Optical Disc Face Layout

The early 80's first incarnation of disc printing machines only covered the bright aluminum area of the CD face. When customers began to complain about the wasted space towards the center, CD manufacturers began to introduce new extended areas to offer designers.

CDman now offers a full size specification which covers the maximum screen area that the disc surface can accommodate.

The standard printable area of the disc runs from the outside diameter of 116mm and stops at the inside edge at 23mm diameter.

NOTE: There will be a 1mm band of aluminum around your design at 116mm to 117mm (outermost edge) when the CD comes out of silk-screening.

Please consider that light passes through the clear plastic center so your ink will change color (tint) when holding the disc up towards a light source. 

Also be careful not to print dark text over the mirror band without a white flood.  The text will be lost and impossible to read because of the dark mirror band (more info below)

The main aluminum area of the disc is reflective but dull in appearance and contains no dark colors. However, between the clear plastic and the dull aluminum is a highly reflective ring or a "mirror band" containing various codes and markings (35mm to 46mm).

Because the mirror band is so dark, it has a tendency to swallow anything printed on top of it. There is a definite lack of contrast between dark letters and the mirror band presenting a challenge to the eyes to distinguish these elements when printed on top of the mirror band.