detail information

Now that we have taken a look at the printer itself and the software that comes with it, it's time to check out how the LPCW-100 performs. For the following tests we used discs with different types of coatings. This was of course done to see if the printer can print correctly on each type of coating. Before we start printing we should mention that it's recommended to use discs that don't have large labels on them. When there is a label in the printing area this can cause the printed text not to appear correctly. It's also recommended to use discs that have not been burned yet. This is because, according to the manual, there is a risk that the disc is damaged during the printing process and thus any data on it will be lost. As a small test we printed several discs that had already been burned but we didn't experience any problems with damaged discs.

Print Tests:

The first disc we tested was a TDK Speed-X CD-R80 disc that came with the printer. We created a standard text print via the software and started the printing process. It is of course up to the user to insert the disc correctly into the printer, meaning that you will have to make sure that the disc is aligned correctly. Luckily this is pretty easy to do because the disc sits firmly in the tray of the label printer but not too firmly so you can still gently turn the disc. After starting the printing process the TDK LPCW-100 needed roughly 35 seconds to print our first disc:

We were quite pleased with the results as the print quality was very good (even the smallest text could be perfectly read). And, just as advertised, right after the disc had been printed the ink was dry. We touched the ink right after the label printer had ejected the disc and the ink didn't smudge. Our first test disc had a smooth surface so let's take a look at another disc which has a different surface.

For our next test we used a disc that had a reflective silver coating and once again the disc was printed very well. Although the image above doesn't show the printed text very well we can assure you it was printed perfectly. Let's continue with another disc which as a white top coating.

As you can see the disc was again printed perfectly. We also experimented with adding images which turned out pretty well. Of course, because we don't have any colour ink cassettes we cannot print the image in colour but the black logo's don't look bad at all. For our next and final test we used a disc with a rough surface. Let's see if this disc can also be printed correctly:

The "Moeders Klassiekers" (which means "Mother's Classics" ;)) disc was printed pretty well but due to its rough surface the printing was not as good as on the smooth discs.