[ubuntu-uk] OT: Disc duplication - anyone know any places that can do it cheap?

[Mark Harrison]

On Thu, 2007-10-11 at 20:49 +0100, Rob Beard wrote:
>   
>> When I was looking into this before I figured it was rather expensive, 
>> even when using cheap 9p CD-R discs (when factoring in duplication of 
>> many thousands of discs, printing etc).  I was wondering though if 
>> anyone knew of a good duplication company who could take an ISO image, 
>> make a glass master disc and then professionally press and print a whole 
>> load of CDs (like what we get with the original Ubuntu discs).
>>     

Rob,

As it happens, I was with a disk publisher today sorting out a new 
audiobook series I've done for them.

Sadly, they don't do duplication for other people, just their own stuff, 
but given I was getting the "factory tour" I spent a bit of time in the 
"production room."

They have moved AWAY from the cheap disks, and moved onto the Sony ones...

... because in the last million they produced on Sony media, 6 failed !

The break-point in producing glass masters seems to be around the 500 
disk mark - beneath that, big robotic duplication machines that are 
basically a stack of DVD-R drivers, a printer, and a robot arm to move 
disks between them (about 6 drives per printer seems to be the balance 
for speed purposes) are the way they go.

The biggest cost they were facing was full-colour printing, which 
actually cost MORE than the disks themselves. They've, again, moved to a 
high-end system that literally has 7 "ink wells" connected to the beast 
by tubes that they literally refill from bottles live.

Oh, and the fancy machines also connected to a 4 Tb over Gb ethernet, so 
they could just pick any image, enter the number they wanted produced, 
and click "go".

I was, it must be admitted envious :-)

M.