Press shop (optical data carrier)
A press shop is an industrial plant for the series production of optical data carriers such as CDs or DVDs .
Writable optical data carriers ( CD-R , DVD ± R ) or magnetic tapes in DLT format are generally used as the output format for premastering .
The production takes place here by injection compression molding (an injection molding process ), whereby liquid polycarbonate is injected into a mold using a high-pressure press, which uses the stamper previously created as part of the mastering as a die. The optical data carriers are then coated with an aluminum layer ( sputtered or metallized ) and sealed with a layer of varnish that is dried under UV light . The data carriers are then ready for printing and can already be played.
Duplication in a press shop falls under the term replication . In contrast, a copier is the place where optical data media are duplicated with the help of burners .
While there is only a manageable number of stamping plants, when looking for a suitable provider you usually come across so-called CD agencies that act as brokers. Thanks to a relatively large annual purchase volume, these players receive a discount from the press shops that makes up their profit. For smaller quantities up to a few thousand, it is usually cheaper for the end consumer to contact a broker than to contact a press shop directly.