I have not kept up with much since I bought my first recorder years ago, so I am still unsure whether it is safe to write with marker or anything else for that matter... on dvd media.

If discs are said to be printable, does that mean they can be written on safely with marker or it still would be more dangerous than even using a printer with them?

You can safely write on the label side of a DVD. Unlike CD's, the reflective layer is imbedded in the plastic and is not effected by ink soaking through.

DVD's are made with a sandwich of polycarbonate. (2 discs glued together). the important stuff is safely tucked inside. You can do most anything you like to them with no fear of damage, up to and including scratching your words into them with a screwdriver.

You can buy a marker specifically marketed to write on discs, if it'll make you feel any safer. But, just an office-grade, fine-tipped, permanent Sharpie from Walmart will do.

ok, thanks. Wow, this is definitely opposite of how everyone was tlaking back when I got my first recorder.

What if it isn't even an ink jet printable one, you're syaing you could even write on those with a felt tip pen?

I know one thing... I sure need to get good inserts becuase as it is I sloppily put sheets of paper in my dvd cases. Wish I ahdn't wasted money on dvd cases also and had got smaller ones.

One other thing: What in the world is the point of getting mini dvds if it's going to be used in traditonal players? If I understood their description... they could be used in regular dvd recorders and players, but what is the point of getting something with less capacity just becuae it looks smaller?

Also Taiyo-Yuden and Ritek still generally liked?

Sorry I have gone off on several tangents here. lol

What if it isn't even an ink jet printable one, you're syaing you could even write on those with a felt tip pen?All DVDs, printable or not, still have the reflective layer safely protected under a 0.6mm layer of polycarbonate plastic. You can write on them with a felt tip pen without worry. Just don't try to use a ball point! ;)

One other thing: What in the world is the point of getting mini dvds if it's going to be used in traditonal players?They're smaller and lighter if you're sending about 1G of data in the mail. They take less storage space if you have a bunch of stuff that doesn't fill the larger discs and you still want to keep it on separate discs for some reason. And I think there were some compact DVD video cameras that were designed for the smaller discs. And they're cute. Other than that, there's no advantage.

Also Taiyo-Yuden and Ritek still generally liked?I saw some posts of concern about Taiyo-Yuden media a month or so back, but I haven't had any problem with it. In my mind it's still the number one choice. Most people feel that Ritek is one of the worse brands. I had very good luck with several 8X Ritek spindles about 2 years ago, but the 16X Ritek (Maxell brand) spindle that I tried gave terrible results in my Pioneer 633 and 640 machines. The discs were playable without glitches, but they showed very high correctable error rates when I scanned them on my PC.

Hmm as far as coasters I have had zero out of hundreds of Ritek on a Pioneer recorder. But I havent gone as far as checking anythign about them other than justw atching them.

I think I may get taiyo-yuden, but I just hate that I haven't tried any so if I do buy a spindle then it's a risk.

I think I may get taiyo-yuden, but I just hate that I haven't tried any so if I do buy a spindle then it's a risk.It's frustrating, isn't it? It seems like once you've found something you can trust they go and change the rules on you (ie, switch from 8X to 16X media) and you have to start all over again. Bummer... :confused: