automated dvd duplicator and printer?

[Keebler]

Hi folks,

Does anyone use an automated dvd duplicator and printer machine?

I saw one in use and thought it was spanky and could save me a ton of time. I transfer home movies for folks, but the process of burn and print is manual. It would be nice to have those steps automated as I could continue editing instead of grabbing and placing discs.

Cheers,
keebler

 

[Buzz Bumble]

I haven't used one, but I've seen them advertised and they are very expensive. They are really aimed at professionals rather than home users. They are also really only of any use if doing 50+ copies at a time.

 

[Keebler]

I haven't used one, but I've seen them advertised and they are very expensive. They are really aimed at professionals rather than home users. They are also really only of any use if doing 50+ copies at a time.

Thanks Buzz.

Yup - not cheap, but I think they can be a real time saver for me.
I just finished a large box set of memories for a client - over 9 DVDs worth and they wanted 9 copies of each box set. It was too much manual work to sit here, grab a disc after burning, put a new one in to burn, take the burned one, put it in the epson printer, then manually selecting the print features.

Apparently, this one will take a batch of builds into a 'job' then burn away. You set up your art work once and they burn/print on their own.

I'm looking at another large project of about 37+ hours and I know it would save me time.

hence the research

This is one I've seen in use. Works pretty snappy.

http://www.amtren.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=60

The only issue is that this particular brand doesn't look like its mac compatible, but I may need a cheap pc for some 8mm reel work.

Any other feedback is welcome as well.

Cheers,
Keebler

 

[Buzz Bumble]

Eeewwwwww … YUCK!! Those ones at the link may or may not work well, but they sure do look ugly, and large … and are no doubt extra expensive since it includes a Windows XP computer (but no display). They look like someone has simply taken a computer, DVD burners, cheap robot arm, and a printer off store shelves, and then stuck them together with a glue gun.

The ones I've seen advertised are from Primera (http://www.primera.com). At the moment, if you buy one of their models before the end of September you get a free iPod or MacBook by rebate form (depends on what duplicator model you buy).

I found the review below in one of my old UK Mac magazines for one of their smaller models. I haven’t actually used these so I can’t say how good or otherwise they are (I don’t like the Lexmark printers the reviewed model uses), but they are MUCH better looking, with the smaller capacity models not much bigger than an inkjet printer, so easily fits on a desk next to your Mac.

BUT as they say in the review, it might be more cost effective and faster to simply use a duplication company to make the copies, although that will depend on how often you need multiple copies and whether you live near such a company or can wait for delivery from an online company.

Primera Bravo SE Disc Publisher
£1,115 – Print and burn discs at home in batches of 20 at a time

Available with either a DVD or Blu-ray drive, the SE Disc Publisher is an all-in-one, low volume disc burner and printer that’s a much more rounded product than its predecessor. An entry-level model with a 20-disc capacity, it packages together a Panasonic burner and a Lexmark printer, complete with robotic arm for whipping blank discs between hoppers. This brings more speed to printing discs at home than burning then in a Mac and printing then in a disc tray on your standard printer.

The first Disc Publisher felt like a shoe-horned effort, with both FireWire and USB connections required to run the printing and burning sides of the box. Primera has since reworked the guts of the Disc Publisher and unified its Mac connection over a single USB port. We experienced far fewer hangs with the SE than the previous model.

The kind of speed you can expect varies depending on the media being burned. We stuck 685MB of music files and a fairly basic three colour design on ten discs and watched the Disc Publisher take, burn, print and drop the discs out in 42 minutes. That’s about half the time per disc that burning and printing discs individually using a desktop printer takes.

The results look impressive, a little better than printing individually using a good-quality home printer and disc tray. Blu-ray discs will take longer, but where can you buy printable Blu-ray discs?

Overall, we liked the printer, and software developers, designers and artists could certainly get a lot from it. The major competition has to be volume disc duplication services, though, which for the cost of this machine could deliver several 400-disc runs, complete with covers and higher-resolution printing, straight to your door. The price has come down slightly from £1,295 to £1,115, but that’s still a large chunk of cash.

Contact Info
Manufacturer: Primera, http://www.primera.com
UK Vendor: Misco, http://www.misco.co.uk

Key Specs
Hopper capacity: 20 discs
Interface: USB 2.0 (one port required)
Printer resolution: 4,800dpi
Cartridge: Single, three-colour

For and Against
+ Improved labelling software
+ Simplified Mac connection
+ Good results
- Doesn’t support 8cm discs
- Whopping price tag
- Competition from online duplicators

Verdict
* * * * * (3 stars out of 5)
“A significant improvement. The software is better and hooking up to a Mac is much simpler.”

MacFormat (UK magazine)
Issue 190, January 2008​

 

[hotwire132002]

Thanks Buzz.

Yup - not cheap, but I think they can be a real time saver for me.
I just finished a large box set of memories for a client - over 9 DVDs worth and they wanted 9 copies of each box set. It was too much manual work to sit here, grab a disc after burning, put a new one in to burn, take the burned one, put it in the epson printer, then manually selecting the print features.

Apparently, this one will take a batch of builds into a 'job' then burn away. You set up your art work once and they burn/print on their own.

I'm looking at another large project of about 37+ hours and I know it would save me time.

hence the research

This is one I've seen in use. Works pretty snappy.

http://www.amtren.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=60

The only issue is that this particular brand doesn't look like its mac compatible, but I may need a cheap pc for some 8mm reel work.

Any other feedback is welcome as well.

Cheers,
Keebler

The only duplicator I've actually used is a Rimage 2000i -- a $5,000 machine. When it works right, it's great, but the unit I've been using has been rather problematic lately.

That particular machine belongs to a client -- if I were to buy my own, I would probably go for a Primara duplicator -- as someone mentioned earlier in this thread. They seem relatively affordable (compared to a solution like the Rimage) and from the reviews I've read, they look like good machines.

 

[dlegend]

here's a duplicator, not a printer. I think microcenter has some other ones, i just can't find them at the moment.

What Epson printer do you use to print the discs?

 

[Keebler]

thanks buzz! i had to laugh about your comment about it being ugly. I hadn't even thought of that. The one I saw looked nice, but I do like the dust protector on the primera's = i'm a big anti-dust guy.

I'll keep this in mind. I might not end up buying now, but in the new year. I'm planning a marketing explosion from which I hope to become very busy.

The only negative I see from the Primera brand is that I believe you need to use their watershield DVDs. I'm leary of that only b/c i've been using the same DVDs for years and have only had 3 issues.

But we'll see

thanks for the feedback hotwire and to dlegend, I use an older Epson R220. Works well despite the fact that even though i'm printing pure black and no other colours, the other colour ink cartridges do get used and need to be replaced (or the printer won't print - irk!

and it's a manual process.

A duplicator/printer is definitely on my list.

 

[2jaded2care]

We use Bravos at work. They work pretty well, even though we have older models. They handle 25 discs at a time; the newer one can take 50 with a different basket, but I've never had to use it.

You can set them to burn and print continuously through the whole stack, but usually I print and burn as separate steps unless I can remember whether the ink cartridges are new (hate to burn and waste time and discs if the ink is about to run out).

You don't have to use Primera watershield discs, you can use regular inkjet-printable discs. Of course these won't be "smudge-proof", but that's true of any regular inkjet discs and printers. I have used the Taiyo Yuden watershield discs and Verbatim Aqua Ace DVD-Rs with the Bravos, those burned and printed with good results except for once or twice two discs stuck together so the machine stopped... I think the glossy watershield finish either causes static or some sort of vacuum between the discs, so this happens occasionally. I don't know if it's any less a problem with other autoloading duplicators/printers.

That said, I hate all inkjet printers, they always clog if you don't use them frequently. With the Bravo cartridges, if the head-cleaning command doesn't do it, you can usually wipe the heads with alcohol and get them going again if they're dried out... Unfortunately, I don't think thermal printing is as economical.

Good luck!

 

[Keebler]

We use Bravos at work. They work pretty well, even though we have older models. They handle 25 discs at a time; the newer one can take 50 with a different basket, but I've never had to use it.

You can set them to burn and print continuously through the whole stack, but usually I print and burn as separate steps unless I can remember whether the ink cartridges are new (hate to burn and waste time and discs if the ink is about to run out).

You don't have to use Primera watershield discs, you can use regular inkjet-printable discs. Of course these won't be "smudge-proof", but that's true of any regular inkjet discs and printers. I have used the Taiyo Yuden watershield discs and Verbatim Aqua Ace DVD-Rs with the Bravos, those burned and printed with good results except for once or twice two discs stuck together so the machine stopped... I think the glossy watershield finish either causes static or some sort of vacuum between the discs, so this happens occasionally. I don't know if it's any less a problem with other autoloading duplicators/printers.

That said, I hate all inkjet printers, they always clog if you don't use them frequently. With the Bravo cartridges, if the head-cleaning command doesn't do it, you can usually wipe the heads with alcohol and get them going again if they're dried out... Unfortunately, I don't think thermal printing is as economical.

Good luck!

great feedback - thanks!

I'm definitely getting one - just a matter of when. I 'could' use one right now, but I need a faster computer and an 8mm reel machine before the bravo

thanks for taking the time to respond - truly appreciate it.

Cheers,
Keebler

 

[dlegend]

I'm using an Epson R280 and I understand about how much of a pain it is. It might be quicker if you got a 2nd printer in the mean time. Still not much fun and a lot of manual work.

I just looked at some of the thermal printers, seems like there's not enough benefit to get me to switch from the epson...

What brand DVD's do you use?

 

[Keebler]

I'm using an Epson R280 and I understand about how much of a pain it is. It might be quicker if you got a 2nd printer in the mean time. Still not much fun and a lot of manual work.

I just looked at some of the thermal printers, seems like there's not enough benefit to get me to switch from the epson...

What brand DVD's do you use?

i thought about another printer, but the manual work is what drives me nuts. It sounds crazy, but I can be editing while discs are printing, but having to stop, take the disc out, put it in a case, load the next disc in the printer is bit by bit, time consuming.

That bit by bit adds up and takes away the focus on editing and prepping footage for more mpeg2 compressions.
I use Maxells high end dvd-r (single layer - still too many compatibility issues with dual layers).

I thought about the thermal as well, but cost is an issue.

I really think the bravo type dup/printer is the way to go. It is more expensive, but if you're burning and printing plenty of discs, i think it's worth it.

Just think:
I just finished a large transfer job last night - 7 hours of reel footage onto 5 DVDs (duration of certain films had me putting an unequal amount on each DVD), plus 9.5 hours of camcorder tape onto 9 discs (same issue with footage being a certain duration per tape and not wanting to break it up).

Instead of the manual job, I could have set up each build from DVD Studio pro and from my understanding, set the disc titles up, press a button and whammo the job would have been batched and done all on its own instead of me waiting for things to be done.

but i do need some other things first. If biz keeps going the way it's going, I'll be buying a bravo by March or earlier.

cheers,
keebler

 

[Keebler]

We use Bravos at work. They work pretty well, even though we have older models. They handle 25 discs at a time; the newer one can take 50 with a different basket, but I've never had to use it.

You can set them to burn and print continuously through the whole stack, but usually I print and burn as separate steps unless I can remember whether the ink cartridges are new (hate to burn and waste time and discs if the ink is about to run out).

You don't have to use Primera watershield discs, you can use regular inkjet-printable discs. Of course these won't be "smudge-proof", but that's true of any regular inkjet discs and printers. I have used the Taiyo Yuden watershield discs and Verbatim Aqua Ace DVD-Rs with the Bravos, those burned and printed with good results except for once or twice two discs stuck together so the machine stopped... I think the glossy watershield finish either causes static or some sort of vacuum between the discs, so this happens occasionally. I don't know if it's any less a problem with other autoloading duplicators/printers.

That said, I hate all inkjet printers, they always clog if you don't use them frequently. With the Bravo cartridges, if the head-cleaning command doesn't do it, you can usually wipe the heads with alcohol and get them going again if they're dried out... Unfortunately, I don't think thermal printing is as economical.

Good luck!

hey 2jaded2care,

quick question for you: my understanding is that you can set up a batch of builds to be burned - I take it you can also set up the titles for each disc (if they are different). ie. let's say I had 5 discs, each with a slightly different name - can you set up the different titles at once, then click go and watch the magic?

 

[Keebler]

one more question for the bravo users out there:

do the discs ever stick together b/c of the fresh ink print as the machine places them on top of each other? I was wondering if that would be an issue b/c you need to let the ink dry well enough?