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By: Erik Vlietinck
Wed, February 27, 2008 - 10:42:00
Pros: Small footprint, fast, high quality output, consumes little ink, can print on matte, glossy and metallic ink-taking disc surfaces
Contras: Included design software Discus is not state-of-the-art, sample files don't include QuarkXPress 7 files

http://www.dymo.com
Score:

Better yet, you can use DiscLabel and even SOHO Labels and Envelopes to print to DiscPainter directly. The driver does all the work, although you will need to take care that you set the size of the disc hole and disc diameter correctly. The desired quality of the output and the media type are then the only two other settings you have to define.

As soon as you have hit the Print button, the DiscPainter printer icon appears, together with the DiscPainter Utilities icon. The latter is a helper application and I don’t really understand why Dymo has this application start automatically when printing, but what I could make up from the information provided to me, is that the Utilities program shows you the percentage at which the disc is being finished. The Utilities also carry a nice ink level bar, and of course a button to buy new cartridges directly.

If you ask me if the DiscPainter is a necessity or a gadget, I would say it depends on who you are. If you’re using CDs and DVDs only for storing your personal music and photos, I’d say it’s a nice gadget --it’s nice to have, but you will only suffer in terms of ink consumption if you carry on printing with your Direct-to-CD capable photo printer.

However, if you’re a graphic designer or an advertising firm, the DiscPainter has many advantages over traditional inkjets. First of all, its running costs are lower. Chances are that you do have a photo printer, but in most cases that one will be a semi-professional inkjet printer which is only capable of printing on paper disc labels. The quality the DiscPainter is capable of will far surpass that of any paper label type, even the most glossy ones.

Lower Running Expenses Than Traditional Inkjet

The running costs will still be lower, as DiscPainter truly prints with a minimum of ink and consumes less power than a traditional inkjet. If you’re tight on office space, that’s another reason why DiscPainter is an enticing product. Finally, you’ll be able to get results quicker, which can be of importance, especially when you want to show the customer a last-minute mock-up of his disc design.

My feeling is that DiscPainter is going to be an instant success with designers, advertising and graphics people. I believe it will take somewhat longer for the average disc user to realise that a photo printer isn’t exactly the best and most cost-effective device to use when printing directly onto a CD surface.

As for the quality of output, the DiscPainter is absolutely fabulous.

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