problem with glossy cdr

I just got some Taiyo Yuden glossy cdrs and having trouble when they print. I have never used these before as I have always got the non glossy ones. From a distance when they are printed out look ok, but when you turn them a certain way under the light, you can see vertical lines that look like scratches that were not there before they were printed..also you can see wavy smudges that go up and down as well...I've never had this problem with the other cdr's I have printed on...any idea what the problem is? Could it just be the cdr media that's the problem...I wish I never bought these now...hope someone can help me out here...

I think it's my printer doing it by the way the pattern looks...looks like the ink rollers scratched it somehow... has anyone had this problem and if so how would I fix it? I really like the glossy cd....thanks in advance.

Might help if you tell us what printer this is. Is it an HP?

It's an Epson Photo R800...never had problems printing a CD until I got these...I printed on Taiyo Yuden Watershield glossy CDs...I also contacted Epson and just got a email from them with a few steps that may or may not help..just on how to adjust the print density and test by printing density patterns on a spare cd..

I had a problem similar to what you are describing with the two lines showing on the printed surface
of the disc. I was using some Optical Quantum water proof/resistant discs and after they were printed
you could see those two lines in the disc. I came to the conclusion that the 2 feed rollers were causing
the lines to show up on the discs because I've never had the problem with regular printable discs. The only
thing I can think of that causes the lines to show up on water proof discs is the coating used on them it
must be softer or something and the rollers put to much pressure on them or something like that.

That's what I was thinking as well...since the surface is different, the rollers must put too much pressure on the cd...I wish there was a was to fix that from happening...would changing the print density change that? I was also wondering if I just printed black text and no color background/image, maybe it wouldn't be so bad...glad to know someone else has had the same problem..well I hate ya had the same problem actually, but ya know what I mean.

I don't think changing the print density would help as I tried that on my discs with no affect what so ever on
the 2 lines showing up. I tried every thing from draft mode to best photo / premium DVD/CD mode with no change
in the lines showing up. I also tried just running the disc through the printer without printing anything on it at all
just a blank surface in Epson print CD just to see if the lines were still there. Well guess what (yup) you guesed it
the 2 lines were still on the blank DVD surface and that is when I came to the conclusion that the 2 feed rollers was
the cause of it all. Try doing one with a blank print surface with nothing being printed on the discs at all and you'll
more than likely still see the 2 lines on the disc surface.

My Epson R280 doesn't do this with Watershield.

oh well...i can still use them though...guess next time I'll stick to the non glossy ones..if I ever had lines on them, all I have to do is clean the nozzles and they are fine..thanks for the info...

Both my R200 and R220 done it maybe they fixed it with the newer line of printers
like the R260 / R280 I'll have to get one and try it out.

maybe they did fix it with the newer printers, but oh well...thanks for the info

If you peer into the tray slot in the printer, you'll see the front feed rollers. The top ones have teeth. In my Canon, these front rollers have a gap between them about the thickness of the disc tray. So they act more as guide rollers, and don't really grip the disc at all, just the tray. On the Epson, they have no gap, so the tray forces them open. If the disc is thick enough, they will contact the disc.

This issue could be more to do with the adjustment of these rollers in a specific printer, more so than in a model line itself. Beats me, but it's possible that one will do it and another will not, even in the same model line.

Watershield discs are thicker, but are also a softer surface.

I wonder if you attached a piece of heavy paper to the top of the disc tray, if it might open those rollers enough to avoid this. In other words, make the tray thicker.

hmmmm...i might try that...if I don't have any heavy paper, think maybe a cpl sheets or so of regular printer paper might work?..so attach the paper to the tray, say tape it?? and then put the cd on top? I am not sure how the cd would stay attached to the tray and not slide off.

Be careful, you don't want the print head to crash into the tray/paper. It might be dangerous or at least cause smudging. LOL, you could wind up buying a new printer. But I can't think of any other way to open those rollers more. When you push the Epson tray in, the resistance you feel is those rollers being spread apart. You don't want paper under the disc, only along the edges of the tray. Those rollers are on bars and act as one unit, so if you spread the outer rollers, they all should open.

If I lay a Watershield disc in my Epson tray, the top surface sticks up ever so slightly above the top surface of the tray. I can feel it but not see it. With a Verbatim gloss disc, the surface is below the surface of the tray. So, clearly the TY discs are thicker.

On my R280, there are 4 pairs of rollers that contact the disc tray, one at each edge and 2 in the middle.

Well I don't need to buy a new printer...the one I have is a refurbished one I got on Ebay to replace my other one that died becuase of a power surge...well I'll just buy the other ones even thought I would like to have the glossy...have you had the same with the verbatim glossy? I had gotten some non glossy Verbatims once, but didn't like them because they said Verbatim on the inner ring and the TY discs were completely white...

The Verbatim gloss is thinner, and harder, but also no where near as glossy. They also smear pretty easy. Watershield is the only surface that comes close to being smear-resistant.

You can get a new printer for the cost of 2-3 spindles of Watershield. But let's face it, if you want to do serious labels then forget cheap.

I was just looking into my Epson and discovered something else. When I actually insert the disc tray, there's a roller on each outer edge of the tray that drops down and lifts the main roller bar up. So the little toothed rollers shouldn't contact the disc at all. Thus, NO rollers should be in contact with the disc surface if everything is working right as far as I can see. Can you see if the R800 has the same mechanism? This may well be something that was added in later models.

I think it must be added in later models...is there a way you can take a pic of the mechanism and post it? mine doesn't have any rollers on the actual cd tray..are they on the actual cd tray or where you insert the cd tray?

The rollers are in the printer. They are the set of rollers that pull paper out of the printer during normal printing. You need a flashlight, lower the exit tray into disc printing position and look inside - you should see them. Now watch inside as you slide the disc tray in. The leading edge of the tray should catch a set of rollers that drop down onto the outer edges of the tray and at the same time lift the main rollers up and out of the way. In my R280, I can also just open the top and see this happening, but in a multifunction unit it might be hidden.

well all I need is a working flashlight to check it out...I'll check it out when I feel like messing with it...thanks for the help.

I use Watershield TY's and had used Verbs Glossy with no problems.

I am using an Epson Photo R320.

It says in my book (which I only did once) before you print on CD's or DVD's, it's a good idea to clean the roller inside the printer by feeding and ejecting several sheets of plain paper.

You highlight the Paper/Feed Eject and press OK to do that.