# help: | # LightScribe
| LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling is an exciting disc labeling technology that enables you to burn CD and DVD labels simply by flipping the discs over and putting them back in the same disc drive that burned your data. LightScribe technology combines the CD or DVD drive of your computer with specially coated discs and SmileOnMyMac's DiscLabel CD/DVD labeling software to produce precise, silkscreen-quality, iridescent labels. With LightScribe, your disc is your label. It’s the no-hassle way to create awesome-looking labels for all your music mix CDs, digital video or photo archives, and for any business application. DiscLabel can be used to label LightScribe media with a LightScribe compliant media labeler. Your LightScribe drive should be turned on when you launch DiscLabel, or DiscLabel will not recognize it. Printing with LightScribe To print, you must be in DiscLabel's Media function. Choose one of the LightScribe label options as your choice of label from the Media list:
LightScribe Content Label | Covers an area large enough to hold a title and track titles
LightScribe Full Label | Covers the entire printable surface
LightScribe Title Label | Covers an area large enough to hold a title
NOTE: LightScribe provides these three different label sizes (also termed modes) to choose from depending upon how much information and creative expression you want each label to have. The label burn time will generally increase as more of the disc is covered. Drag the design you want to print from the column on the left onto the label display if it does not already appear, then click Print. The LightScribe print dialog will automatically generate a preview for you, suited to the media in the selected drive. You can adjust the contrast of the final label with the Contrast selector. To print your label, click Print in the LightScribe dialog, and the label will be printed to the LightScribe media. A progress bar and timer shows how long it will be before printing is complete. Contrast Levels LightScribe provides three different contrast levels for you to choose from when labeling your discs. The label burn time will increase from Draft to Normal to Best.
Draft | Provides the fastest burn time with lowest contrast. Use for utility labels.
Normal | Provides moderate burn time with good contrast. Use for professional labels.
Best | Provides the sharpest contrast with the longest burn time. Use for important business transactions, gifts and personal treasures.
You can also increase the contrast by moving the Enhance slider to the right. This applies a contrast filter to your design before it is passed to the LightScribe driver for printing. In particular this will help to increase text readability and improve weak image contrast. Label Print Times The label print time varies with the amount of information contained on the label, the placement of the information on the label, the contrast level selected, the LightScribe disc used and the drive. The LightScribe system burns the image in concentric, circular rings from the inside diameter to the outside diameter of the label surface. Rings that contain no image data are skipped. A simple, circular title, such as a LightScribe Title Label, is accomplished most quickly because the information is limited to a circular rings close to the inside diameter. The density of the rings is adjusted according to the contrast level selection so higher contrast is achieved through more densely packaged rings. The LightScribe disc itself and the drive compatibilities also influence the label burn time. You can always complete other tasks on your computer while a label is burning. Setting up a Label for Specific LightScribe Media Dimensions DiscLabel helps you to design for best LightScribe output by offering pre-built LightScribe-optimized templates, and also the ability to directly set the text formatting radii for a CD/DVD label. To choose a LightScribe template, from File–New Design, select LightScribe Templates as the Create design from category, and then choose one of the templates offered. There are blank templates as a starting point for each of the specific label types listed above, and also text templates for each of the label types, you can then augment and edit, as you would any other DiscLabel template. If you already have a label you wish to optimize for one of the LightScribe label sizes, or, if you wish to create one from scratch, you can set the text formatting radii yourself. In the Edit function, click the Align tab, and from the hole size selector, choose Other Boundary. The resulting dialog allows you to choose a custom boundary size, or a LightScribe specific label size. The only way in which this affects your label is by constraining text region clipping and wrapping. You will want to use this with most of the DiscLabel templates to ensure that text in rectangular blocks correctly fits within the constraints of the LightScribe media. LightScribe Media Identification The LightScribe system requires the use of LightScribe-enabled discs. LightScribe uses control features in the center/hub of the disc to identify media as LightScribe media. If your system does not seem to recognize the media as LightScribe media, take the following steps. Make sure the disc is a LightScribe-enabled disc. LightScribe media will have the LightScribe logo in the inner hub area. There will also be visible control features inside, and adjacent to, the coated label area. Make sure the disc is properly oriented in the drive. The label side, which contains a special coating, should be face down in the drive. Clean the center area (hub) of the disc. Use a lint-free cloth to wipe the hub area and remove any dirt or smudges that may be covering the control features. If these steps do not fix the problem, try another LightScribe disc. |
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