Most of these solutions have two big problems: cost of media and compatibility.
At $10 a 100 MB ZIP©* cartridge delivers only 10MB of storage per dollar. At $110 a 2 GB JAZZ©*
cartridge gives 18.7 MB per dollar. Backup tapes fall into the same range and their advertised capacities are usually shown as double the real data capacity, based on the assumption that the user will achieve a 2:1 compression ratio (I usually get 1.4:1!). Backup tapes are also notoriously slow, and retrieving just one small file from a backup tape could easily take five minutes or longer because of the way tapes work.
The other problem with these storage solutions is compatibility. Most computers will not be equipped to read the data stored on these types of media so you'll be severely limited in your ability to share files with other users.
CD blanks sell for as little as 19 cents each
Imagine a type of media that delivers over 3GB of real (not compressed) storage per dollar, can be read on almost every current computer, and allows you to quickly and easily retrieve whatever files you want as easily as reading them off of a hard drive. You don't need to imagine it, it's already here, it's recordable CDs!
Recordable CDs hold 650 MB of data and typically cost only 39 cents each, sometimes in large quantities and/or in specials they cost only 19 cents or even less! With 56X CD ROMs being common place, data written to a CD can be read on most computers as easily and almost as quickly as it can be read off a hard drive!
Regular (read only) data CDs have been on the market for many years now and have pretty much become standard equipment. Because they are read only they are often referred to as "CD ROMs". This is technically incorrect, since they aren't memory (ROM=Read Only Memory), but the term has been pretty much fixed and is now widely accepted. Let's take a look at one:
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As you can see, a regular CD has a silvery appearance on both sides. It also acts much like a mirror and is almost opaque. It isn't completely opaque, however, if you hold it up to a bright light and look closely you will notice that some light does show through. If you tilt it you'll see that light "refraction" causes "rainbows" to appear on it's surface. Note that one side has printing on it. Because only one side is used for data, the printing does not interfere with the CDs function. On some CDs, data is recorded on both sides and printing appears only in the center ring, which isn't usable for data. Yes, some software distributors have actually put over 1 GB of data on a single CD! The data isn't actually recorded on the surface, instead it is recorded inside, underneath the surface. |
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As you can see, the appearance of a recordable CD is somewhat different. The front has a "golden" appearance, where as the back has a bluish green appearance. Like a regular CD, it acts as a mirror and refraction causes "rainbows" to appear on its surface. If you hold it up to the light, you'll see that much more light shows through. This recordable CD, like regular CDs, has printing on one side. Many recordable CDs, also known as CD blanks, have no printing. As we'll see later, this is sometimes an advantage. Even those without printing usually have only one recordable side, however. Recordable CDs are available with a "silvery" surface, but golden surface is standard. |
There is one problem with Multisession CDs, some of the older CD drives couldn't read them or would "see" only the first session. More recent CD drives (most that are 4X or better) have no problem with multisession CDs and if you really needed to make a CD for someone with one of the older drives you could always copy all the data to a single session CD.
Of course, you still have the limitation of not being able to rename, delete, or reorganize files.
This limitation is addressed by CDRW (Compact Disk Re Writable) technology. With CDRW, it is possible to erase, rename and reorganize files much the same way as you do on a floppy or hard drive. There are drawbacks, however. Like multisession technology, there may be compatibility problems but they can be addressed the same way, by making a normal CDR with the same data.
Some CD writers sell for as little as $40!
At one time CDRW drives were a bit pricy, typically costing $100 more than standard CDR drives. This has changed, however, and these days CDRW is standard with CDR only drives having gone the way of 360K floppy drives. In case you're wondering, yes, CDRW drives can also write to normal CDR media. The utility of CDR/CDRW is so widely recognized now that many computers come with them as standard equipment!
When CDRW media first appeared it was very expensive, with disks selling for 15-20 dollars each! This has changed, however, and now CDRW disks often sell for 50 cents each or even less!
While CDRW is no longer limited to 2X, the standard is still only 10X. Though some drives can do 24X rewriting, 24X certified media is not commonly available. So for now at least, the speed of standard CDR and its somewhat lower cost outweighs the inability to erase and although many users have CDRW capability they still do most of the recording on CDR media.
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Once you've recorded a CD, you'll want to label it so you'll know what's on it without having to stick it in the drive. It is possible to write on the front of a CD with a permanent ink felt tip marker (*never* use a ball point!). You'll note that the recordable CD shown on the left has a printed label for just that purpose. This does look kind of "hoaky" however, and if the CD is on a shelf with just the edge of the Jewel case (the protective plastic cover the CD is kept in) showing, you'll have to take the CD off the shelf to see which one it is. Fortunately there is a solution to this, custom jewel case inserts: |
If you have a decent printer you can use it to print a custom insert on normal paper. Heavy weight paper is recommended. Many CD writers come with the software needed to do this. Unless you have special precut forms, you'll have to cut out the inserts after you print them. Scissors will work, but a paper cutter will be easier to use and give better results.
The back insert contains two flaps which must be folded upward to make it fit in the case. The flap that is printed on the right will wind up on the left (viewing from the front) when the insert is placed in the jewel case. This flap will be visible when the jewel case is sitting on a shelf.
You might be asking, "isn't there a better way to label the CD itself?" This is a valid concern since the CD could be easily misidentified if you put it in the wrong case. One way is with a special CD label. One really easy way to do this is with a labeling kit which sells for about $40. This kit includes software for most modern printers as well as labels and a special label applicator. A refill kit of 100 labels costs about $25. You can find these and other cd labels here.
For a more "professional" look you can print directly on the CD. Though prices have come down recently, the necessary hardware is still on the expensive side. Unless you plan to start a business that involves distributing large numbers of CDs, you probably don't want to persue this option! For more information go to ioproducts.com.
For this purpose, you should use CDR media that isn't already printed and for best results be sure that it is specified as "printable".
| Part two of this FAQ A more advanced CDR FAQ CD Writer software |
Blank CDR disks CD Writers CD Labels |
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