p0rk69

Ok, Im looking to consolidate my StarGate SG-1 Season Disc into one Case per season. So i will be placing an order for 7 5 Disc DVD Cases, but how do i go about printing out the covers, i already have the artwork, and i have a Epson R300, what type of paper do i need, i use the epson premium glossy for regular covers. What size are these covers? and is there anyone out there that is still printing covers for a cost, incase this is to much of a headache to get ahold of the paper and making my printer work with it?

Pork

Tarantino

I just print out the front and side, then the back on it's own paper...once they're in the case you can't tell the difference.

joliom

First question: which kind of 5-Disc cases are you ordering? The full-size Alphas or the slimer type that Genesys DTP sells? Because the dimensions are different depending on which type.

Either way, though, it will be too big to fit on a standard 8.5 x 11" piece of paper. So here are your choices: You can either pick up some over-sized paper or buy a roll. Legal-sized paper (8.5 x 14") is pretty common, but legal-sized photo paper is almost impossible to find, so you'd have to settle for regular paper if you go that route. Epson does sell a Ledger-sized (11 x 17") glossy photo paper that you can get at CompUSA or someplace similiar. You'd have to trim about a 2.5" strip off the side to make it 8.5 x 17" since your printer can't handle paper widths any bigger than 9" or so, but that should be fairly easy to accomplish with a ruler and an Xacto knife. The problem is the cost. A pack of the Ledger-sized glossy photo paper runs $40 for 20 sheets, or $2 per sheet (Canon and Kodak, which have their own Ledger photo paper, cost the same). The other option is to buy a roll of photo paper. This is what I used to do for all my multi-disc covers. Epson sells a 13" roll that runs 32.8 ft. in length (item # is S041233) that's more economical than the Ledger paper packs. But using roll paper is a much much bigger pain in the ass. First you have to cut individual sheets and then you have to flatten out the paper enough to feed it into the printer. The curling is a major problem and adds tons of work to the process. It also makes it harder to measure your cuts precisely since the paper is not perfectly flat and keeps bowing. Personally, I'm willing to pay the added cost of the Ledger paper just to avoid the extra hassle.

p0rk69

The Alpha Large type were the only ones that i knew of, until now at least. I work for Best Buy and all though i know we don't carry Ledger Epson paper, i can prob order it or get the Epson Rep to hook me up with some with little to no cost, so that looks to the be the best route for me. I don't really wanna do the two sheet method, just cuz im a perfectionist and that would annoy me, and i've already invested in a paper cutter so i don't have to worry about the rule and exacto knife, i can just set it on there and measure it out. Thanks for the info.

joliom

Ditch the paper cutter. Trust me, I used to use a paper cutter myself - a very high-quality one - but you just can't get the same level of accuracy as with a metal ruler and an Xacto knife. The problem with the paper cutter is no matter how hard you try to keep it straight the cutting action will inevitably slide the paper some; and it's really hard to make very thin small cuts, like when you need to shave a little off of the edge. For the same money you spend on a decent paper cutter ($30-50), you can buy the complete Xacto system: a 15" metal ruler, an Xacto knife, and a cutting mat (has a measuring grid superimposed on it and can be purchased from most major office supply stores). And if you really want that "official" look, you could also pick up a corner punch to give your covers those rounded corners like most studio covers. I know, I was skeptical of the Xacto system at first too, until I tried it. You'll never look back.

joliom

Btw, you're probably better off sticking with the Alpha cases unless you're having serious space issues. The ones at Genesys DTP are not the greatest quality and they use the space typically reserved for the insert or booklet to put another disc hub, so you'll have no place for your literature with those. Quality-wise they'll suffice, but they're not up to Amaray/Alpha standards. The Nexpak Slim M-Lock Cases (similiar design, but different brand than the ones at Genesys DTP) are really nice quality and thinner than full-size Alphas, but it's kind of hard finding any besides the 4-Disc ones (and the literature problem is the same).