Printing DVD Cover

[ElyBoi]

Hi everyone! I have tried many times to print a DVD cover using my HP C309a, and so far the results have been mediocre. I used undercoverxp and programs of the like, but the image comes out too small, I used 8x10 paper and the switched to 8.5x11

Can I get some hints and suggestions on what settings I should adjust my printer to, the size of paper I should use (A4?) - which in particular, and whatever else so that I can print the covers available here, otherwise I'll just have to keep staring at the retail ones, which aren't that fun.

Thanks,
Ely.

[bazzah]

Hi Ely

You need to ensure you are not using any printer features such as borderless printing, or fit to page. A4 is the perfect sized paper for covers, and I personally use Mirror A4 190gsm gloss. The full sized covers available on the site are the exact size to fit inside your bluray or dvd sleeve, as long as they are not modified at all (this can also depend on your region too). I personally do not have any experience with undercoverxp so I cannot advise on that.

[ElyBoi]

Thanks Bazzah! I see the A4 paper is available only on UK sites... I live in the US, I hope international shipping isn't crazy high.

[bazzah]

I am sure there are other good brands available in the US. Maybe some of our American friends here can recommend a good paper for you?

[ElyBoi]

Please guys help me out with this, I've looked everywhere online for decent paper and can't find any. I find many perforated DVD inserts, but that's not what I'm looking for. I need paper that fully prints out the insert, like A4 would, but that paper size seems to be only available in the UK.

[Jazzy]

Hi...

I'm in Canada and I use Acoustica to print my covers and labels. I use Letter 8 1/2 x 11 in as paper size.

Do not know the settings in undercoverxp but they must be the same.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

[bazzah]

There are quite a few options on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url...Aa4+gloss+paper

[jay5]

From the list Baz linked i am currently using HP Everyday Photo Paper 200gsm glossy, and i like the quality of the printed cover

http://www.amazon.com/Q5451A-HP-Everyday-P...=a4+gloss+paper

[tom17]

im old fashioned but use publisher and really good glossy photo paper and print it as a photograph that way you get a cleaner sharper cover

[bluesnow]

I'm sure you are being trapped by the printer margins . . . how close the printer can get to the edge of the paper when using borders. If you look closely at a printed cover you might see that one edge is cut off a small amount. You can get around this by setting your printer to "borderless" printing. My printer (an Epson) has a setting for image expansion when borderless printing is selected. Normally this is used to enlarge the image to ensure there are no white borders around it. I have this set to "Retain Size" which means no expansion. This is under page layout in my printer dialog box. If your printer has no image enlargement setting to play with you can still use the borderless setting and then manually adjust your printout to about 98%. When printing from Photoshop you can do this in the print dialog box. I've never used UndercoverXP but it probably has a setting somewhere for adjusting the output size. You will have to play with the 98% setting to get it just right. I'm using 8 1/2 X 11 paper and it works out just fine.