Media discs, by nature are generally silver in colour. This is the reflective aluminium layer that the lasers require to read the information. Be it CD, DVD or Blu-ray and whether it's been replicated or duplicated, the printing process is the same for all discs and it starts with the question of a white base.
Using the title image above...
Left Hand Disc: No white base means that the main ink run on the disc can pick up a metallic tone. It's not true of all inks, but the majority of ink will have this reflective, metallic finish come through and create a darker, but shiny version of the ink used. For example, a yellow would be used to create a gold, or a red to create ruby, green for emerald an so on. Some screen printed inks have natural opacity and can avoid the reflective finish, but this is subject to the colour match required. Most Lithographic (Full Four Colour discs) will capture a reflective property.
Centre Disc: A full white base is, as the name suggests, is a screen printed white ink layer, covering the entire surface of the disc and therefore blocking out the natural metallic finish. Think of it as a general rule: If you do not want any metallic finish on the printed side of the disc, you will require a full white base, prior to your colour layers.
Right Hand Disc: Then there is the middle ground: A Partial white base. This allows selected areas to have white base and others to pic up the metallic finish. It is regularly used to show off titles or elements in the artwork that need a little extra boost. A relatively cost effective embellishment for any release:
If you have any playful ideas when it comes to white bases, we would be happy to guide your decisions to get the best out of your idea. Knowledge of how specific inks behave can be crucial for any printing processes and we are proud of our long standing experience of on-disc printing.
