When the quantities rise above 500 or so CDs it makes economic sense  to consider CD pressing. It does take longer - about 10 to 12 days  is the average - but it gives you a 'silver' CD that will look as  good as anything in your music CD collection - assuming that you  have some design sense - neon orange will always look naff.

Digital  Data can organise all aspects of the CD pressing process, including film creation, booklet printing, selection of suitable packaging  and creation of the master CD. We can also help with the design printed onto the CD, a poor design can give the wrong impression  of your product. Please ask for design specs to be sent to you as Acrobat or PhotoShop format.

It is crucial that a good quality CD-R master is used to avoid failure  at the glass mastering stage. The following points should be taken into account:

• Record at low speed - it may take longer but recording  at high speed is a common cause of failure. Music CDs in particular should be recorded at low speed as there is no error correction algorithm in use for music.
• Record the CD in a single session and make sure it is closed
• Don't  use  a CD-RW or drag and drop files onto a CD-R
• Keep it clean, we see masters with fingerprints, scratches etc.
• For  music CDs get a copyright certificate from the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (020 8664 4400), CD pressing will not commence until the certificate is available, this can take up to 2 weeks to organise. Even though Beethoven has been pushing up daisies  for 181 years (he died on 26/3/1827 of cirrhosis of the liver accompanied by dropsy in case you were wondering - obviously an artiste in more ways than one) you still need a certificate - the arrangement you are pressing could be by a living musician who wants a royalty. For data CDs a letter confirming that you are the owners of the software or have licensing rights will be required.
• If you want a barcode we can organise one for you. The barcode is supplied as an EPS file or bitmap ready to drop into your artwork. The barcode is EAN-13 compliant and is unique to your product.
• Test the CD on a PC and/or Mac that were not involved in creating the master to ensure that any links work, and disconnect it from the network. We occasionally get CDs sent in for pressing or duplication where there are absolute links (e.g. pointing  to T:\Data\Project\Movies), and of course the customer does not have access to drive T:\

And  the cost…? well, how long is a piece of string? Each CD pressing  has its own unique requirements, but as a guide, we can produce 1,000 CDs with a 4-colour screen-print packed in a PVC wallet, delivered  to your UK address for well under £1.00 each. Everything is included in the price- film charges, glass master, pressing, screen printing,  delivery - everything except for the VAT. Generally it is cheaper in cash terms to have 1,000 CDs pressed rather than a smaller quantity, but ask anyway.

Typical  lead time is 10-12 working days from receipt of artwork and master CD, please note that lead times can drift out a bit in the run up to Christmas

Alternatively, you can invest millions in your own pressing plant and mastering facilities.......