Message-Id: <200204242217.g3OMHex29360@sitelicense.arizona.edu> Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 15:20:01 -0700 From: Guenter Waibel <mailto:guenter@UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU> Subject: Re: pens for marking CDs To: mailto:IMAGELIB@listserv.arizona.edu
<pre>
For whatever it's worth, the good folks at MITSUI have turned this
perennial question into a marketing ploy and now offer a pen designed
for writing on CD-Rs, guaranteed not to damage your media. Check it
out at:
http://www.mitsuicdr-store.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.100.exe/online-store/scstore/p-00000100.html?L+scstore+xscn4273+102306
764.
I have used a regular felt-tip permanent marker for numbering our
CDs, and so far (knock on wood!), no problem. My take on the issue is
that there might be something there (meaning in the long run, some
markers probably do corrupt the media), but I'm slightly consoled by
the fact that we'd never keep our archival files on the media long
enough for that to happen. Just as an example, our oldest archival
CDs are 5 years old now, and they're currently being transferred to
DVD-R. I have no doubt that 5-10 years down the road we're looking at
the next migration. Despite Larry's observation, I'd be very
surprised if a good archival cd-r such as ricoh platinum (no longer
made - r.i.p) or mitsui couldn't withstand the marker for that
time-period. However, caution is indicated, and I think this post
will prompt me to go looking for a water-based ink pen as well...
Cheers,
Guenter
>Some folks say that using a water-based ink pen is OK, but in general
>writing on CDs should be avoided if at all possible. I believe all CDs (at
>least the good ones) have a unique number assigned by the manufacturer and
>located on their inner hub, which you can use to create a separate index to
>their contents.
>
>________________________
>Hannah Frost
>Media Preservation Librarian
>Stanford University Libraries
>
>
>
>At 04:46 PM 4/24/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>>I feel odd asking the listserv about pens, but this does have to do with
>>imaging, indirectly.
>>
>>I was in the process of backing up our image files onto CD and looked at a
>>CD I had burned 6 months ago. The ink from the permanent ink pen I had
>>used (Kaiser - Schreiber) has bled from the letters into the surrounding
>>white on the label layer. I don't know if it's limited to the label layer
>>or it has/will bleed into the CD substrata (I can still use the CD, so this
>>is not an impending crisis). I was wondering if this is a common
>>experience or if there are other pens I should be using. Perhaps the PEC
>>Pens?
>>
>>Feel free to reply directly to my e-mail.
> >
> >--Larry Wentzel
> >--Digital Preservation Coordinator
> >--Penn State University Libraries
-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guenter Waibel Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive Digital Media Developer http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/ Digital Imaging SIG Chair, MCN http://www.mcn.edu/visig_subscribe.taf mailto:guenter@uclink4.berkeley.edu Phone 510-643-8655 Fax 510-642-4889 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</pre>
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