CD Manufacturing: Can You Recommend a Company?

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 15 Mar 2004 9:54 am

Need to do a small run of 300-500 CDs, with full-color printing on the CD (not stick-on labels) plus full-color on the tray card and outside of the booklet (B/W inside booklet). Artwork is ready to go, just need the manufacturing at a reasonable cost.

Can you recommend a company you've done business with that would be a good choice?

Thanks!
jc

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 15 Mar 2004 10:09 am

Jim, I've really had good luck sending my studio clients to DiscMakers. They're large enough to get the volume pricing down, and still have great customer service. They're also usually running some kind of specials on short runs like you need, free posters or something, and include bar coding and other usually-charged-for necessities. Good luck...

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 15 Mar 2004 10:45 am

Thanks, Mark. That's who I've used on all my previous jobs and I definitely want a lower-cost alternative to them. They are not price-competitive till you get over 1,000 copies IMHO. Thanks for responding, though, pal.
jc

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 15 Mar 2004 11:09 am

Jim,

I used Tape and Disc Factory of Nashville on a recent project and was very pleased with the results. This company is owned by Jack Smith, a steel player, formerly with Connie Smith, and before that with the Happy Goodman Family gospel group. They were really nice to deal with. http://www.tapeanddiscfactory.com

BTW, I really enjoyed your CD's I bought at the Texas show. They made the three hour drive back home much more enjoyable. I will be playing them a lot.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Mar 2004 4:25 pm

Thanks for the lead, Darvin. T'was good to see you again, and I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the CDs!<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jim Cohen on 16 March 2004 at 06:46 PM.]</p></FONT>

Del Rangel · Post by **Del Rangel** » 16 Mar 2004 4:35 pm

http://www.texasmusicroundup.com/

Bowie Martin · Post by **Bowie Martin** » 16 Mar 2004 6:16 pm

Believe it or not, there is a great little studio that does the complete package right here in N.C...does design, packaging, printing, the whole ball of wax; you should call them: Mike Whitley, Thunder Road Studios - 252-246-0138; quick, good quality, fair pricing, good product. I have done several Cd's there...Mike is the engineer, Kim does design, production..

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 16 Mar 2004 7:07 pm

Give Brad Edwards a try at:
1-573-363-5432 at the Audio Loft Recording Studio in Macks Creek, Mo. Or email him at: audiolft@dam.net
Dennis

Jeff Hogsten · Post by **Jeff Hogsten** » 17 Mar 2004 7:51 pm

I dont have their address but you wont beat lamp music in the Atlanta area they do 100 with color pics are work the whole 9 yards for $275 that includes 1000 covers so the reorders are cheaper they have a web site just do a search for lamp music

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 18 Mar 2004 2:59 am

Although I have not used them, but am considering them. Musicians Friend CD service
appears to be about as cheap as you can get with printed CD's.

any thoughts, any experience here ?

t

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 25 Mar 2004 12:26 pm

Whoa! The Musicians Friend offer really undercuts everything else. I note they are using CDR's. I wonder if that is going to make a difference. I understand that CDR's are burned using a chemical change in the coating while traditional CD's are burned using actual microscopic pits.

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God Bless,
Steve Stallings

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 25 Mar 2004 12:47 pm

Discmakers has a very good reputation and have been around for years.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 25 Mar 2004 2:38 pm

DiscMakers has screwed up the last two projects I gave them and had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to do the right thing to make it right. I made them re-do one thousand CDs they messed up the graphics on. Other friends around here have been screwed over by them as well. I won't use again unless my back is to the wall and I have no other options.

I checked into Musicians' Friend as well, and could find NO TELEPHONE support whatever. There is no phone #, as far as I can tell, to call them up and ask any questions and get comfortable that they know what they're doing. So they're out of the question as far as I'm concerned. I'm not sending big bucks to some website where I've never talked with anyone.

I've decided, therefore, to use [url=http://www.nationwidecd.com,]www.nationwidecd.com,[/url] where they have very competitive prices, far as I can tell, and where the guy at the other end of the phone is extremely helpful and seems to know what they're doing. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks for the various suggestions, though.
jc

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 26 Mar 2004 2:15 am

Well it looks like they have fallen from their old level considerabily. Too bad.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Mar 2004 3:04 am

I designed a CD and poster package for a client about a year and a half ago and she used DiscMakers. They did a fine job but were hard to work with.They had tons of technical requirements that they didin't much feel like walking me through. The end product came out well and my client was satisifed. Too bad you had such a hassle, Jim. I'll be very interested to hear how your new vendor performs as I've got a self-produced CD project coming up.