CD AND DVD DUPLICATOR AND PRINTER

I’ve used a number of disc publishers (machines that integrate disc duplication with disc printing) throughout the years. While not perfect, the Epson Discproducer PP-100 is the best disc publisher I’ve used to date.

Discproducer is a PC-only product that runs fine under Apple’s Boot Camp. It’s made up of two Pioneer burners that are capable of write speeds of 40x for CDs, 12x for DVD±R, and 8x for DVD±R DL (dual-layer). The unit connects to your PC using a single USB 2.0 cable (included). While not the speediest of burners in this class, they do burn simultaneously which can speed up the overall workflow. Underneath the two burners, Epson added the technology that makes this unit stand out: a six-color, single-disc inkjet printer capable of printing up to 1440×1440 dpi on regular-sized discs only. The six cartridges (cyan, light cyan, magenta, light magenta, yellow, and black) have an astonishingly long life and can be replaced individually, unlike the integrated cartridges used by all other systems.

The unit can duplicate and print up to 100 discs unattended. It does this by using a series of stacker trays and an automated robotic arm that grabs a disc, inserts it into one of the burners, then moves it to the printer, and finally to an output tray. The whole system is managed by the Epson Total Disc Maker software that has three main sections: Disc, Label, and Publish.

All the specs in the world don’t mean much if the final product isn’t up to par, so here’s the bottom line: Every disc printed and copied without any errors. Discproducer is a capable disc duplicator with impressive print quality on both watershield and glossy media. As a complete package, it’s the unit to beat in its price range for ease of use and print quality.—Rod Harlan

Company: Epson America, Inc.
Price: $2,695
Web: http://discproducer.epson.com
Rating: 4

Hot: 6-color ink printer; excellent print quality
Not: Disc burners could be faster; Windows only