|
CD Replication
DVD Replication
Printing Services
Customer Services
|
 |
FAQs
This FAQ will be structured into 4 categories:
Pricing
1. What does the price in the table include? Our individual product page shows all the things included in the package. If you provide the zip code of the shipping address, the estimated rate of the UPS shipping method selected will be shown. If the order is from a California business and the products ordered are not for resale, the California sales tax will be calculated as well. So you will have an idea on the total final price without any hidden surprise when you checkout.
2. Why should I need to put a Job Description? When you just want to get instant pricing for consideration, you do not need to put a job description. But when you are ready to place an order, we need you to put in a job description such as the title name so that the order will have a unique name that means something to you. If you do not put in a unique job description, our system will give a generic name to your order such as DVD5 Bulk. As you put in more orders over time, it will become confusing if every order has the generic description DVD5 Bulk. So it is to your advantage that you will put in a unique job description for each new order.
3. What is Resale and how should I complete this section? If you are a business entity in California with a California Resale Permit and intend to resale the CDs or DVDs you order with us to consumers or 3rd parties, you do not need to pay California sales tax. Just check "Yes" in the Resale section. Please download the California Resale Certificate form. Complete, sign the form and send it together with your first order to us. You only need to submit the resale form to us once with your first order for each company. Any non-resale order needs to pay California sales tax and please check "No" in the Resale section. If you or your company is from out of state, just leave the Resale selection blank.
4. Which countries do you ship to? We currently offer UPS shipping only within U.S.A. and we do not ship to P.O. Box addresses. You can select several shipping options: Pickup from our facility in Fremont, CA; UPS ground, UPS 3 day, UPS 2nd day and UPS standard overnight. We do not ship with client accounts. Please remember that all shipping time estimates are not guarantees of delivery time. Allow enough time in the production and delivery schedule for errors, equipment failures, or missed deliveries
5. Can I ship to multiple addresses? Unfortunately Google Checkout does not support multiple addresses shipments yet. So your order can only be shipped to one address at this time which can be different from your billing address.
6. Am I limited to order the quantity listed in the price table? No, you can order any quantity you need. Our minimum order quantity for CD/DVD replication is 500. For small quantity such as 100, it will be more cost effective to do duplication. Duplication and any other quantity not in the price table will become custom quote. Please click Custom Quote Request on the left menu bar to send in request.
7. How can I get prices on products I cannot find in your website? We only put the most popular standard products in our website so that it is easy and simple to navigate for general online customers. Our service covers a wide range of products such as mini 80mm round CD/DVD; business card size CD/DVD; dual or multi CD/DVD case set; clear, white and colored DVD case; multiple page saddle stitched inside insert booklet for CD/DVD case, 4 panel cardboard case, multi-pack DVD slip case and Digipack case, etc. Please click Custom Quote Request on the left menu bar to send in request.
8. Does the price include any graphic design and authoring? No, you need to provide us the high resolution graphics files and masters with your order. If you need graphic design or DVD authoring service for your title. Please click Custom Quote Request on the left menu bar to send in request.
9. Is there a shortcut for reorders? Yes, if you would like to repeat an exact reorder on one of your previous orders, you simply log in with your user name and password. Then click on the Exact Reorder button on the top menu bar. Your order history will pop out for your to view. Select the one you want to reorder and click "Details". The details of your previous order will be shown. Review it and click Exact Reorder button on top will take you to Google Checkout for payment. Please note that you cannot modify the reorder items such as quantity and products. It needs to be exactly the same reorder.
Payment
1. What kind of credit cards you accept? We use Google Checkout which accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover credit cards.
2. Will CDVD123 charge my credit card right after I place the order online? No, we will charge your credit card at the time the ordered products are shipped.
3. What is Google Checkout? Google Checkout is a faster, more secure way to buy from stores across the web using a single username and password. Use it once and stop creating new accounts every time you buy.
4. How can Google Checkout help buyers and merchants avoid disputes? Google feels that the most successful approach to managing disputes is to help buyers and merchants avoid disputes in the first place. Therefore, Google has established the following processes to ensure fair business practices and enable open communication between buyers and Google Checkout merchants:
5. What name will show up in my credit card statement once my credit card is charged by CDVD123? 4P/CDVD123 will be the name shown up in your credit card statement once we shipped and charged your credit card.
6. What is your order cancellation and return policy? All sales are final once you approved and confirmed the order with your credit card payment. After the PDF file is approved by the customer via email, the customer is responsible for paying the entire amount of that order, unless otherwise noted. Orders may be eligible for cancellation upon request via email. Our Customer Service Team will inform you of any cancellation charges depending on the stage of the order. In some cases, an order may be allowed to cancel and refund may be extended to the customer if no work has been completed by CDVD123.com for that order. In such cases, the customer will be charged a $25 cancellation fee, which would be in addition to any fees charged for proofs if applicable. In some cases, an order may be voided the same day the order was placed as long as no work has been completed by CDVD123.com for that order. NO CANCELLATIONS ON ORDERS PLACED WITH EXPRESS 1 or 2 DAYS TURNAROUND. Since each CD/DVD replication or printing order is unique to the individual customer and has no re-sale value, ALL SALES ARE FINAL. If we verify that we made an error, we will re-manufacture and reship the order at our cost and No Refunds or Credit. Any defects discovered in your shipment must be reported to CDVD123.com via email within 5 business days of your order receipt. To qualify for a free replacement order, you must return your entire product (at your own expense) within 10 business days from the time the product was delivered. All charges related to expedited orders (rush replication/printing or shipping) are NON REFUNDABLE UNLESS UPS FAILS DELIVERY. Please read our Terms and Conditions for more detail information.
Proofing (File Preparation Guide)
1. What do I need to send after I check out from Google and have received an order confirmation email? For CD projects, we need the followings:
For DVD projects, we need the followings:
2. Can I just send you an external hard drive with both master image file and graphics files in it? Yes, we accept external hard drive but we cannot be liable for it get damaged especially through UPS shipping/handling. For authored movies content, please write an image (.img) file in the hard drive. For DVD9 replication, make sure the .img file will have the layer break file written in it. Please consult your authoring program publisher if the authoring software has the ability to make the layer break in the .img file before your send us the hard drive. Do not send us your authoring progam files with the hard drive. We are not your authoring company and will not make any editing for your movie contents. The hard drive must have either a USB 2.0 or a Firewire port. Please send along your power cord and port cable. We will return your hard drive after use at your cost. Please contact support@cdvd123.com to arrange the return of your hard drive.
3. Do you have FTP site that I can upload graphic files for my project? Yes, we have our own ftp server in-house and you can conveniently upload your project graphic files to our server 7/24. For safe and faster upload, always compress your files first into .zip files for PC platform or .sit files for Mac platform. If the compressed file size is over 100MB, may be it is better to just send us the file on a burnt CD via mail, UPS or FedEx. You will need an ftp program such as wsftp in PC or fetch in Mac (available from http://www.tucows.com or http://www.download.com, etc.) To upload the files, please use the following access information.
Should you have questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@cdvd123.com
4. What kind of graphic files you accept? We accept program files such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Quark Express. Please send the files with all the linked graphics and fonts. Or you can send us exported eps or tiff or pdf files with all the fonts outlined and templates taken out. For PDF files, please make sure it conforms to preset PDF/X-1 if the image is CMYK colors; conforms to PDF/X-3 if the image is pms colors.
5. What resolution is needed for my graphic files? Resolution impacts printing quality since it determines the visual sharpness of your artwork. Since most computer monitors display images at 72-96 DPI, you may not be able to accurately view resolution of your printed piece from your computer screen. Make sure your designer will preflight checking the file resolution before sending you the files. For good printing jobs, 300 dots per inch (DPI) is the minimum resolution to guarantee acceptable printing results. If an image was originally created at low resolution such as 72 dpi digital camera photo image and you manually increase the resolution up to 300 dpi, this will not improve the quality of the image. Your artwork will still have poor clarity. The file must be originally created and saved at 300 dpi for the truest quality.
6. What is CMYK, RGB and Pantone (pms) color mode? This is a big question and we will try to first briefly explain the difference between CMYK and RGB as follows: CMYK and RGB are two different color models. If you use digital camera to shoot photos, mostlikely the photo files downloaded from the camera will be RGB jpeg files. The RGB color model is used by monitors, televisions and digital cameras. A monitor uses very small bands of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light to generate colors. RGB color is considered additive color because when you add all three colors together, you get white light; when you turn off all three lights, you get black. By mixing varying amounts of red, green, and blue light, you can create most other colors. CMYK is the color mode to reproduce your job on one of our presses. It is referred to as 4 process colors. The color calibration of Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), and Black (K) determines the final color in your artwork. The disk face and the paper of DVD wrap, insert, CD traycard, etc. cannot generate light like a computer monitor. It has to rely on reflected light and the subtractive color model CMYK. When you add cyan, magenta, and yellow together (CMY), you get a color close to muddy black, and when you subtract all 3 inks, you get the white of the paper. A fourth color, black, is added for enhancing the darkness/contrast and practical reasons. It is referred to as "K" so as not to be confused with RGB blue (B). By mixing varying amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, you can create most other colors, but CMYK color has a narrower range of color that RGB does. All commercial offset or silk screen full color printing uses CMYK inks. Many colors created on your RGB monitor cannot be duplicated using CMYK inks. Your RGB monitor is generating light, so it can create some bright colors that cannot be reproduced on any CMYK printing press. Paper can only reflect light, so if you print the same RGB colors in CMYK they get flat and dull. If you are designing artwork in an RGB color space, we ll have to convert it to CMYK to print. Depending on your artwork, the colors might shift a little or a lot. So it will be wise to have your artwork designed in CMYK color mode in the very beginning so that there won't be surprises in color shifting later. Pantone or pms color codes are the various color inks made by a popular ink manufacturer. The Pantone ink book or ink chart has been adopted by graphic designers as well as Publishing Softwares such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Quark. It is a handy tool for designers to pick a color for the texts, background, logos, etc. from the ink book or pantone color engine in the programs mentioned. When a Pantone color is called for in an artwork, supposedly it will be printed exactly the same color by any print shop as long as they buy the same pantone ink from the manufacturer. But there is a cost factor, if the artwork has a photo which has to be printed in CMYK mode and the logo is defined as 3 pantone colors. The job will become cmyk + 3 pantone colors = 7 colors. A press with 7 heads will be a premium expensive press, not to mention there will be more printing plates and setup costs. So quite often, the Pantone colors need to be converted to CMYK mode to make the artwork stays at 4 process colors for economical reason. Again, such conversion will produce color shifts. Please consult your designer to view the difference.
7. How many colors you can print on the disk face and printed material? We can print the disk face in 4 process colors (CMYK) at high resolution 150 line screen offset printing with a white flood base. Or you can specify 4 Pantone colors in your artwork. We only print Pantone colors with silk screen press at 120 line screen. If the disk face design has a RGB photographic image plus a few Pantone colors defined such as texts colors and background colors, all the RGB and Pantone colors will be converted to CMYK colors. There will be a color shift in such conversion. Please consult your designer about such color shifts. For printed material such as inserts, traycard and cardboard jacket, they will all be printed in CMYK colors at 150 line screen with commercial offset printing press. If your printed material needs to be printed in Pantone colors, it will be a Custom Quote project.
8. How can I gurantee color accuracy? It is impossible to guarantee 100% color accuracy. However, you can maximize color quality by ensuring that all submitted files are in CMYK color mode so that you won't get a surprise color shift when all RGB and Pantone colors are converted to CMYK. When color fidelity is critical, especially if the quantity ordered is large, you may want to discuss with us to get a press print color proof disk at a fee. And of course, such request will automatically delay your job by a few days. For printed materials, you can order hard color proof at a fee if you need to.
9. Will the disc face color match 100% with the printed material such as DVD wrap or CD insert/traycard? The answer is it may be close but can never be 100% matching. The reason is disk face is a plastic media printed with a special printing equipment; while printed materials are paper printed in standard offset presses. Our eyes perceive colors through reflection of lights waves from the ink pigments. Because of the different media on disk and paper, it will affect the color perception by our eyes. One simple example is to apply the same ink say, red on a glossy paper such as brochure paper and on an uncoated paper such as letterhead, the same red ink will look different on the 2 different papers.
10. What if I want to create a real solid black area? When you want an area of solid black within the image, 100% black (K) will not result in a solid, saturated black. You should use rich black, which is made by mixing other colors of ink with black ink to produce a much darker, deeper black on press than can be achieved by using black ink alone. To create rich black, your CMYK calibration values must be 80% Cyan (C), 80% Magenta (M), 80% Yellow (Y), and 100% Black (K).
11. What is bleed and safety margin around the trim on printed material? Bleed is extending any color, photo, or design elements beyond the trim line as shown in our templates. The printed pieces will be cut in stacks of hundreds of sheets at a time. This stack of paper is manually jogged and there will be a slight difference in position between the top sheet and the bottom sheet. Also as the cutting blade is pressed down the stack, the high shearing pressure will tend to push the paper stack outward even though it is clamped down. Bleed provides a safety margin of error when trimming so that if the cut is a little off, the white of the paper won't show along the edge. We request you add a minimum of 1/8" of bleed to your layouts. For example if you have an item that will be trimmed to 4.75" x 4.75", you would want to add 1/8" to all sides for bleed, making the final art size 5" x 5" . Each template has guidelines set up so you can see exactly where to apply bleed to your layouts. These are generally the outermost guides. Safety margin is the opposite of bleed. If you put important information such as a song title or an important part of a photo right up against the crop line, some of it may get cut off. We recommend that you keep your type and other important elements 1/8" inside the trim line. Each template has guidelines set up so you can see exactly how much safety margin to allow. These are generally the innermost guides. In the example of an item trimmed to 4.75" x 4.75" the safety margin would be 4.5 "x 4.5".
12. What are the circles on the disk face template? A standard CD or DVD disk face is 120 mm in diameter. But the printable area is from 23 mm inner ring to 116 mm outer ring. The mirror band (plastic with no silverish face) is at 46mm and the stacking ring is from 32 mm to 36 mm. Our replicated CD or DVD can have image print through from 23 mm to 116 mm with a white flood base. If you are using Photoshop or Illustrator program, please put the template file in the top layer and do not mix any images in the layer. Your images should be done in the layers below so that you can make sure the images are within 23 - 116 mm with at least 3mm extends beyond the 23 mm inward and 116 outward. Such extension is called bleed.
13. What if the size of my artwork is different than the size specified in the product template? If you want your artwork to fit into one of our product templates, you will need to resize your images by scaling them up or down proportionally to fit into a product template. You must submit the correct size for printing.
14. Is there a font size limitation for printing on the face of the disk or printed material? We recommend 6-7 point type or larger on disk faces. You should also try to use readable type that does not have tiny lines or curls on the font face. These can be difficult to read. Another thing to remember is to keep the type at lease 1/8" away from the edge of the disc. Otherwise it may be cut off as the disk shifts slightly on production. Similar suggestion for printed materials but the font size can be as small as 3-4 point size.
15. I received a .pdf file in my email requesting me to proof. What is a PDF file? Portable document format or .PDF for short is a universal file format developed by Adobe Systems to preserve all fonts, layout, graphics, and colors of any source document. PDF allows any file to be read by the Acrobat reader regardless of the hardware or software platform on which the file was created. You can download this free Acrobat Reader from http://www.adobe.com. The PDF proof we sent to you is a purposedly reduced medium resolution image for fast internet transportation which you can view on your computer monitors. Since all computer screens are different you cannot rely on a PDF proof to represent accurate color. However, PDF will show content such as type, image and layout issues It also shows trim and bleed as well. So PDF file is the most convenient and popular ditial proof nowadays. 90% of our customers use PDF as the only proof and have no problem with our printing. Please proof the PDF file carefully and email your approval back to us so that we can start the production. When color fidelity is critical, especially if the quantity ordered is large, you may want to discuss with us to get a press print color proof disk at a fee. And of course, such request will automatically delay your job by a few days. For printed materials, you can order hard color proof at a fee if you need to.
16. Will my CDR, DVDR and DLT tapes masters be checked for flaw before you make the glass master? Yes, our mastering program will check if your CDR, DVDR and DLT tapes files meet the standard before we can use them to make glass masters. If the masters provided do not meet the standard, there will be an error report and we will get in touch with you. Most of the time the error report will pinpoint the exact problem such as missing layer break for DVD9 dual layer disc. But some times the error message can be too general to know the issue. You will need to fix the masters and resend them to us. Our mastering program can only check for techical errors that won't meet the CD or DVD playing standard. It cannot view your movie to catch authoring flaw such as artifacts from too much compression, slurry shadowy motion which may be special effect or authoring flaw, or navigation button won't function. For CDR and DVDR masters, we will be responsible to reproduce them as is. So check your CDR and DVDR to make sure it is flawless before you send them to us.
Products
1. What is your CD/DVD Content Policy? When you purchase from our online store, you are required to check our Terms & Conditions. By doing so, you agree to abide by all rules and regulations pertaining to on-line decency and appropriate and acceptable content. Recognizing the global nature of the Internet, you agree to comply with all local rules regarding online conduct and acceptable Content. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for details.
2. Does CDVD123 replicate or duplicate discs and what is the difference? We do both. Disk replication refers to the manufacturing process that starts with raw material to manufacture your disks from scratch. We check your masters to make sure it is error free and then make a glass master of your disk. This glass master is used to create a stamper . The stamper is mounted on the machine that uses heat and pressure to high speed mold your disks one at a time. This is the commercial disk manufacturing process but is only cost effective for quantity 1,000 or up. The cost of creating both the glass master and stamper are already included in the prices shown in our instant pricing table in our Product pages. All the disc prices shown in this website are replication prices. Disk duplication refers to the process of burning blank CD-R or DVD-R disc with a disc drive much the same way you copy files from your computer.to a blank disc in your system's disc burner. This is the most economical way to do small runs such as 50 or 100 pieces since no glass mastering or stamper will be needed. Besides is can be done fast; 1-2 days. The drawback is duplicated CDR or DVDR may not play on some players, especially some older models. For duplicating pricing, please send us Custom Quote Request.
3. Do you copy my master disc exactly as I send it? Absolutely. For CDR and DVDR masters, we will be responsible to reproduce them as is. We do not alter your disk in any way before we duplicate or replicate it. If the master is a NTSC DVD5 with one hour movie, the replicated disc will be DVDD5 with one hour movie. If the master is a PAL DVD9 with 2.5 hours movie, the replicated disc will be a DVD9 with 2.5 hours movie. So check your CDR and DVDR masters to make sure it is flawless before you send them to us.
4. Can I rely on CDVD123 to produce quality products that I order? Our CD and DVD manufacturing facility is ISO 9001-2000 certified. Most people are aware of ISO. This is an industry association and standard used to insure quality manufactured products. Also we have over 15 years printing experience. Things like ink density, slurring, offseting, and other technical issues are reviewed in an effort to produce the best possible printed piece.
5. What is the difference between DVD5 and DVD9? DVD5 is a one side single layer disc with a maximum content 4.7 GB. Typically it can play about 1 hour - 1.5 hours max good quality movie. DVD9 is a one side dual layers disc with a maximm content 8.54 GB. Typically use it for 2 hours good quality movie and you don't need to flip disc to finish viewing the movie since both layers are on the same side which is much more convenient than the DVD10 which needs to be flipped since it is a 2 side single layer disc. DVD10 will have 4.7 GB each side.
6. What is NTSC and PAL standard? NTSC is the video system or standard used in North America and most of South America (Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Taiwan & U.S.A.). In NTSC, 30 frames are transmitted each second. Each frame is made up of 525 individual scan lines. PAL is the predominant video system or standard mostly used in Europe and overseas countries other than the NTSC country list. In PAL, 25 frames are transmitted each second. Each frame is made up of 625 individual scan lines.
7. What is Region Coding for DVDs? The DVD world is divided into six major geographical regions, with two additional regions reserved for specialized use. To keep it simple, this means that DVD players and DVDs are labeled for operation on within a specific geographical region in the world. For example, the U.S. is in region 1. This means that all DVD players sold in the U.S. are made to region 1 specifications. As a result, region 1 players can only play region 1 discs. That's right, the DVDs themselves are encoded for a specific region. On the back of each DVD package, you will a find a region number (1 thru 6). The geographical regions are as follows: REGION 1 -- USA, Canada REGION 2 -- Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East, Greenland REGION 3 -- S.Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Parts of South East Asia REGION 4 -- Australia, New Zealand, Latin America (including Mexico) REGION 5 -- Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Africa REGION 6 -- China REGION 7 -- Reserved for Unspecified Special Use REGION 8 -- Resevered for Cruise Ships, Airlines, etc... REGION 0 or REGION ALL -- Discs are uncoded and can be played Worldwide, however, PAL discs must be played in a PAL-compatible unit and NTSC discs must be played in an NTSC-compatible unit. The end result is that DVDs encoded for regions other than Region 1 cannot be played on a region 1 DVD player, also, players marketed for other regions cannot play region 1-stamped DVDs. According to what the public is being told, such coding is a tool to protect copyright and film distribution rights (in other words, movie studio profits).
8. Will the replicated DVD play in all DVD players? No replicators can 100% guarantee their replicated DVDs will play in all DVD player/decks. DVDs standards and Region codings have been evolving over the years. There are several formats that exist and some of the older DVD players will not be compatible with the recent formatting styles. Do not let this issue discourage you from producing your projects. Just remember that not all players will work. To make the master disc compatible with the most equipment, we recommend you have a professional studio create the master for you. Another thing you can do is try your master disk in a number of different DVD players. If the disc works in all of them, the replicated DVDs will play with most machines.
9. What is the capacity and sound track time limit on CDs? Typical data CD will have 650 MB capacity. Typical music CDs will have a time limit of 78 minutes if you want them to be compatible with most playback equipment. It will be always a good practice to leave some safety room such as 20 MB for data CD and 2 minutes for voice CD.
10. Will the replicated CD play in all CD players? Again, not 100% guaranteed. CDs are much more forgiving than DVDs but problems can exist. The most common mistake we see is when a client formats the CD on a computer and does not use settings that will allow the CD to operate on a standard CD player such as the one in your car. The best way to avoid this kind of problem is to try the master disk in several different machines before sending it to us.
11. Can I choose specific paper for my print products? Yes, definitely. You can send Custom Quote Request with detail paper brand and weight for us to price it out. However, be prepared that the price will be much higher because your print job will not be able to gang run with other jobs to share some of the fix cost.
12. I only have 1 title and need to have UPC code to sell to distributors. Do you provide UPC code for such use? Ideally you should have your own UPC barcode for your product. But if budget and timing becomes an issue, we can help by providing you a barcode to use. Please contact us via email support@cdvd123.com for such need.
13. Do you offer HD and Blue Ray disc replication service? No, not yet.
|
|
 |
|
Home
|
About Us
|
Contact Us
|
Privacy Policy
|
Terms & Conditions
|
Turnaround Time
©Copyright 2007. 4P Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
|