Does writing on a DVD-R with a felt-tipped marker hurt it?

[NuclearNed]

I've been spending a lot of time putting my home movies on DVD, and I don't want to do anything that would damage all the work I've done. My wife swears that somewhere she read or heard that writing on a writable DVD with felt-tipped pen will damage the DVD over time - something like the pen's ink will eventually "eat into" the DVD's data (she's very non-technical, so I can only repeat what she has told me). I told her that writing on a DVD with a ball-point or something like it is a no-no, but that as far as I knew felt tips were ok.

Has anyone ever heard this before? Can anyone provide a link? I've looked around on Google, but can't find anything.

 

[loup garou]

You and your wife sure do argue a lot.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Most CD/DVD discs say to write on it using a felt tip marker/pen only.

 

[MaxDSP]

I've heard that too, but not sure of the time frame for something like that to happen, if true. I use Sharpie CD-Markers to write on DVDRs though

 

[EyeMWing]

No, it doesn't. In fact, that's the ONLY way to do it. It may on cheaper ones where the plates are porice, but on anything made in a third world or better country, it's a complete nonissue. Labels are still better.

 

[PingSpike]

So...what is the alternative? Writing with a ball point pen?

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Use a scalpel. Failing that, an orbital sander.

 

[ZOXXO]

This was a popular debate when CDRs first came into being.

Never saw a definitive answer.

Check back in ten years.

 

[DeMeo]

another vote for Sharpies.

 

[Budmantom]

Originally posted by: DeMeo
another vote for Sharpies.

 

[Albis]

i've heard that writing with a felt tip marker causes the disc to become unbalanced when it rotates in your drive. i've personally never seen any issues with this

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: werk
You and your wife sure do argue a lot.

True, but it always ends with make-up sex.

 

[Philippine Mango]

Originally posted by: Budmantom

Originally posted by: DeMeo
another vote for Sharpies.

another vote for sharpies.

 

[nakedfrog]

I also seem to remember hearing something about it eventually leaking through the top layer, and I think it was from a fairly reputable source.
Of course, I use a Sharpie on all my optical media as well...

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: NuclearNed

Originally posted by: werk
You and your wife sure do argue a lot.

True, but it always ends with make-up sex.

:thumbsup:

 

[meltdown75]

My TDK burner came with a TDK "CDMark" marker. Hot eh.

 

[artikk]

I once used a ball tipped pen to mark my Cds. :Q Never again.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Albis
i've heard that writing with a felt tip marker causes the disc to become unbalanced when it rotates in your drive. i've personally never seen any issues with this

Labels can do that, but the weight of ink on a disk I think would be inadequate.

I always use a sharpie, and everything says to!

 

[Ausm]

Yes, it will melt through the CD.

Ausm

 

[Kelemvor]

As long as you're writing on the right side, it doesn't hurt it at all. A sharpie marker is pretty much the most common form of labelling for CDs and DVDs. The onyl things that can hurt them are things that will physically harm the Disc like a ball point pen or a pencil or anything that is hard, or something that could unbalance the disk like a printed label that's not put on perfectly centered.

A sharpie marker is great or you could say "Well, if I can't use this marker, I'll ahve to get a CD Printer". Those are cool because they print directly on the Disc. But then you might need special dics.

 

[Tremulant]

Should be fine. AFAIK, on DVDRs the data layer is inbetween two layers of plastic. So, unless the top layer of plastic isn't there (or the plastic is really crappy), I doubt a sharpie will seep through it.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: MmmSkyscraper
Use a scalpel. Failing that, an orbital sander.

I have a funny story about that. Back in college, I worked at Sears in the electronics department. We were constantly having our demo-cd's stolen from us, so someone thought that it would be good if we somehow marked the cd's as "property of Sears". I told one of the other guys how I had checked out cd's from the local library, and they had etched "property of library" on the cd. I really thought he understood that I meant they had etched this information on the clear inner ring of the cd, the part where there is no recorded information. Later that night, the guy got all the department's cds, went to the hardware department, got a dremel tool, and etched "property of Sears" across the entire cd surface.

I don't often get to use the phrase "laughed to scorn", but that's what we did to him. It wasn't too long after the "cd incident" that he quit.

 

[Anubis]

a sharpie will NOT hurt a DVD

i have a few HUNDRED that i have marked this way as well as thousands of CDs over the yeras, all are fine

 

[sharkeeper]

Sharpies are ok.

Some markers (the ones you sniff and get buzzed) definitely can do damage to plastics.

 

[dman]

You have to beware the acidness of the ink. That said, I also use sharpies and have yet to have a problem with any CDRs or DVD's I've marked up.

That said, DVD's will/can deteriorate over time, so, keep an alternative format available if possible (original tape, harddrive backup, etc) if the data is important.