LightScribe

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LightScribe logo

Lightscribe is a technology developed by HP and Lite-On for writing on a CD or DVD (DL) using a CD / DVD burner . In contrast to the Labelflash method, it is not the data side that is written, but the label side of the data carrier. Special blanks and Lightscribe-capable burners are required for such labeling. Burners that do not support Lightscribe cannot be upgraded.

Initially, the matt surfaces were always bronze-colored (see also the illustration below), later other colors were added. In November 2008 Verbatim was the first manufacturer to bring double-layer DVD + Rs with a LightScribe surface onto the market.

During 2011, HP stopped installing LightScribe-enabled optical drives in HP notebooks and desktops. Other manufacturers have also stopped producing LightScribe-enabled drives. The official LightScribe website was still available until 2013, but has since been removed by HP, so that LightScribe drivers and programs can essentially only be obtained from unofficial sources.

functionality

CD labeled with Lightscribe
The tracks after writing on the DVD (a light area above and a dark area below)

A LightScribe blank has a light-sensitive surface coating on the label side, which changes its color when it is hit by infrared laser light with a wavelength of 780 nm. The burned-in lettering is monochrome gray to black on the respective color of the surface. The lettering can no longer be erased, but it can only fade after nine months at the earliest under permanent exposure to normal artificial light. Since a CD or DVD should always be kept protected from light, this is usually not relevant in practice.

A barcode in the middle of the blank is used to precisely determine the position of the rotating data carrier in the burner. This makes it possible to expand an existing label. If a particularly strong lettering is desired, a blank can also be labeled congruently several times, as the lettering becomes darker with each firing process. However, the time required is great and the lettering is not always perfectly congruent; If there are high aesthetic demands on the labeling, the LightScribe process is currently only suitable to a limited extent. The barcode reduces the usable labeling area compared to industrially printed CDs. The diameter of the unprintable area in the middle is 47 mm instead of 27 mm.

A lettering cycle for full-surface lettering takes about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the drive. This disadvantage is partly put into perspective by the fact that, unlike the burning process, the labeling process is not critical with regard to interruptions, which means that it can run in the background while the computer can be used for other work. There is also the option of not fully labeling a CD / DVD, but only partially to save time. Some labeling programs (e.g. the LightScribe Labeler from LaCie ) also support the ability to control several drives connected in parallel at the same time.

It is positive that no additional printer is required for the lettering and that the lettering is absolutely smear-free. Also, no paper is used that could peel off in the drive.

The method is better suited for dark writing on a light background than the other way around, since unavoidable concentric variations in blackening are clearly easier to see in large areas burned.

Licensee

Status: May 2006

  • Optical media manufacturer: Mitsubishi Chemical Company, CMC Magnetics Corporation, Moser Baer India Limited
  • Device manufacturers: LG Electronics , Plextor , Pioneer , Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology, Lite-On IT Corporation, Panasonic Communications, Panasonic Shikoku, Hitachi-LG Data Storage, BenQ, Philips , Asus, Samsung , Datatronics
  • Brand owners, optical media: Primeon, HP, Imation, Memorex, Philips, TDK, Verbatim
  • Brand owner, hardware: HP, BenQ, LaCie
  • Software developer: Nero, Sonic Solutions

Software that Lightscribe supports

  • BackUp MyPC 2006 ( Roxio )
  • Burning Studio from version 9.10 ( Ashampoo )
  • CDBurnerXP
  • Cover Studio from version 2.00 (Ashampoo)
  • DeepBurner
  • Disc Cover RE (Droppix)
  • DiscLabel 6 (Application Systems Heidelberg)
  • DiscLabel (SmileOnMyMac)
  • Easy Media Creator 8 ( Roxio )
  • EasyDVd Copy 2.x ( Roxio )
  • Express Labeler (Droppix)
  • Label Maker (Droppix)
  • LabelPrint 2 ( CyberLink )
  • LightScribe Labeler for Linux (4L) (LaCie)
  • LightScribe Simple Labeler (Hewlett-Packard)
  • LightScribe Template Labeler (Hewlett-Packard)
  • MyDVD 8 ( Roxio )
  • Nero Burning ROM from version 6.6.0.8 ( Nero AG )
  • Qt lightScribe (Linux software)
  • Recorder (Droppix)
  • RecordNow 8 ( Roxio )
  • SureThing CD / DVD Labeler (MicroVision)
  • Toast 8 Titanium ( Roxio )
  • VideoWave 8 ( Roxio )
  • WinOnCD ( Roxio )
  • and all burning and printing software that carry the LightScribe logo

See also

Footnotes

  1. Transition from the HP LightScribe Optical Drive. HP Germany, accessed on August 4, 2017 .
  2. http://www.pawtec.com/lightscribe/

Web links