CD Production - How Compact Discs Can Boost Your Bottom Line

Information is at the heart of any business and its effective storage and distribution is crucial to any successful enterprise. Optical media in the form of CDs has been the storage and distribution method of choice for many years owing to its special properties - CDs are durable, inexpensive and reliable. Here's your guide to the effective use of optical media in your business and all you need to know about CD duplication and CD replication.

Compact discs first were first developed in the early 1980s as a medium to store audio in a digital format. Their appearance revolutionized the music industry allowing consumers to access perfect copies of their favourite music in a format that was far more durable than existing vinyl records.

Later, CD technology was adapted and expanded for use with computers. These types took the form of the data storage CD-ROM, write-once data storage CD-R, rewritable CD-RW, together with a number of formats to contain video and images. As for size, standard CDs have a diameter of 120 mm and there is a range of mini CDs with diameters ranging from 60 to 80 mm with the 8cm CD being popular.

So how can CDs help boost your business?

One way is through the use of CD mailers. This involves preparing promotional materials in digital format and loading it onto a CD. The CD is then duplicated and distributed to potential customers. This distribution can be done through the post, at trade shows and similar events, or the CDs can be left around public areas of your company or in shops and other public spots such as libraries. When sent through the post, the discs are packed in CD mailers which are special envelopes to protect them.

There are a number of situations in which distributing CDs is especially effective. If you've just held a seminar or presentation, giving the participants an outline on CD will work wonders to help them keep you in mind. Another way is to create a CD giving tips and instructions on using your product or service. It's a great way to build customer loyalty. If you own a school or hotel, you could prepare a video tour of your premises and highlight all the best features.

One recent innovation for CDs is the development of the business card CD. This is a mini CD with portions of the top and bottom removed to make it resemble a standard rectangular business card. Company information is printed on the disc and it's placed into a plastic folder for protection. The optical medium inside can hold up to 50 megabytes of data and can be used to load brochures, images, audio files and video clips that work as a marketing message.

You can distribute these ecards in the normal way and the recipients can read the data on their computers to learn more about your company. They can even click on links on the disc to be taken to your web site. One smart way to use these cards is to send them out to a list of past and prospective customers on special occasions such as Xmas.

When it comes to getting your CDs copied, there are some important matters you need to know. The first is that there are two ways to do it - CD duplication and CD replication. The first and simplest is the same burning process that you use in your desktop PC. The latter is a more complex process which involves creating a master copy first and using that to produce the CDs.

When it comes to choosing the best way for your needs, the primary consideration is the number of discs you need to get made. If it's less than 2000, then CD duplication is the most cost effective. Above 2000 discs and CD replication becomes more economical. Some other factors to bear in mind is that whereas a CD duplication job can be done in a day or two, CD replication requires 10-12 days.

Whatever method you choose, you can get the best deals from reputable online companies who have modern equipment and strict quality control. In addition, a professional firm can do the quality graphics work you need for a high impact CD. These companies can handle all types of discs including 8cm CD duplication.

Michiel Van Kets writes articles for Wizbit Internet Services Ltd, a leading new media agency in the UK specializing in a range of CD replication services on 8cm CD duplication or CD mailer. Read about the advantages of CD postcards on the website. The company supplies attractive and unique CD replication services at competitive prices and their main clients include BBC, EMI Music Publishing and Manchester University.