Magic Marker on CD-R and DVD-R - No Good?

[Ziggy]

I came across an interesting article about using permanent markers on CDs and DVDs.

http://www.tapeonline.com/articles/usin ... n-cds-dvds

Any one use the Sharpie CD/DVD marker?

[Anapan]

I'd heard that too, but I use permanent sharpie almost exclusively now. I consider burnt discs to be disposable. In my experience, many die on their own after about 7 or 10 years even if they've been kept in the dark, in jewel cases slightly below room temperature that were written on using official cd marking felt pens (I used to have them, didn't help).

[samsonlonghair]

I labeled my CD-Rs with Sharpie Marker twelve years ago. They still play just fine today. I fail to see the problem.

[Gunstar Green]

Most permanent markers like Magic Markers and Sharpies use solvent based ink so theoretically it could damage a CD over a long, long time.

DVDs have an extra layer of plastic to protect the data so I'd worry about them even less.

If you're really paranoid about it you can look up non-solvent based markers and choose which one best suits your needs.

[Ziggy]

You know, I was thinking the same thing. I have a lot of CD-Rs that I burnt when I was in high school (I graduated in 05) and a lot of them still work. The ones that have stopped working, it could be for any number of reasons (cheap crappy media, burned at fastest speed, etc). So I'm not so inclined to care so much. However, the last line of the article is right.

One thing is certain - proper care of any disc will extend its life.

I consider burnt discs to be disposable.

Me too, But why not do whatever it takes to get the most amount of time out of them? If anything I care about is on burnt media, it's only a redundancy. However, I still want my burned discs to last as long as possible. I'm not gonna buy those special Sharpie markers (and mostly only because Amazon reviews suggest they're not worth the price) but the article did have a great suggestion. On discs that aren't filled completely with data, write on the disc where there isn't any data. That way, if the marker ink DOES eventually leak through after a decade, it wont effect anything. I'll do this every time, but of course, most of the discs I burn (CD or DVD) are usually always max size.

I fail to see the problem.

The problem is that it may happen. I guess it depends on the exact make of disc and marker.

[samsonlonghair]

So... We're concerned about a theoretical problem?

Much like you, I still have old CD-Rs from High School. They still work fine despite the nefarious malfeasance of applying sharpie marker to the delicate surface. The few that don't work, don't work because they're scratched up to heck. The ones I kept in sleeves or CD binders all still work great.

[Exhuminator]

I also worry about writing on the disc label surface, thinking the solvent might damage the dye. So I just write on the spindle plastic with a fine point Sharpie instead.

[TSTR]

that image is really funny to me for some reason

[Ziggy]

So... We're concerned about a theoretical problem?

No, not theoretical. Apparently there are plenty of people out there complaining that Sharpies ruined their burnt discs 10 years after the fact. I said "may" because it appears like it's not a sure thing.

The few that don't work, don't work because they're scratched up to heck. The ones I kept in sleeves or CD binders all still work great.

See, that's not my experience. None of my discs are scratched up. I use to use CD-Rs to back up data (when my largest HDD was only 80GB). I've kept them all either in a wallet or a cake spindle, so they're not scratched at all. I've found a couple that don't work for no apparent reason. I have no idea why they went bad though. Could have been anything. Cheap brand, burned at fastest speed, not idea environment, Sharpie marker, or the sum of all the parts!

I also worry about writing on the disc label surface, thinking the solvent might damage the dye. So I just write on the spindle plastic with a fine point Sharpie instead.

Cool. The article I linked had that as one of the suggestions. I never thought to write on the hub, it always looked to me like a surface that Sharpie markers wouldn't adhere to well. Like you'd write on it, then it would never fully dry and wipe off easy.

[Exhuminator]

Like you'd write on it, then it would never fully dry and wipe off easy.

From my personal experience the Sharpie brand dries on just fine and doesn't wipe off.

The thing that really kills writeable DVDs and CDs is high heat and/or excessive humidity. That's why I wouldn't store my discs in a basement, attic, garage, or shed.