Printing with spot colours involves
the application of solid colour inks to printable surfaces.
These spot colours are mixed prior to the actual printing
process so they are standardised and can be applied
as a solid sheet of colour rather than droplets. A spot
colour print is therefore bolder and
more eye-catching than either screen
or offset printing. Spot colours adhere to a prearranged
colour system (Pantone PMS, for example)
so this method of printing is ideal for matching the
CD or DVD print to the rest of your corporate print
material.
Useful
Information: Due to the physical constraints
of printing there is a maximum of six colours printable
on CDs and DVDs, a white base counting as one colour
and CMYK being four colours in total
Screen Printing
Scan of screen-printed
CD. 1:1 Scale
If you require a more detailed
print, involving gradients or graphics with many varying
shades and hues a screen print may be your best option.
Screen printing involves CMYK process
colours, which means that the colours are produced at
the time of printing using tiny ink droplets.
The resolution of screen printing is less than that
of offset printing so for very detailed work the latter
may be preferable.
For the highest resolution process
print on CD and DVD your best option is offset litho.
Ideal for photographic images, offset printing offers
80 lines per centimetre (lpc) resolution
on your CD or DVD compared to 54 lpc for screen printing.
Offset printing also involves CMYK
process printing
