What is a short run for custom CDs and DVDs?

A short run is the heart of CD and DVD business and refers to a small order, usually under 1,000 disks. Most customers aren’t looking for a mega order of CDs or DVDs, so short runs are pretty common in this industry.
We’re telling you this because we want you to know most custom CD and DVD companies welcome your small orders – short runs really are the heart of our business. Of course there are companies that look for just the mega orders – tens, even hundreds of thousands of custom CDs or DVDs – but they’re just a few.
Okay, so now you know a short run refers to the size of an order, typically less than 1,000 and more often less than 500 custom CDs and DVDs. And some orders are for as few as 100 custom disks. Why do people need short runs of custom CDs and DVDs? Plenty of reasons!

• Trade shows

When that serious visitor comes to your booth, you want to hand them something special with even more materials than the casual visitor wants. That’s why many customers order 100 to 500 custom CDs or DVDs. They’re easy to pack, easy to ship and easy to grab and hand out.

• Training

Most of us don’t work with more than a few dozen or few hundred trainees at a time, and that situation is just asking for a short run of CDs or DVDs uploaded with all your training materials and videos.

• Education

It’s another semester of smiling faces because you ordered a short run of custom CDs with all the course materials – syllabus, study notes and test dates – uploaded to them. You can hand out DVDs with instructional videos or other materials too. Sweet!

• Corporations

There are so many uses for short run CDs or DVDs in the business world, for meeting materials, blank custom-branded disks, new hire information, instructional videos, data storage… the list goes on and on!

• Data archiving

Want a convenient, economical format for data archival? With a short run of CDs or DVDs you can simply transfer your electronic data – or scanned hard copies – right to your custom disks. Can you imagine the space you’ll save? Better yet, think of how easy data retrieval will be when it’s on custom disks!

• Conferences

You just don’t need thousands of custom CDs or DVDs for that upcoming conference – but a short run would be ideal for the few hundred you expect to distribute. Perfect!

• Recruiting

How important is that recruit to your future? Is he or she worth a few dollars for a custom CD or DVD? You bet! And your custom disk will include all the details, photos and videos that will make your presentation perfect.
Short runs are the heart of our business in the custom CD and DVD industry because they meet your needs – our customers. So when you see a need rise for a short run of disks, don’t hesitate to place an order – you’ll be glad you did!

The Creativity Gene And Your Custom CDs And DVDs

Wow! These CDs are amazing! What a cool DVD! That’s what you’d like your customers, fans or clients to say when they hold your new, custom CDs and DVDs in their hands for the first time. And that’s why your CD’s or DVD’s first impressions are so important: they set the tone for your audience, from excited anticipation to intense focus, that will either propel your audience into the heart of your disk’s message or  . . . well, the other option. What you need to avoid is that other option, and for your next custom CD or DVD project we can tell you how.
How? To wow your CD or DVD audience at first glance, use something that transfixes them with your custom disk’s message and reels them in from the start.
Well, that’s the problem, right? How many people know how to create a first impression like that? Not everyone, that’s for sure. But for a select few it’s an easy project, simple and fun . . . and that’s who you want working with you.
Who is that? Someone with what we call the rare Creativity Gene, a mysterious and often mis-understood genetic gift that genuinely occurs only in a few rare individuals.
The Creativity Gene amazes most of the rest of us, even awes us, and we would never consider ourselves in possession of even a little of that gene. But . . . those gifted with the gene can help make your next custom CD or DVD project a raving success. Let’s see how.
We really don’t have to tell you how the Creativity Gene fits into your custom CD and DVD pictures. It’s pretty obvious: to get the wow and the excitement and the focus with your CDs and DVDs, it takes creative juices behind the creation of the first impression. That means having a good creative design team leading the way through your custom CD and DVD projects. And don’t get in the tight-budget-panic now either.
If you find a design team you want to work with but they’re a little expensive, just do it – hire them, work with them . . . and be prepared to be amazed. Really, when the difference between good and fantastic is just a few dollars, don’t hesitate.

Have we convinced you to hire a professional, creative design team for your custom CD and DVD projects? If you’re on the fence or your answer is no, try these things:

• Ask other business associates. Find out what they’ve done on their custom CD and DVD projects. Then ask them if a great design team has made a difference for their disk project success.
• Use Google – do an image search on some of your CD and DVD ideas. A great design team will know which graphics are ideal for your project. And all this will make the difference between a good finished product and a really amazing one, a CD or DVD disk that sends your results soaring past your goals.
• Look at your competition’s CDs and DVDs. Do they have an edge because they utilize the Creativity Gene to get ahead of the CD and DVD pack? Do the same thing – a great design team will have your competition somewhere far behind you on the road to success.

Even if you don’t possess your own Creativity Gene, your custom CD and DVD projects will still benefit from the creative magic a good design team will liberally sprinkle on you project. That’s because those that have the elusive Creativity Gene love to share it. So when your next custom CD and DVD project comes up, work confidently with your design team to arrive at an incredibly successful finish.

Custom CD or DVD project ahead? Here is the scoop on graphics details

We-know-who’s in the details, right? Since custom CDs and DVDs are our business, we can help you keep your disk projects above water, safely committed to safer sources than you-know-who. Because it really is all in the details.
Most custom CD and DVD companies are reputable businesses that can do a good job for you. Let’s delve a little deeper to learn about CD or DVD services available so you know what to ask when choosing a company. In this article we list a few of the more popular graphics services available for your projects.

Photo Enhancement
You think you have the perfect photo for your CD’s cover – well, almost perfect. Except for, well, the slightly blurry background or a too-dark picture or fuzzy, undefined lines or why-did-she-wear-that-color? Ask your prospective vendors what kind of photo adjustments they can make. Can they turn your near-perfect photo into the perfect photo?
You want a service provider that can handle color changes, make lines sharper and do brightness adjustments and saturation enhancements. And that’s what a better custom CD or DVD company can do to make your photos work.

Illustration & Graphics
If you don’t have the photos or artwork for your CD or DVD project, you’ll need a service provider that can find what you need. What illustration and graphics resources does the company have at its disposal? As a general rule of thumb, the longer a company’s been around, the bigger their illustration and graphics library.
And don’t dismiss a company that talks about buying your custom CD\DVD illustrations or graphics from a commercial source. If they don’t have a perfect fit for you, it’s a good sign when they’re willing to search for it.

Color Correction
Color correction is an easily-overlooked detail, but it can make or break your CD or DVD project. Just a slightly incorrect color combo will steal the potential “feel-good” from a product and leave clients, customers or fans with a less-than-professional impression of you.
The colors must match, but that sounds easier than it sometimes is. A good service provider will know when the colors need tweaking to provide a perfect blend for your CD or DVD graphics and artwork. They will use universal Pantone colors for your job too. All this is easy for the right company.
Color corrections require a trained eye and should really be left to the pros. Ask if the company does color correction and how much experience the staff has before you commit your CD or DVD project.

Typesetting
Remember the cartoons of old typesetters, sitting in front of a board with wooden cubes to set type? Today we use some pretty cool and sophisticated software for typesetting your custom CD or DVD print. Do you want a specific type font, or are you looking for something unique?
You’re in luck because today’s options are truly awesome with our industry’s software. Just beware: not all CD/DVD companies have dished out the money for better software, so if your custom CD or DVDs type requirements are anywhere out of norm, ask if your prospective company can handle the job to your satisfaction.

Preflight Inspections
Wow – you’ve finished the planning, and you’re ready to step away from the drawing board and onto the runway. Congratulations – you’re almost done! Just one more very important step: before you take off down the runway, have a professional scrutinize your work because once those wheels are off the ground it’s too late for changes.
Does your company offer preflight inspections, or are your eyes the final project review? Good question – be sure to ask.

There you have it, more about the important details that make your custom CD or DVD project successful, and enough information to ask the right questions. If your project is important enough to commit the time and finances to complete, it’s just as important to follow up with these details. You’ll be half-way to a successful CD/ DVD project when you do, so congratulations to you!

how you can bring your CD’s or DVD’s graphics ideas to life

Your next CD or DVD project is right down the road, and you have these great-crazy-exciting ideas swirling around in your head about the CD’s or DVD’s graphics. But you’re really not creative, so you keep your mouth shut. Don’t stop! Let’s talk about how you can bring your ideas to life.
Don’t let the fact that you’re not a graphic artist slow you down. The best ideas come from our CD and DVD project owners – people like you, the people behind the projects, the details and all the work. Defining your disk project’s graphics ideas is the goal here, not completing camera-ready graphics.
You’ve heard stories about ideas scribbled on a napkin becoming world-changing realities. Well, we’re not aiming for anything quite that noble. But the idea is the same: get your ideas down on paper – or screen – or whatever – and don’t worry about the details.

A few points to keep in mind:

• Always keep your project’s goals in mind.

Once your ideas start flowing it’s easy to get sidetracked in a different direction. You want to stay on track.

• Stick to your theme.

Goals and themes are different. Your goal may be to sell CDs, but your theme may be to introduce a new style of music to your audience.
Now start scribbling, writing, drawing. Play with it. Google your ideas for more ideas. Check out your competition to see how they’ve handled it. Notice colors, lines, white spaces. Where is your eye first drawn?
Sometimes when you have an idea for graphics, it’s not easy to put on paper. Some ideas are just ideas, floating around in a vague, blurry, undefined space. Don’t give up – you can do something with these too if you:

• Find words to define your idea.

What “feel” does your idea/space have, what thoughts or words come to mind? Is it energetic, or soft and quiet? Find words to define that vagueness. Maybe it conveys a sense of strength, or it’s all colorful and swirly.
These are all words to take to a design team because they say a lot about your ideas. In other words, you don’t have to provide an artistic sketch of your ideas when words can do the same thing.
Designing your own graphics – logo, brand or artwork – can be as simple as coming up with an idea and handing it over to a design team for finishing touches. Or as amazing as handing over a nearly-finished graphic to a professional. Either way, they’re your ideas!
And even if you think your ideas are simple enough to polish yourself, plan to hand them over to a professional for finishing. You’ll be glad you did when you see what a professional touch adds to a project.
Amazing, right? Now you know: you can help create your project’s graphics!