Jewel Case Booklet labels.

If you're wanting to create a label for a slimline jewel case, again you need to use a different design element: the standard CD Jewel Case Cover won't work as it's a different size. Select the CD Slimline Jewel Case Insert instead:

Drag your design from the list on the left to the open slots on the media, and you should see appear it for printing. Note you will only be able to drag a design to a label region if the design has a compatible design element defined. If it doesn't, go back to Edit, choose View–All Design Elements, then choose the associated design element, and edit it to create what you want. After that you will be able to drag the design into matching slot in the media.

Printing to Plain Paper
[non-OEM versions of DiscLabel only]

You can also use DiscLabel to print designs to plain paper with cropmarks so that you can score and cut your printed design to size. To use plain paper you should choose media from the Plain Paper (A4) or Plain Paper (US) categories. None of the manufacturer paper settings print cropmarks.

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DiscLabel

With InterVideo DiscLabel for Windows XP Media Center edition you can use your remote control to quickly create professional labels in the comfort of your living room. Click on easy-to-see icons to select templates and themes; add disc titles manually or automatically from CD database information, and use standard printing or LightScribe's flip-and-burn technology to create labels directly on the back surface of LightScribe DVD and CD discs.