Message-Id: <200204251322.g3PDMEx20700@sitelicense.arizona.edu> Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 09:21:33 -0400 From: LAVINA VELASCO <mailto:LVELASCO@JHUCCP.ORG> Subject: Re: pens for marking CDs To: mailto:IMAGELIB@listserv.arizona.edu
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I never would have thought that ink could damage the CDs. I keep
learning new things on this listserv. If ink could potentially damage
the CDs, sticky labels must do something. We write on labels and then
stick them on the CDs. Are labels bad?
Thanks, Lavina Velasco
Photoshare Librarian
www.jhuccp.org/mmc/photoshare
>>> mailto:ytau@UCALGARY.CA 04/24/02 06:42PM >>>
Actually there's a couple of manufacturers that have put out markers
for
CD-Rs. Whether they work any better than normal markers or not is
something
I haven't heard although we've been using them (Maxell brand) without
problems for the last year or so. Mostly though, the markers are better
than
your average marker by virtue of a much softer tip that prevents damage
to
the CD surface which is also the caveat -- they wear out very quickly
if you
don't use them fairly gently.
Another thing that might help is to purchase CD-Rs with the printable
surface. While primarily targeted for special ink jet printers, the
surface
of the CD-R is coated with a fairly thick coating that's designed to
hold
ink. Mitsui is a good brand but as they manufacture for all markets,
I've
seen Mitsui discs without any coating over the recording media itself
which
means that if you're using a marker on these discs, the ink is
actually
being absorbed into the media itself which does not bode well for long
term
preservation.
Tim
----------------------------
Tim Au Yeung
Manager, Digitization Initiatives
Information Resources
University of Calgary
----- Original Message -----
From: "Guenter Waibel" <mailto:guenter@UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU>
To: <mailto:IMAGELIB@listserv.arizona.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: pens for marking CDs
>
> 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/scsto
re/p-00000100.html?L+scstore+xscn4273+1023060764.
> 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
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
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