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How To Print Cover Art


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#1 Kathlib the Prophet

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Posted 12 December 2004 - 08:45 PM

Cover Printing Software:Printing Hardware:
  • Epson Stylus Photo R320 (prints directly onto discs)
  • Lightscribe DVD/CD burners (burns images directly onto disc surfaces)
Paper Types:
  • Glossy Paper - the best paper for printing cover artwork, it leaves a nice shiny cover that looks like a real photo, however it's also the most expensive.
  • Multi-Project Photo Paper - better print quality than generic paper; ink can still smudge but not as bad as on generic paper and the color doesn't fade; more expensive than generic paper but less than glossy paper.
  • Generic Paper - color fades, ink smudges; not too good for printing cover art but it's inexpensive.
How to Print CD Stomps (tutorial written by leglessmoof):

Like most of you, I use Cover XP Pro for all my cover printing needs. However, my printer is pretty inaccurate, so whenever I print CD stomps with CoverXP they never line up correctly on the template.

So I realized an obvious way around this when I started printing covers from LiveMetallica. The LiveMetallica CD stomps are slightly larger then they need to be, so if they don't line up exactly, you still get the main part of the cover on the label and the extra runs off the label. It appears afterward that the label lined up fine.

So here's what I did to print out Mr.Metal's latest CD stomp for the Metallica 2004.06.06 cover (only compatible with Neato templates of course) and it worked like a charm!

  • 1. In Photoshop, open a random LiveMetallica CD stomp PDF file.
  • 2. Open the cover you are trying to print (most likely it's a JPEG/BMP).
  • 3. Copy and paste the cover into the LiveMetallica PDF. This will create a new layer.
  • 4. In the new layer, set the opacity to 50%-ish (so it's transparent).
  • 5. Drag and resize the new cover as necessary so that it exactly fits on top of one of the existing covers in the LiveMetallica PDF. This should be pretty easy to do since we made the cover semi-transparent in Step #4.
  • 6. Now that the cover is lined up properly, set the opacity back to 100%.
  • 7. Set the fill of layer 0 (the original PDF) to 0% so it won't show up at all.
  • 8. Save the project as a temporary PDF file.
  • 9. Print the cover using Acrobat Reader (following the instructions in the LiveMetallica.com FAQ).
Here is an example of what the CD looks like after using this method: Image



Comments and suggestions are welcome, I would like to get the names of some more cover printing programs and printer hardware with URLs if possible.

Edited by Spawn of Cthulhu, 12 July 2006 - 02:39 AM.


#2 Guest_D-Man_*

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Posted 09 August 2005 - 09:07 PM

(Random)

Alright, I've recently been trying to off some DVD cover art, and it's either not coming out the right size, or parts of the cover are being chopped off...

This most recent one I printed out using Adobe Photoshop, using these settings:

Posted Image

I used the "scale" option, because when I don't use it, my cover is printed out like this:

Posted Image
Obviously, that won't even fit into a DVD case, so I'm trying the scale option.

Anyways, when I do use the scale option, height of the cover is still off, along with the width.

After that, I tried printing the cover in Nero... I got fairly better results, but this time the left and right sides of the cover had bits chopped off.

I then tried printing it off from Internet Explorer, and that didn't work either. The paper I was using (regular 8.5x11 sheets) were not big enough, which once again means that even if it did print off properly, it wouldn't fit into the DVD case.

Basically, I'm looking to print a cover off in the CORRECT size. I took the cover from my Some Kind of Monster booklet and measured it, and it was 270 mm wide and 182 mm tall. I changed dimensions of the cover to those in both Photoshop and Nero, but it still didn't print out the right size.

Anyone have any suggestions on how I can get a cover to print out at REGULAR size?

Thanks.

#3 Kathlib the Prophet

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Posted 09 August 2005 - 09:26 PM

Use CoverXP: http://www.el-softwa.../CoverXPpro.htm

You can drag and drop the cover into the area and it will print at the correct size to fit in a case. You may want to increase your paper type settings on the program to say that you have a longer paper type. This way it keeps printing the cover as if there are no invisible margins and you can fit a DVD cover on one piece of regular paper.

I highly recommend printing on glossy paper by the way. It makes the cover look professional, you can hardly tell the difference. :)

#4 Guest_D-Man_*

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Posted 09 August 2005 - 09:27 PM

Wow, quick reply. :)

I will try that out. Thanks.

As far as glossy paper...I plan on doing that. I'm just doing all my tests on regular paper since I am going through a lot of sheets.

#5 Guest_D-Man_*

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Posted 23 August 2005 - 07:57 PM

Alright, I just got to trying it out now (a bit late haha), and I've got a few questions...

Posted Image

I'm assuming I pick the "DVD Keepcase" thing, but I just want to make sure before I print out another cover, since I'm getting low on ink...

edit: I just made a cover with a one millmetre black border and tried printing that off. Didn't quite work. How would I go about increasing my paper size settings?

#6 Kathlib the Prophet

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Posted 24 August 2005 - 11:15 PM

I haven't bothered to install the program on my new computer yet, but the option can be found in one of the File Menus I think.

#7 Guest_hmetalhed_*

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Posted 01 July 2006 - 10:02 AM

quick question...

what is the best way to print inlays...i have the feeling that with the glossy paper printing the back cover and the inlay on separate sheets of paper might be too think to fit into a cd case...so is there a way to print out the inlay on the same sheet of paper as the back cover?...

#8 Kathlib the Prophet

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Posted 01 July 2006 - 08:25 PM

I don't know if there is or not, but I've used two sheets before and it fit fine. Getting it to print on the same sheet of paper would be handy though.

#9 Guest_hmetalhed_*

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Posted 02 July 2006 - 05:45 AM

I don't know if there is or not, but I've used two sheets before and it fit fine. Getting it to print on the same sheet of paper would be handy though.



yeah for sure...maybe i'm just worried that when i print it out that the inlay would be hard to keep in the place considering that double disc cases don't have anything that really hold that piece in place...i'll have to give it a couple of test runs before i start printing out the covers

#10 Guest_hmetalhed_*

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Posted 09 July 2006 - 11:51 AM

here is another question...its on the subject of printing the cd's

when printing the disc stomps or whatever they are called

how exactly do you print them..is there a certain kind of paper?

and also, what kind of cd's are best for putting the artwork on?




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