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Just imagine if you can burn some data into a CD/DVD and then design something on the back side using the same CD/DVD writer...The technology is up!!!Some of us might already have the technology in our PCs.Wonder how it works??? here is the information about what it is?How it works?etc.

You might be having few movie DVDs which have colourful frames on the unused side of disc.Most of them are stick-on labels.LightScribe is an optical disc recording technology that utilizes specially coated CD/DVD to produce laser-etched labels with text or graphics.To put it in simple, its a replacement to stick on labels.Regards to Mr.Daryl Anderson (from HP) the one who brought out such a marvellous thing.Though the technology was out to market in 2004 , not many people are aware of this technology.

The advantage is that you can create such a thing in your own CD writer similar to burning some data.Since the graphics are etched on non-writable side, It has no effect on the data storing capacity of the disc.Also, a LightScribe CD/DVD writer can be used to burn an ordinary CD/DVD also.Therefore we can call it an additional feature.Cant we??

For this fantastic thing to be done , all you got to have is a LightScribe featured disc writer,and of course a special kind of CD(LightScribe CD).Both the things are easily available at market.So you don't need to run behind shops for that.But its slightly costly when compared to ordinary CD or a CD writer(a LightScribe CD-R may cost you around 40Rs in India).But still , its worth what you pay for the technology.

All that the user got to do is burn the data to be stored into the CD ,then flip the disc and insert with label side down(opposite to how we place ordinary CD).And then design as per your wish and then burn it again.

Before looking at "How the whole thing works" , lets first understand how different a light scribe CD is from an ordinary CD.

LightScribe CD and DVDs have a special coating that interacts with the laser(780 nm infrared laser light) in your LightScribe-enabled disc drive.The coating is what makes difference from an ordinary CD.The writer is also quite different.Here you have an additional laser beam generator that etches design on CD.As the CD rotates the laser beam is focused in such a way that the image gets etched from inner-edge to outer-edge in a concentric way.Quite simple to understand!!

It was "BenQ" that tried to give a solution to labelling the disc directly.In the process, it released "Yamaha CRW-F1" CD rewriter that featured their "DiskT@2" technology for burning images.The main drawback was that it required you to sacrifice CD space to make way for your artwork.But it was only good enough for small logos or watermarks, unless you wanted to create a nicely labeled disc with no content on it!!! Later it was HP that brought out a better technology "LightScribe" which overcame the drawback of storage capacity depending on the labelling.

The laser inside a CD/DVD driver with LightScribe technology focuses light energy onto a thin dye coating on the label side of the disc(LightScribe disc ). The light from the laser causes a chemical change in the dye coating that shows up on the disc.As mentioned above,LightScribe labels burn in concentric circles, moving outward from the center of the disc. Images with the largest diameters will take longest time to burn.

We get LightScribe discs of different color.But etched label designs appear gray scale.Therefore we have an option in choosing the background color.As of now, we don't have the technology to erase what has been etched.But it is possible to add something more to what has been already etched.By etching it again and again,we can increase the brightness of labelling.But how is the position(starting point) determined???

The answer is ,the center of every LightScribe disc has a special code that allows the drive to know the precise rotational position of the disc. This in combination with the drive hardware allows it to know the precise position from the center outwards, and the disc can be labeled while spinning at high speed using these references.Now that you have the LightScribe enabled drive you will need the LightScribe System Software (LSS), which is similar to a driver to get the job done.For windows ,you can download the software here. Even you can use "Nero Cover Designer"software which comes with the Nero CD burner; or you can use Cyberlink,sonic etc software's.

Firstly it takes lot of time to get the job done when compared to writing a data onto a disc.The time it takes is proportional to how complex the graphics to be etched is.The average burn time for a cover is approximately 20 minutes.Also, the discs are to be kept away from extreme heat.But the fact that many disc players present internal temperatures significantly higher than room temperature, LightScribe discs should also not be left in disc players for long periods of time.Secondly residual chemicals on your fingers could cause discoloration of the label image. Such chemicals include even common hand lotions and hair care products!! That's were its not the one suggested for CD which we frequently use.

The whole concept of LightScribe is that the laser beam is focused on the part of CD to be etched and the LASER beam ,because of its high intensity, causes a chemical reaction which darkens the portion of the CD . The result is a label on CD.But we know that a LASER beam intensity is capable of burning paper or melt certain plastic.So cant we use a CD with a paper layer on non burning side or some other layer??Since we have a separate laser source for LightScribing the intensity required wont be a problem. Lastly, anyone experimenting , its at your own risk!!!