This entry will cover print and packaging for CD and DVDs.
But first, let me quickly address the “hybrid” solution mentioned last time for filmmakers or bands who want to make only 500 units, but can’t seem to find someone who would give them a decent price under 1000 units. (Have you noticed when you get a quote for 500 pcs, its usually only about $150-$200 less than the 1000 pcs pricing?) What you do is ask the replicator or broker to quote a hybrid job: replicate 1000 discs, print 1000 inserts, but package only 500. The secret with most replicators is that their 500 piece price is basically this model I just outlined here, but after you pay them, you only walk away w/ 500 completed products (no extra discs or prints). And the next time you go in for reorder, you’re paying from scratch again and paying over 1.20-1.40 per unit. Using this hybrid solution, you’ll walk away with an additional 500 DVDs and print, so next time when you reorder, you’ll only pay for the packaging, which is usually about 0.25 to 0.30 per unit–saving you over a dollar a piece!
Three commonly used CD and DVD package types:
a. Plastic cases (jewel case, amaray-style case)
b. Digi-pak (plastic tray glued to cardboard), Vacuum formed binders and sleeves
c. Cardboard sleeves
DVD and CDs are traditionally packaged in petroleum-based cases (jewel cases, amaray-style cases, digi-paks), costing between 0.07 to 0.15 each. That is a difficult price point to beat. Cases are mass produced in the hundreds of millions, achieving economies of scale that enables a case made in China to be shipped to the US to be sold–at a profit–for 0.08ea. For most budget-challenged projects, this is the way to go. Add printing for the DVD cover sheet or CD booklet & tray card, you can have a market-accepted print & packaging solution for less than $0.50 for a DVD and $0.60 for a CD, at a relatively low volume of 1000 units.
However, more often now clients are considering ecological alternatives like cardboard sleeves, folders and envelopes with some or no plastic content. The type of packaging you consider is largely determined by the distribution channel or product use. For products that ultimately will go on a shelf in a store, the prevailing standard is a petroleum based jewel case/DVD case. Unfortunately for the environmental movement, in general, the most cost-effective solutions are also the ones that use the most plastic–the traditional solutions like the jewel case and plastic DVD cases will be around for a while. Industry and retail giants like Sony and Walmart are going green so there is movement away from these type of cases. Since there is still a large investment of store displays and shelves designed for plastic cases that it’ll dictate the size and dimension of up-coming alternative packaging. Keep your distribution strategy in mind as you design the product. If you’re planning to go retail, then a plastic case or something similar to it in size, is probably on your horizon. To be fair, many of these cases also use post-consumer waste content, so they’re not totally evil. However, when compared to cardboard sleeve solutions that often don’t have any plastic content, the contrast is blatant.
A kind of a “in-between” solution is the digi-pak. The price is on the high end ($1.80 - $2.50 per piece for 1,000 pcs), but many clients still use digi-paks to present a product that has a higher perceived value. The package consists of a clear or black plastic tray glued to a cardboard sleeve. (here is a image of a digipak from a Wikipedia article) I’ve seen digi-packs designed to hold up to as twelve DVDs. The “Friends” DVD release contained eight or ten discs, in a handsome digi-pak. The cardboard sleeve can be printed on environmentally friendly paper/cardboard, but the tray is typically virgin material petroleum and not recycled material.
Cardboard sleeves are most commonly 4-paneled, called wallets, holding a disc. A single-pocket, 5inch x 5inch, 2 panel, cardboard sleeve commonly used for samplers, but not retail products. Keep in mind the point made earlier about the retail environment. If you want to make a retail-bound CD or DVD in cardboard sleeve, it has to be dimensionally similar to a DVD case or CD jewel case. The 4-panel wallets can be printed in color both sides, offering plenty of room for art, copy, and other information. The sleeve has a inside pocket for a disc. When you design this pocket, make sure it’ll fit a disc snugly, not loosely. We had a client recently who sent us a wallet where the DVD slid up and down the extra large pocket. During shipping that has the potential to scratch the disc. Another implementation of the cardboard is actually not a sleeve, but an adhesive applied foam or plastic hub in the center to hold the disc. The best part about this solution is that in terms of overall cost, a cardboard sleeve solution falls in between a digi-pak and a plastic case, so its kind of a “best of both worlds” approach. I like it also because if you choose the vendors carefully, you can create a very eco-friendly solution. (Read the next blog for more details about green-friendly components in CD/DVD packaging.)
