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LightScribe
User Guide
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LightScribe
User Guide
Part number: Q6766-90801
First edition: 12/2004
n V e n t
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Copyright information
© Copyright 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
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Contents
LightScribe
How to use LightScribe 5
Creating and burning LightScribe-labeled discs 6
Frequently asked questions 8
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LightScribe
How to use LightScribe
To label your CDs and DVDs with LightScribe, you need three
components:
Your LightScribe-enobled drive
LightScribe labeling software (included with your drive;
other LightScribe-enabled applications are also
available)
LightScribe media (available where computers are sold)
You can label your LightScribe disc before or after you burn
the data side, and you can even label a number of discs in
succession, whether or not you've already recorded data on
them.
The important thing to remember is to always insert your
LightScribe disc label side down when burning your
LightScribe label.
How to use LightScribe 5
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Creating and burning LightScribe-labeled
discs
1 Start the LightScribe labeling software.
• Your labeling application may be part of your disc
burning software, or it may be a stand-alone
application.
2 Choose the appropriate LightScribe setting(s) for your
design.
• Most LightScribe-enabled labeling applications
require you to select the "LightScribe" option before
designing your label.
3 Create your label design.
• You can choose to create a label with text and/or
graphics, and you can choose the area of the disc in
which your label will be inscribed — from a simple
band of text ("title only") to a complete design that
covers the entire disc ("full label").
• Experiment with text, fonts, ready-made
backgrounds, and your own photos and graphics to
design the label that best suits your style. (For ideas
and advice, visit
4 When your design is ready, insert a blank LightScribe
disc into the drive label side down.
• Before you can preview or print your design, the
labeling application checks to see whether there's a
LightScribe disc inserted correctly in the drive; if there
is no disc, or if your disc is not inserted with the
LightScribe labeling side down, the software will
send an error message.
5 Select the Preview option to see how your design will
look as a LightScribe label.
• Previewing your design lets you determine whether
the design elements are placed where you want
them, and it shows you what the grayscale design
will look like on disc.
www.Iightscribe.com/labeltips)
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Select the Print option to send the label design to disc.
• When you print your design to disc, you can choose
from three quality modes: draft, normal, or best.
"Draft" is the fastest printing mode, and the resulting
design provides a lower level of contrast; "best"
provides the highest contrast and darkest design
areas, and the burning process takes longer. The
following table shows a rough estimation of the
expected print times.
Setting
Title only Title &
Full label
content (with
Best <4 min.
Normal
<3 min.
Draft <2 min.
listing
<9 min.
<7 min.
<4 min.
graphics)
<36 min.
<28 min.
<20 min.
7 When your label is finished, the drive will automatically
eject your disc.
Creating and burning LightScribe-labeled discs
7
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Frequently asked questions
Q: How does LightScribe work?
A: The coating on a LightScribe disc changes color when it's
exposed to the CD/DVD drive's laser. The process is similar
to film exposure, except that the LightScribe surface reacts
specifically to the intense light of the laser.
Q: What happens if I try to use LightScribe to label a nonLightScribe disc?
A: The software prevents you from sending a label image to a
non-LightScribe disc. LightScribe-enabled software is
designed to recognize a LightScribe disc from the
identification features embossed on it, and the system creates
an image and sends it to the drive only if the appropriate
media is inserted.
Q: Can I use my computer for other things while the
LightScribe label is burning?
A: Yes. The labeling process runs in the background, so the
PC can be used for other tasks while the labeling process is
underway.
Q: Can I leave my computer unattended while the LightScribe
label is burning?
A: Yes. LightScribe presents no tasks that require the user's
attendance during the burning process. In addition, a
LightScribe system will not go into "sleep" or power-save mode
while it is burning a label.
Q: Can I rewrite a LightScribe label, the way I can rewrite a
CD-RW or DVD±RW disc?
A: No. The current LightScribe technology is not erasable.
Once the image is burned, it's permanent.
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Q: Will the LightScribe image cause imbalance when the CD or DVD is spinning in the drive, the way a paper label can?
A: No. A LightScribe disc is as evenly balanced as any highquality CD or DVD, and it spins evenly within the drive.
Burning an image onto the disc does not change its balance
and does not endanger the disc's ability to spin properly.
Q; Does the LightScribe imaging process emit any hazardous
chemicals?
A: No. The laser imaging process initiates a chemical change
in the colorant material embedded in the disc coating, but no
hazardous chemicals are created or emitted during the
process.
Q: Is the LightScribe disc hot or dangerous to handle
immediately after the label is burned?
A; No. Although the terms "burning data" and now "burning
an image" are standard in the industry, there is no
appreciable temperature change involved in either process. A
CD or DVD is safe to touch immediately upan ejection from the
drive.
Q: Can LightScribe create a label in color?
A: Currently LightScribe technology is available only in
grayscale, creating an image that resembles a black-andwhite photograph. LightScribe's development strategy does
include future announcements about additional capabilities;
however, business and legal requirements prevent publication
of more specific information at this time.
Frequently asked questions 9
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© 2004 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Printed in China
www.hp.com
m
Q6766-90801 P/N:7819901080B
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