CD replication or duplication?

I'm not sure which would be the best way to make the discs, replication is the best quality, but cost prohibitive under 500 pieces.




What is the difference between replication and duplication?

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 NationWide 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 2,000 pcs) or need quicker turn around time to meet a deadline. Typical production time for duplication is 2 days. We can produce your project in 1 day 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 a 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 500 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 aver- age of 10 business days) to produce your project. Shorter production times are also available, but if time is your major concern the disc duplication might be a better choice than replication.