FAQ's

Why should I choose 24 Hour Disc? Great question. So many companies offer similar products to the ones we offer, so why 24 Hour Disc? Sure we offer great quality, competitive pricing, expert service and guaranteed turnaround times. But the most important parts of 24 Hour Disc are our people and our process. Our staff is eager to help and they have the professional expertise to handle your project. Your contact at 24 Hour Disc has an average of ten plus years experience in this industry. You will not be dealing with just a sales person. Your Project Adviser will guide you through the ordering process and be able to answer all of your questions. Once all elements of your project have arrived at 24 Hour Disc, an experienced Project Manager will handle all other aspects of your job, from proofing to shipping. Regardless of where you are in our process, you will have a friendly, knowledgeable professional who can help you achieve exactly what you want for your project. On top of all that, 24 Hour Disc has been in business since 1991. We are not a fly by night internet company that may not be here tomorrow.

A better question would be why do some companies charge so much? We don't know. At 24 Hour Disc we work hard to keep the process simple while offering the best possible product. We also don't spend a large amount of money sending you catalogs and flyers in the mail. In the end the customer pays for these expenses through higher prices on products. Someone has to pay for all of that advertising. We also focus on what we are good at. There are a lot of things that we don't do, but that allows us to concentrate our efforts on being the best. And because 24 Hour Disc is the best you will experience great quality and fast turnaround at a better price than other companies. On the other hand ifit makes you feel better to spend more money, just throw a few extra dollars in with your order and we will buy everyone here a pizza.

Our quality is unmatched, and yes we have a standard. We actually hold ourselves to multiple standards. Our printing is to SWOP standards and our CD/DVD replication is to ISO standards. SWOP is a printing standard set by the printing industry to measure several aspects of printing quality on a press sheet. Things like ink density, slurring, offseting, and other technical issues are reviewed in an effort to produce the best possible printed piece. Most people are aware of ISO. This is an industry association and standard used to insure quality manufactured products. At 24 Hour Disc we won’t ever take shortcuts on quality.

You will be billed when you place your order with 24 Hour Disc, but you may cancel your order at any time prior to the point that you approve any part your project for production and recieve a full and prompt refund. Production will not begin until you approve at least one proof of your project which releases 24 Hour Disc Disc to start production, even if it may be only part of your project that is released. It is our goal that you be pleased with our work and your project. Please ask your Project Adviser for any help needed to insure the success of your project or a better understanding of this policy.

There are several small things that happen when submitting a project that can really slow the process down. We have listed the most common problems below. Of course you can always contact your Project Adviser for help if you do not understand how to deal with any of these issues. Improper trim size and no allowance for bleed are very common mistakes. See our templates page for the proper sizing of your project. Also see our note in FAQ concerning bleed. These should be reviewed before starting your design process. Image format. Files, artwork, or images that are sent to us in a format other than CMYK. The most common incompatible format we see is RGB. Verify that all elements you are including in your project are CMYK. Please see our note in FAQ concerning CMYK and RGB. Another common error is to size images too small or low resolution. All images should be 300 dpi at 100% of the desired size for the project. Wrong project file format or fonts not included. We accept file formats that include PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and Photoshop EPS. Please do not send us original program files such as Quark, InDesign, Publisher, etc. Convert these files to a PDF or TIFF format and be certain to include fonts. We are here to help if you have questions.

No, you do not need any computer expertise to use our website. If you can use an internet browser, you will be able to place an order for our products. You will be able to upload your design as long as you know how to click the mouse and browse through webpages.

You can get additional assistance by clicking on "Contact Us" on the right top hand corner of the page. This is available 24 hours a day. We also offer expert assistance on the phone Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm central time. Contact us at 855-424-3472 Toll Free.

The Shopping Cart is exactly like a shopping cart used at a supermarket or other stores. It is simply a place to hold the products you would like to purchase while allowing you to continue shopping. When you are satisfied with the contents in the shopping cart, you can proceed to check out and complete your order.

The "My Account" section allows you to enter your contact information along with shipping and billing instructions.

You can access our Products and "Contact Us" from the main menu or any page that has these buttons. Pricing is displayed on the right side of any product page in an instant pricing panel. Make the choices in the panel that suit your project and your price will be displayed instantly.

To register your account, enter your email address and click on "Register". The email address you provided upon registration is your Permanent User Name. Please enter your information in "My Account". Also note that the password provided is case sensitive.

You need to register in order to place an order. Registration is required to protect your privacy, so that nobody else can use your e-mail address to register an account at our site.

No, you will not receive SPAM or unsolicited e-mail. We do not share your e-mail address or any other personal information with any third party. We also do not send unsolicited e-mails without your consent as required by law.

Login by entering your e-mail address (Permanent User Name) and password.

Please click on "Sign In", and choose "Forgot your password?". Please enter your e-mail address and we will e-mail you your password.

Yes we do. In fact our hard copy proofs are actually press proofs. These are the same as printing your job on the press with the selected paper. This kind of proofing does cost more than a PDF proof and it does increase the amount of time it takes to produce your project. For this reason, unless you specifically request a hard copy proof, we choose to save you the money and time and go with the PDF proof. Contact your Project Adviser for more information about PDF proofs.

A PDF proof is a medium resolution image displayed on your computer screen. Since all computer screens are different you cannot rely on a PDF proof to represent accurate color. A PDF will show content such as type and trapping issues. It also shows trim and bleed. The color of your final printed project will not match the PDF you receive from us for proofing. Your Project Adviser would be happy discuss any concerns you may have about this process and help you make the right decision for your project. Most of our customers (95% or more) choose PDF proofing.

If you choose to have a press proof the color will match fairly closely. If you choose a PDF, it will not. Of course blues will be blue and reds will be red. Your Project Adviser can help you with this if you have any questions.

No, you do not need to be an expert designer. If you have a question about your design or specifications, just ask! We are here to answer your questions. Let us help.

Yes. We have a complete design staff that will work with you to create just the look you want. Contact design@24HourDisc.com with any questions.

Please refer to our design page on the website. Prices are shown there. If you do not see what you want we invite you to email our design staff at design@24HourDisc.com and tell them what you need.

Bleed is extending any color, photo, or design elements past the trim line. Our plant trims printed pieces in stacks of hundreds of sheets at a time. This is much faster than trimming individual pieces, at the cost of a little accuracy. Bleed gives the print shop a margin of error when trimming, so that if the cut is a little off, the white of the paper won't show along the edge. We request you add 1/8-inch of bleed to your layouts. For example if you have an item that will be trimmed to 4.75 x 4.75 then you would want to add 1/8 to all sides for bleed, making the final art size approximately 5.0 x 5.0. Each template has guidelines set up so you can see exactly how much bleed you need to add to your layouts. These are generally the outermost guides. Safety margin is the opposite of bleed. If you put important information such as a song title or an important part of a photo right up against the crop line, some of it may get cut off. We recommend that you keep your type and other important elements 1/8-inch inside the trim line. Each template has guidelines set up so you can see exactly how much safety margin to allow. These are generally the innermost guides. In the example of an item trimmed to 4.75 x 4.75 the safety margin would be approximately 4.5 x 4.5.

CMYK and RGB are two different color models, and understanding the difference can mean producing a great-looking insert rather than a muddy, disappointing one. This has become more of an issue in recent years because the internet is used by so many people and it uses the RGB color model, not CMYK, The RGB color model is used by monitors, televisions, scanners, and digital cameras. A monitor uses very small bands of red, green, and blue light to generate color. RGB color is considered additive color because when you add all three colors together, you get white light; when you turn off all three lights, you get black. By mixing varying amounts of red, green, and blue light, you can create most other colors. The paper of a magazine, catalog, or CD booklet can't generate light like a computer monitor. It has to rely on reflected light, and the subtractive color model CMYK. When you add cyan, magenta, and yellow together (CMY), you get a color close to black, and when you don't lay down any ink, you get white that is, the white of the paper.A fourth color, black, is added for economical and practical reasons, and is represented as the letter "K" so as not to be confused with blue. By mixing varying amounts of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks, you can create most other colors, but CMYK does not have the same range of color that RGB does. All commercial, full-color printing uses CMYK inks.

Many colors created on your RGB monitor can be duplicated using CMYK inks, but not all. Your RGB monitor is generating light, so it can create some bright colors that can't be duplicated on any CMYK printing press. Paper can only reflect light, so if you print the some RGB colors in CMYK they get flat and dull. If you're designing artwork in an RGB color space, we'll have to convert it to CMYK to print.

Depending on your artwork, the colors might shift a little or a lot. If you are not certain about the whole color space issue, don't worry. Just ask your personal Project Adviser to check it for you and make recommendations for corrective action if necessary.

Since 24 Hour Disc includes up to 3 color on disc printing at no charge for discs that are replicated, we get a lot of questions about this issue. For the most part it depends on the program you are using to design the disc face. Some programs cannot represent 3 colors. They work well with full color or grayscale (black and white type and images). Your Project Adviser can guide you in this area. If you need to send us files and don't know if they are 3 colors or less, just write a note to the Project Adviser and have them contact you before producing your project. Of course we will contact you anyway before we produce your project, but a heads up can prepare the Project Adviser to preview your file before contacting you. By the way, all replicated discs are silver when they are manufactured. If you want the disc face to be white before printing your artwork on the face of the disc you will need to ask for a white base coat to be applied to the disc face. This does count as one of the three available colors but it can really enhance your artwork. If your disc face needs to be more than 3 colors, don't worry. The extra cost to add full color to your disc face is cheaper at 24 Hour Disc than most of our competitors. Some of the competition charges 2.5 times what 24 Hour Disc charges. Talk to your Project Adviser for advice on this issue.

We do not recommend using the same artwork on the disc face as you are using on the printed insert that goes along with your disc. Disc faces are screen printed, inkjet printed, or offset printed depending on which method you choose. Inserts are offset printed on a conventional state-of-the-art commercial printing press. Even if you choose offset print for your disc face it will not match the art from the insert because the machinery to produce the print is so different. It is best to change the artwork so that it is clear that you did not intend that they match. If you still want to use the same artwork for design reasons that's no problem. Just be aware that they will not match. Your Project Adviser is a good source of information on this issue.

For best results, save your pictures at 300 dpi (dots per inch) and your other artwork at the highest resolution available (600 dpi is OK but our equipment will utilize up to 2400 dpi). Do not save pictures at resolutions higher than 300 dpi because this just slows down the process and does not improve the image quality. We recommend the following formats for upload: PDF, TIFF, JPEG, and Photoshop EPS. Please be certain to include all fonts in your files. All artwork should be CMYK not RGB or something else. Do not convert fonts to curves. This can severely limit the quality of the type and will not trap well. Please call our experienced staff with any questions.

OPTION 1: Upload CD Tracks with our App OPTION 2: Upload DDP Files through our FTP Uploader OPTION 3: Physical Masters

Disc duplication refers to the process of taking an existing blank CD-R or DVD-R disc and burning information onto that disc much the same way you copy CDs on your computer. At 24 Hour Disc we use state of the art dedicated duplicating towers to manage the duplication process. These machines do a cursory evaluation of the disc to check for read and write errors and then make an exact duplicate of the disc you send us. This is the best option if you have small quantities (up to 1,000 pcs) or need quicker turn around time to meet a deadline. Typical production time for duplication is 48 hours. We can produce your project in 24 hours if needed. Disc replication refers to the manufacturing process that starts with raw material to manufacture your discs from scratch. We evaluate your original disc for read and write errors and then make a glass master of your disc. This glass master is then used to create a stamper. The stamper is mounted on the machine that uses heat and pressure to mold your discs one at a time. This is the highest quality of disc manufacturing but is only cost effective for 300 discs or more. It takes as little as 1/2 of one second to mold one CD on this kind of equipment. The cost of creating both the glass master and stamper are already included in the quote shown in our instant pricing panel. This is the best option if you want larger quantities (500 pcs or more) and you have time (an average of 10 business days) to produce your project.

The glass master refers to the replication process, not duplication. The glass master is created by 24 Hour Disc as an exact copy of your disc. It is then used to create a stamper. Glass mastering includes a review and verification of copywrite ownership. Glass mastering is included with all of our replication projects. No extra charge.

Yes. Take extra care to insure that your disc is exactly as you want it to be. We do not alter your disc in any way before we duplicate or replicate it.

We recommend that you send two original masters with any project submitted for replication or duplication. Often one master can be flawed in some way (scratch, etc) and this gives us a backup disc to use. Otherwise the production process stops while we wait for you to send us another disc. This of course can delay the production process and could threaten your deadline.

On CDs and DVDs we offer poly overwrapping on all jewel case and amaray case projects. We offer shrinkwrap on all standard sleeves, zipper sleeves, wallets, Digipaks, and Digihubs that are shipped as packages with CDs or DVDs. Of course there is no wrapping of any kind on individual bulk discs.

We need two copies of your original disc just the way you want it copied. In addition we need a completed IPR form that shows who owns the rights to the content on the disc that you want to have copied. Finally we need a track listing showing the song names and times for CDs with music on them. If you are ordering a complete package then we also need artwork for the insert, traycard, and disc face. There are templates for these items on the website under the specs and templates button.

In truth everyone charges for barcodes. Some of our competition claims that barcodes are free with your order but they are really including the cost of the barcode with every order whether you need it or not. We believe that if you don't want a barcode you should not have to pay for it. Check our complete price with or without a barcode, you will find that we cost less! Remember what mom always said: You don't get something for nothing . (good advice)

That depends on how you intend to sell your item. For example if you are producing a music CD and intend to sell the CD through retail distribution then you might want to consider adding a barcode. Some retailers and other distributors will not accept a CD without a barcode. On the other hand if you have no intention of selling through distribution channels then a barcode is just wasted money.

You should leave a space that is 1.25" wide and 1.0" tall for the barcode. Most people place the barcode on the back of the printed piece. For jewel cases that would be on the traycard.

We recommend 7-8 point type or larger on disc faces. You should also try to use readable type that does not have tiny lines or curls on the font face. These can be difficult to read. Another thing to remember is to keep the type at lease 3/16 away from the edge of the disc. Otherwise it may be cut off as the disc shifts slightly on duplication type production.

No. DVDs are the hardest to standardize. There are several formats that exist and some of the older DVD players will not be compatible with more recent formatting styles. Do not let this scare you away from producing a DVD. Just remember that not all players will work. To make the disc compatible with the most equipment we recommend you have a professional studio create your master for you. Another thing you can do is try your disc in a number of different DVD players, if the disc plays then you will be alright with most machines. Remember, no matter what anyone tells you, there is no such thing as a DVD that will play in all DVD machines.

No. CDs are much more forgiving than DVDs but problems can exist. The most common mistake we see is when a client formats the CD on a computer and does not use settings that will allow the CD to operate on a standard CD player (like the one in your car). The best way to avoid this kind of problem is to try the disc out in several different machines before sending it to us and have an industry professional review your CD to confirm it is formatted correctly before sending it to us.

CDs have a time limit of 76 minutes if you want them to be compatible with most playback equipment. DVDs don't have a time limit. Instead they have a capacity limit of 4.7 gigs for a DVD-5 and 8.5 gigs for a DVD-9. Compression will determine how much data you can get on a DVD, but be careful not to compress your images so much that they do not look good when played back. It is a good idea to play a DVD on several different sizes of screen to see if the video quality meets your expectations.

We offer gloss laminate finishing on disc duplication only (CD or DVD). The laminate is a great way to protect the disc from exposure to water and sweat. It also makes the images really pop on the face of the disc. We highly recommend gloss laminate on any disk that has full coverage images on it.

For duplication we offer black text, full color and solid black or heavy ink coverage. All of our options can be gloss laminated for protection and better looking images. See the instant pricing grid for quotes.

Replicated discs can be 1, 2 or 3 color without any additional cost. Full color or 4 color with a white flood coat is available for a small flat charge if needed. Laminate is not available on replicated disks. Replicated discs resist water and don't need laminate for that reason.

24 Hour Disc prints flyers, brochures, posters, CD and DVD inserts/traycards, stitched books, and promo flyers on a super high grade of 100# gloss text paper. Postcards, pocket folders, CD and DVD sleeves and heavy duty posters/flyers are printed on 12 pt C2S (C2S means coated two sides. Another way to think of this stock is that it is heavy duty card stock with a gloss finish on both sides, great for helping your images pop off of the page).

We offer free aqueous coating on all 100# gloss text printing (both sides). We also aqueous coat one side of all 12 pt C2S projects. This allows for inkjet addressing from professional mail houses to be applied to postcards, etc.

A glossary of print terminology used can be found on the help page.

Aqueous coating is a protective coating that we put on most of our printed pieces. The coating helps keep finger prints off of the print and resists rubbing. It also makes the images pop off of the page. Best of all it is always free at 24 Hour Disc.

We use stochastic screening on projects printed on paper (this is the best possible screening). What does that mean to you? Your printed piece will look better. Some people believe stochastic screening looks as good as a photograph. Let us know what you think when you get your project.

Trapping works to make your printed piece look better and helps to eliminate white lines between color changes. At 24 Hour Disc we do all of the trapping for you, so you don't have to worry about it. We handle trapping on all projects and it is included in the price already. No hidden costs at 24 Hour Disc.

You need to provide billing and shipping addresses and you must choose a delivery method. Also, your order must be paid by credit card. Once all of the appropriate information is supplied and your project is uploaded or mailed to us we will email you an approval of your project. After you have approved the project by returning our approval email (see instructions on the email) then your order is considered placed and in production. Please Note: Orders cannot be cancelled after you have approved them. No refunds are allowed after an order has been approved.

Yes, you can place an order from anywhere in the world, as long as you have internet access. We do, however, only ship to the USA and Canada.

You can pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover credit cards. We also accept checks and money orders. If you pay with a company or personal check your project will be delayed until we can confirm that the check has cleared your bank.

Yes. During checkout steps, the site uses SSL with 128-bit encryption which makes all transactions completely secure. After finishing the checkout process, you may get a message that you are leaving secure pages.

Yes, you can use different addresses for shipping and billing.

Yes.  Your Project Adviser can send one to you.

Each instant pricing grid will have quantities available for the item you choose. If you do not see a quantity listed you may contact us to see if we offer the quantity you are interested in.

When you place an order we begin processing the project by preparing a PDF proof of the printed pieces for your review. This usually happens within 24 to 48 hours of the order being placed. Your Project Adviser will email the proof to you for approval. You must approve the proof by replying to our email as soon as possible. If you approve the proof prior to 10:30 am central time then that day becomes day zero in the quoted days for production. For example if you are ordering a project with a quoted production time of 5 days and you approve the proof on Monday morning at 10:00 am central time then Monday becomes day zero. Tuesday is day one and so on. Your project will ship from our plant on the fifth business day after day zero, in this case that would be the following Monday, 5 business days after day zero. All production times quoted are estimates. We try our best to make these times but don't always get it done. Please allow for this when placing your order. Actual shipping time begins after production is finished. Please allow plenty of time for the production of your project. We cannot be responsible for missed deadlines.

Yes. In our instant pricing grid we offer options for expedited production of your project. This is a great feature if you have a short time frame to complete your project. Please remember that while we do make most deadlines sometimes we miss the deadline. Please allow plenty of time for the production of your project. We cannot be responsible for missed deadlines.

No. You can send part of your project to us but the production does not begin until all pieces of the project are in house. In some cases it makes sense to send us something to review to make sure you are on the right track with your project, possibly avoiding a larger problem further down the line. Contact your personal Project Adviser for advice.

For pricing, please visit our product pages and enter the details into the instant pricing grid. The price shown includes all of the features selected. It does not include the cost for shipping/handling/insurance. We will contact you at the time you place your order to confirm the total cost including shipping/handling/insurance. You will not be charged until we confirm the total with you and of course you can cancel the order at that time without risk.

Yes, as the quantity of the products you are ordering increases, the cost per product decreases. For example, the cost per business card for an order of 250 business cards is higher than the cost per business card for an order of 1000 business cards.

Each project is different. We will contact you with shipping costs prior to processing your order for production. You can cancel your order at that time if you do not want to pay the shipping costs.

We offer several shipping options. UPS ground, UPS 3 day, UPS overnight, UPS overnight early delivery, and UPS overnight late next afternoon. We do not ship with client accounts. Please remember that all shipping time estimates are not guarantees of delivery time. Allow enough time in the production and delivery schedule for errors, equipment failures, or missed deliveries.

We presently offer shipping to the U.S.A.

No, we do not ship to P.O. Box addresses.

Our technical support staff is standing by to assist you with any questions you might have. Click on Contact Us and either email us or call us directly at 855-424-3472 Toll Free

Most probably there is a problem with the file containing the design that you are trying to upload. It is recommended that you save your design in another file format and try to upload the newly saved file.

A slow computer does not affect using this site. If your computer is fast enough to run a browser and to browse the internet, there should be no problem in using this site. Of course a faster computer will refresh faster.

No, most of the time they work fine. Most internet browsers will work with the site but you should verify that you are using the most current version available. Internet Expolorer on a Macintosh will not work.