Printing Your Own CDRs With Ink

What Is The Real Secret To Being Able To Print On This Media?

Software that is able to print directly on CDR/DVD +/- R/RW printable media is really not the key to getting this job done right. In fact, it is the design of the Epson's 900/960 straight through paper path that can be configured to handle thicker media that is the real star of the show.

A look under the hood of the 900. You can get a better idea of the path the media tray has to travel to be printed on.

Ink jet printers from various manufacturers use a number of methods to draw paper and other forms of printable media into the printer for printing. Many printers offer a tri-type mechanism where the paper takes curve before being drawn into the printer to pass under the print heads. Other printers off a bypass type alternate paper path setup that allows the printer to also accept paper or other forms of printable media through means of an alternate paper path. A good example of this is the new printers that feature an alternate route to accept 4 X 6 gloss photo sheets or envelopes to be fed into the printer using another alternate paper path.

In the case of the 900 models, printable media can be fed into the printer using a rear paper path located in the rear of the printer. The 960, on the other hand, allows media to be fed from the front of the printer using a straight through design, as well. This straight through design allows paper to be fed into the printer in a direct line, which allows thicker printable media to be fed into the printer without the possibility of it hanging up in a feed through design with a curve or bend for the media to pass under the print heads. Of course, the 900 and 960 models require you to flip a switch selector to let the printer know you are placing the printer in a mode that allows for thicker media. When in this mode, the printer lifts some of the rollers up slightly higher to allow the thicker media to pass under the print heads without incident. (We will cover the feed and loading process in a more detail later in this article.)