Duplication (burning)

Duplication technology is basically burning data onto a disc much like your personal home PC or Mac. The differences stop here though. The professional disc manufacutrers use towers which can copy many dozens or even hundreds of discs at a time. Once the burning process is completed, the data is compared with the master disc for verification.

The second step of the production is printing. This is done using industrial robotics that take individual discs and surface print them using offset lithography, inkjet printing or thermal transfer.

Packaging is usually assembled manually, depending on the size of the facility –  most of the time, this means that the range of possible materials for packaging is more limited than for replication.

One of the main advantages of using duplication is the time factor, as the process does not require any set up time. The main disadvantage is the limited quantity which can be produced, owing to the constraints of the manual assembly.

Replication (pressing)

Replicated discs represent the large majority of discs on the market. The technology provides fantastic production results at low prices. The process starts with creating a glass master from the master disc. This glass master is very delicate – and contains all the data of the master disc. Through a variety of processes, like polishing, cutting and coating, the glass master becomes a perfect negative replica of the master disc.

Once the glass master is produced, moulds are cast from it. The actual production process begins with applying a very thin layer of aluminium on a layer of polycarbonate. Then by pressing it together with the mould, the data is imprinted on the disc. To protect the data, a second layer of polycarbonate is applied over the aluminium foil, thus creating the finished CD/DVD. Basically, the replication process creates the discs. There is no need to verify the data, because unlike burning, the accuracy of the data relies solely on the perfection of the glass master.

The printing process is identical to duplication, but owing to the larger numbers, replication usually involves automatic packaging systems.  This means a very large number of packaging possibilites, with a high degree of customization is possible.

Pro’s

+    Turnaround 2-3 business days

+    Flexibility regarding additional copies

Con’s

−    Maximum batch size: 1.500

−    Cost per unit higher than replication

−    Duplication can only carry 1 layer of information on DVDs

−Hand assembly of the discs in packaging

Pro’s

+    Costs per unit lower than duplication

+    Both offset printing and screen printing available

+    Replicated DVDs can contain 1, 2, 3 or 4 layers

+    Automated packaging systems

+    Highly customizable packaging

Con’s

−    Standard turn time is 7-10 business days

−    Minimum order of 1.500