The Truth About Cheap DVD Duplication Services

So you're looking for cheap DVD duplication services online when all of a sudden a voice inside your head says it's not the wisest thing to do. Panic button is turned on and you can't switch it off. Your DVD release date is just a few weeks away and now you're not so sure whether you should get the DVD duplicator that offers half the price of the more popular DVD duplicator. Now you're so scared something will go wrong by choosing cheap DVD duplication services.

Of course you want to save big bucks yet you do not want to compromise the quality of your DVD.  In this article, I will try to give some reasons why some DVD manufacturing companies are able to offer very low prices and that you should not worry about the quality of cheap DVD duplication.

They do not have lots of offices.  Because of the internet, lots of DVD manufacturing companies save big amounts of money in their day-to-day operations. There are even some DVD manufacturing companies that only have warehouses – and no offices. They cut-down expenses like office rent, airconditioning, electricity, and a lot more. Should you be scared? I don't think so. As long as communication is good and as long as they have a good record, there's no need to worry.

They eliminated middlemen. Does the DVD manufacturing company have its own plant? If so, then they can go so low with their prices. Sometimes, the more expensive DVD manufacturing companies give commission to lots of people and pay lots of people that's why their prices are higher.

They do not advertise to the genera public. The more famous DVD manufacturing companies probably spend lots of dollars for marketing and promotion…that's why they became famous in the first place. And guess where they get money for advertising their company? From their customers, of course! Try to look for a company that's not so famous but is highly recommended by at least 2 of your friends or colleagues.

I guess the most important thing I want to tell you is that cheaper doesn't automatically mean poor quality and higher does not automatically mean good quality. Do not be scared to choose among the cheap ones. Do not limit your choices to the more expensive ones.  This is highly advisable if you're going to be using DVD duplication services a lot.

About the Author

You can e-mail Mr. James Hill, CEO and owner of Unified Manufacturing, if you want to get a quote or if you have questions related to DVD manufacturing. If you just want to get specific tips in CD/DVD manufacturing, visit our blog- unifiedmanufacturing.com/blog. We have a blog dedicated to DVD manufacturing and film promotion. Good luck!

 

CD Packaging for Beginners- 8 things You Must Know

Designing the CD packaging of your album may seem easy. You may think "What's so difficult about it? It's just simply putting an artsy picture of your band and some important text. Besides, my design is so simple." You might even wonder why there are graphic designers who specialize in album art when it's so darn simple.

But when you actually start designing your CD packaging, you slowly realize it's not that easy. Lots of questions pop in your head that need accurate answers. Questions like: Where should I put the barcode? Am I using the right dimensions? What is the right size for the image?

To guide you in making the CD packaging for your first album, here are some basic guidelines you should follow:

Use your CD manufacturing company's template. This is the number one rule if you are going to use a CD duplication house (which is the way to go if you're a newbie, btw).  Different manufacturers have different templates because they have different sources for their CD cases. If you don't follow your manufacturer's template, expect them to send it back to you for revisions. Every millimeter counts.

Use 300 DPI for your artwork. The resolution of your album artwork must not be less than 300dpi. Anything lower than this would look ugly.

Send them your fonts. Make sure you send your CD duplicators the fonts you used to make things easier and faster. They might not have the font you're using and you don't want this to be one reason for delay.

Ask for print samples. There is a big chance that the colors you see on your computer screen would look different in the actual print. A computer monitor displays color using RGB mode whereas physical print is either CMYK or pantone color. Ask your printer/ manufacturer for some print samples before you give them the go signal to print thousands.

Supply Bleed & Safety Margins. Bleed is the extension of artwork beyond the cut line which gives the printers a margin of error when trimming the sheets. Make sure your artwork has 1/8-inch bleed on all sides. Safety Margin is kind of the opposite of bleed. They are required to prevent cutting off some important parts of your artwork (text, images,logos). Make sure all essential elements are within the safety margins. The basic concept is that there shouldn't be text or artwork within or beyond the area where the artwork will be trimmed.

Remove template layers. Make sure template layers are removed from uploaded designs.

Your barcode should be easy to find. Just make sure it is located on a viewable surface so your retailers and distributors won't have a tough time.

If you're using a photo by/of someone, make sure you're doing this legally. You do not want to be like Baio, a web developer, who paid photographer Jay Maisel more than $32,000 settlement over a copyright infringement claim. Or like Vampire Weekend who is facing a $2M lawsuit for using the Polaroid photo of an 80's model without permission. Better be safe than sorry, I guess.

There you have it, folks. These are just very basic CD packaging tips and you should get more specific tips from your manufacturer or designer once you actually start your project. For the meantime, I hope this list will help you get an idea of what you'll be doing.

About the Author

 

Visit our website If you want to get our creative packaging services. You can also e-mail Mr. James Hill, CEO and owner of Unified Manufacturing, if you want to get a quote  of our CD packaging service or if you have questions related to CD manufacturing. If you simply want to get specific tips in packaging your CD, visit our blog- unifiedmanufacturing.com/blog.

USB Flash Drives- Your Greatest Marketing Tool!

USB flash drives are now the favorite of many businessmen and self-employed individuals not only because they use them to contain their projects but also because USB flash drives are excellent promotional materials. They do look handsome, don't they? Definitely more handsome than regular CDs, in my opinion.

Lots of photographers today put their projects and portfolios in USB flash drives. This is an intelligent strategy because putting your portfolio in attractive USB Flash Drives is a great way to advertise your business. When one prominent client carries your USB flash drive, and it has your name or website printed on it, then they're promoting your brand effortlessly. And the best thing about it is that these clients PAID for the USB flash drives. How clever is that? People will pay you for your advertising! Too clever.

Another advantage is that USB flash drives have this hip, modern appeal so there is a bigger chance people will actually contact you. The disadvantage is that it requires that prospects have a close contact with the USB flash drives in order for it to work. You cannot sell when you're not that visible. But this ‘close contact' is much better because your chances of getting a call are higher. You're not just aiming your gun to random people, you're aiming them at the right bunch.

Here's a scenario to illustrate my point: If your past client who's wearing your USB bracelet is an event coordinator, then he's in the circle of event coordinators, which means you're advertising is very, very close to your market. They might have a presentation somewhere and your past client takes off your USB flash drive and plugs it in his laptop. The people he's with would notice that- especially if they're all just strangers waiting for topics for small talk. And you know what happens…they'll talk about your company.

So the most important thing is that you should come up with creative designs for your promotional USB flash drives. In my example above, it would not work if the USB flash drive he's carrying is just simple. It just worked because its design is something that's worth talking about. You don't expect people to say "wow, lovely USB drive…so smooth and shiny". That's just too weird. Everything about your USB flash drives –color, materials, shape, etc- should reflect your company and your clients. And if possible, the design of your USB flash drives should be attention-grabbing.

You do know you can customize the design of USB Flash Drives, don't you? Yes, you can. There are USB flash drives that can be worn like wrist bands (perfect for sports- related businesses), there are USB flash drives that can be worn as pendants (perfect for those that are always on the go), there are USB flash drives with flashlights (perfect for campers), and a lot more! Actually, lots of USB Flash Drives manufacturers can now create any design you want.  This is great news for everybody.

 

 

About the Author

I hope your business or career would flourish because of my simple tips. My company, Unified Manufacturing, designs and manufactures creative USB flash drives. If you want to see our works, visit www.unifiedmanufacturing.com. If you want to get a quote, you can e-mail me directly at james@unifiedmanufacturing.com. Thanks for reading my article!

Custom CD packaging Essentials

There are plenty of things to consider when you want to have a custom CD packaging for your album. I know you just want to get all creative with your album packaging but certain factors like shipping costs, storage space, printing costs, exposure to certain elements, and the like should be considered. Here are some basic things you should consider when designing your music CD packaging.

Pricing of distributors and retailers

There is a reason we don't see lots of albums in custom packaging in record stores. That is because they charge more for special boxes. The standard (and probably the cheapest) CD case for retail is the jewel case. The jewel cases are easy to store, easy to transport, and their racks are designed for such cases. You have to ask each store of their rules and pricing for albums with custom CD packaging.

Weight

If you're planning to make a big box with lots of goodies inside, you should consider your shipping expenses. Do you think your fans are willing to pay additional $10 to get your stuff? It really depends on how popular you are already and how rich your fans are. If you're as famous as KISS, then maybe it's fine to make a special collector's edition Coffin packaging for your album. But if you're not yet that famous, you should create something creative but not as expensive.

Durability of your design

You have to be sure that the materials you use are durable and go well with each other. It is advisable that you create mock-ups to evaluate your design.  You expose it to certain elements and check whether it is still capable of protecting the discs inside.

Functionality of your design

Aside from making it look aesthetically pleasing, you also have to make sure that your design does not compromise your CD packaging's main role- which is to protect the CD inside. There are lots of really creative designs but are too flimsy and do not hold the CDs in place. Make sure than when you're designing your Custom CD packaging, you consider both creativity and functionality but functionality should always be above creativity.

Placement of the Barcode

The barcode is a requirement of retailers and they should be easily seen. Do not hide it. Same goes with the logos.

 

About the Author

Visit our blog if you want to get custom CD packaging ideas. Unified Manufacturing is a 10-year-old CD duplication company based in LA. You can e-mail our project manager, Mr. James Hill, if you want to ask specific questions about our custom CD packaging service.