Making CD covers/jackets

joey2000

New member
Wondering what others have done for this. I don't need help with the design, it's the actual making I'm wondering about......I'm not into paying some professional service; surely there must be some good software and someplace either in one of those OfficeMax places or online to buy the material/blank pages or jackets or whatever? Anyone DIYers who did this and it turned out well? I don't need a "booklet;" just a front and back really. I could just print something out on some thick bond paper and cut to size I guess, but that seems amateurish even for a rank amateur like me :)
 
What about the card wallets?
If that'll do, go to the printing websites and get yourself a template. I mean, any idiot could design it but a template just makes it easier. :)

From there it's just print, cut, glue.
I used to make them when we only wanted runs of 10 for a few local radio hosts, or whatever.
 
? "Wallets?"

btw I've been corrected, it's inserts I want, pardon. ie the front and back covers for the CD case.
 
Not sure what you are looking for - templates? Just buy either thick paper (thin card stock) or glossy paper (looks best). Print, cut out, fold (for the back insert and edges), insert, done.
 
Kunaki is going to do a better job than you will, and it will be shrink wrapped. I've printed CD inserts by hand a long while back. Not fun, and hard to get perfect. With good online services that print to order like Kunaki I don't see the sense in DIY.
 
Cost, obviously.

And I don't want inserts shrink-wrapped. That would probably krinkle the material up pretty badly. ;)
 
Cost, obviously.

And I don't want inserts shrink-wrapped. That would probably krinkle the material up pretty badly. ;)

Not sure if you're kidding, so... the CD gets shrink wrapped. Did you even bother to look at Kunaki? It's pretty cheap, and the shipping cost is passed on to the buyer. If you want to buy bulk for bringing to shows, you do that and save on the shipping cost (shipping divided-by number of copies ordered). In the long run it's very cheap since they're made to order, versus making a bunch of discs to sell one or two.
 
I believe disc makers has a template, which you can just print. Do yourself a favor and get a paper cutter. It's still going to suck, but it will be better than scissors.
 
If cost is an issue, then give Kunaki some serious consideration. They can burn your CD-Rs and print the insert then ship it for you. I've done my own in the past and the problem is always printer ink; that stuff is expensive. If you want to print lots of solid colors, it uses up ink pretty quickly. If you keep your design simple, you can buy CD inserts online or through Office Depot. Google "Meritline".

Even when using a service like Kunaki, you still have to edit the images. I use Photoshop Elements. Downloaded the templates from Disc Makers like Farview suggested, then used them as a layer in PSE. One image for each side of each insert. If you use a service like Kunaki, you upload the image to their server, they show you exactly how it looks as you're doing it.
 
Kunaki is awesome, except they don't do CD text anymore. But no one buys CDs anyway, so who cares?

CD text was half useless anyway. Almost no one had a player that would read it. When you stick a cd into a computer, it was more likely to get the song info from an online database that from cd text.
 
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