It's not strictly accurate to call the surface "printable," because the technology works by etching - the laser actually burns the surface. That's why it's limited to monochrome results. The results are effective, but for simple tasks like backups, it's hard to justify the time it takes apply the label. There are three different quality settings corresponding to three contrast levels; from the lowest to the highest, the time ranges from 18 to 28 minutes. Needless to say, the best results obtained were with the highest contrast level.

LightScribe technology works the same way as "burning" a disk's contents, using a spiral pattern. Thus, to reduce the time it takes to apply the label, it's a good idea to limit your silk-screen circles to as small a radius as possible around the center of the disk.