CD reproduction FAQ

CD Reproduction

On this page we’ve listed some of the most frequently asked questions about our CD and CD-ROM products and reproduction services. Use the links at the top of this page to go directly to the answer further down the page.

CD Reproduction

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How and where should I send my CD Master?
  2. How do I know you received my master?
  3. What file formats do you accept?
  4. What type of media do you use?
  5. What’s the difference between CD’s (CD-ROM’s) and CD-R’s (CD-Recordables)?
  6. When do you use CD-ROM versus using CD-R?
  7. What does the term “Glass Mastering” mean?
  8. What does the term “Authoring” mean?
  9. Duplication and Replication? What’s the difference?

CD Reproduction

    1. Please send your master discs to:

MJK Disc Productions
Fr. Demarsinstraat 51
3012 Wilsele (Leuven)

Please ship 2 copies of your CD, burned at dual speed for quality consistency, in a protective envelope. Please only ship a master that you have completely checked on your computer or listened to. Without scratches, in a secure package. Please write your product number on your CD. We make an exact copy of your CD, so please make certain to double-check your master prior to shipment.

    1. CD-masters are received and checked in latest by 17h00 everyday. Upon check-in, an e-mail will be sent to you indicating that your master has been received and eventually indicating that some inconsistencies have been identified in the print files.
    2. Your CD Master should be formatted to work on any PC, according to ISO-standards. Be sure that your CD can be played on your PC. We make an exact duplicate of your CD. Absolutely nothing is altered. It is therefore your responsibility to make sure this CD is exactly as you want it to be copied.
    3. We use 700 MB (80min) media exclusively with a 100% quality guarantee.
    4. Firstly, CD-ROM’s and CD-R’s function exactly the same in a drive.
      Basically, CD-ROM’s are injection-molded polycarbonate plastic with the data actually molded into the surface at the point of manufacture. CD-R’s are pre-manufactured blank CD’s and the data is duplicated onto the blank media in a process commonly called “burning a CD”. Remember, CD’s are not read by magnetic charges, as is a Diskette, rather the laser beam inside the device is actually reading highs and lows on the surface of the CD. This is why the data can be molded into the surface and why, once the data is there it cannot be changed or modified in any way. CD-R’s have a reflective surface, which can be silver, blue, or green, which has the capability to be removed where necessary by the high-intensity laser in a CD-R writer. This removal of the silver reflective surface is where the term “burning a CD” came from. The CD reader then reads the highs and lows created by the “burning” process just the same as the highs and lows molded into the CD-ROM.
    5. CD-ROM’s and CD-R’s function exactly the same in a CD-drive.
      In general you utilize CD-ROM’s any time you need roughly 500 or more copies of a CD. If you need less than 500 copies, you should consider CD-R’s which MAY be more cost effective depending on the quantity needed. For example, from a total cash outlay standpoint, the money spent for 100 CD-R’s is considerably less than you would have to pay for a minimum order run of 1.000 CD-ROM’s.
    6. Glass Mastering is the first part of the process needed to actually make the “metal stamper” that is actually put into the injection molding machine to produce the CD ‘s and DVD ‘s. The first part of the process is to convert the data into the actual highs and lows. These are actually done on a piece of glass. From that point the process continues and eventually the metal stamper is made.
    7. Authoring is the word used for taking the data and getting it into a format, which is readable when you put the CD into the drive. In other words, there are programs and formats, which the person who creates the CD uses to make the data actually usable. For example, if you want to be able to search for something on the CD, someone, the “author” has to include the software to perform the search as well as the data itself. It is normally provided by the customer from his internal resources or he hires an individual to put it together for him. We require a finished product on a CD-R ready for replication. One example is that we are often asked to take a video clip and put it on a CD. The video must be put into an MPEG-2 format by an “Author”.
    8. Duplication (a.k.a. Burning) is a process where lasers “burn” pits into a dye that is manufactured inside the disc. Burning is the process used by the drives in virtually every home or work computer used today.Replication on the other hand, is an injection molded CD manufacturing process that makes use of a “glass master” and stamps the image (‘pits’, read as zeros and ones for data or ‘waves’ for video and audio) into the extruded poly.

Superior quality

At MJK Disc Productions we believe that you want to focus on what is important to the success of your business developments and marketing. We will work with you at every step of the way to make a superior product that you can be proud of. Please fill in our RFQ forms for a personal quote or send us an e-mail at .

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