DVD/CD cleaning

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Hi Loungers, is it possible to remove the writing on a disc done using a DVD/CD marker pen?

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Not without damaging the disk itself.
What kind of a marker pen are we talking about here?

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Clint, they are special types of pens that are designed to be used on discs and available in any pc stores.

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I use Sharpie pens.
They are supposed to be safe…

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Hi Banyarola, I’ve used various pens in the past from different makers as they don’t seem to last very long. I’m trying to remove the old writing to replace it but don’t want to damage the discs in the process.

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Try a sponge with dish washing liquid.

I use that to remove the sharpie writing on plastic food containers.

At least the soap isn’t a solvent.

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Sounds good, I was advised to use Methylated Spirits on another forum.

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I wouldn’t use anything close to a solvent because it may attack the plastic..

Try the soap and sponge.

I just tried it myself on an old disk and I had to use the abrasive side of the sponge…

The soft side didn’t remove it…

Oh well, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all..

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If push comes to shove, I can always make new discs as I don’t have many needing altered.

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Why not use a stick on DVD lable?
http://www.onlinelabels.com/dvd-labels.htm?gclid=CPO95fHTvq8CFUrWKgodvDFzyQ

Jerry

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Hi Jerry, they tend to unbalance them.

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Yeah, I wouldn’t use anything stronger than soap and water on them.
Don’t use a stickered DVD label, their solvents in the sticky are known to damage discs.

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Hi Jerry, they tend to unbalance them.

Yeah, I wouldn’t use anything stronger than soap and water on them.
Don’t use a stickered DVD label, their solvents in the sticky are known to damage discs.

I’ve used labels for years and have never had either of of these issues. What labels end up being is just a hassle. Very little gain for the time involved in creating the label and sticking it on. For what? To make a 40¢ disk look pretty? Given the low cost of disks I’d bite the bullet and just copy them.

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Hi Chuck, I agree totally.

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Hi Chuck, I agree totally.

So I’m guessing I blew my chance to sell you a partially used box of CD/DVD labels? In VERY good condition of course!

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Afraid so, Chuck.

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I read somewhere that sticker or paper label is not advised on DVD disc.
Caddy-less disc player (with only a slit to push in the disc, most are in cars) would get stuck. The paper causes the jam.
The caddy-less design depends on the top and bottom roller mechanism to roll the disc in/out. The sticker may get stuck, sort of like paper get stuck on printer roller.

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I used Lightscribe, labels and found it was too much trouble and time so I just use a Sharpie now…

Printing labels was nice but just takes too much time but they come out nice and I have this gadget that centers them on the disk…

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Have you tried isopropyl alcohol to remove the marker?

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I have never wanted to remove a sharpie label from a disc before but you could try plastic polish like this:

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g12310-plastx-clear-plastic-cleaner-polish/

I know from experience that it does a great job getting scratches out of the playing surface side of the disc. If the ink is just on top and doesn’t soak into the substrate then it should take it off or most of it anyway.

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I wouldn’t use any k9nd of solvent because it may destroy the protective layer that is put on all disks..

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“RR”
Just another opinion …. I use a “Sharpie” marking pen (Black) …When i have to change or reuse the CDDVD…i take a paper towel with some Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (sparingly) and remove the unwanted bit and add the new …Never had any problems (with the disks) ..Just figured not to get any on the “Data” side…My 2 ¢ Regards Fred

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I’ve successfully used methylated spirit (methyl alcohol) a number of times to remove my writing from optical disk labels. It is the solvent used in marker pens (though the purchased fluid has a small amount of other poisons added to try and discourage desperates from drinking it). Works without problem on ‘shiny label’ disks. Apply with a rag or paper towel, trying to dab rather than rub, so as to ensure none ends up on the playable surface.

If used on matte-white (‘inkjet printable’) labels you won’t get all a lot of the ink off and will leave an inky cloud of residue, but hey.

After seeing Fred’s recommendation I’d actually go with isopropyl alcohol if you have it and don’t mind the extra minor expense, since it will evaporate much faster than methylated spirits. Isopropyl alcohol can be bought as screen or CD/DVD cleaner from CD shops, computer shops etc., which is I suspect purer than the rubbing alcohol bought from a pharmacist.

Asus N53SM & N53SN 64-bit laptops (Win7 Pro & Win10 Pro 64-bit multiboots), venerable HP Pavilion t760 32-bit desktop (XP & Win7 Pro multiboot), Oracle VirtualBox VM's: XP & Win7 32-bit, XP Mode, aged Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2019s (8" & 10.1"), Blu-ray burners, digital cameras, ext. HDDs (latest 5TB!), AnyDVD, Easeus ToDo Backup Home, Waterfox, more. Me: Aussie card-carrying Windows geek.

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Take a different colored pen, perhaps? I make a habit of writing on the sleeve I keep them in, and put a code that’s on the sleeve and DVD, like M36 (M for movie, let’s say) so that if I leave them unsleeved in a big pile – you know the rest. I also flip the liner in plastic cases and write on them.
If you have different colored blanks, you can add that to the code.
I also make sure I name them during the burn process, because it’s a lot quicker to just ID them by the name in My Computer rather having to open them in explorer, but anyways, that doesn’t help the labeling thing.

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The correct way to label DVD/CD is write/label first, THEN record. This is very important for reliable backup.

If label writing causes damages, the error correction during burning will remedy it. If you label after burning, the damage maybe too much for error correction.

But why the hassle? Soft tip marker will do 99.99% of the time.

[In quality control experiment, even a very slightly marked disc will affect the recording quality. The ‘impression’ goes all the way to the other side and it shows. The sharper the writing tool, say, a sharp pencil (used as a control), the higher the effect. Remember, we are talking about tiny tiny micro size ‘mirrors’. A slight pressure on the ‘mirror’ changes it reflectivity quality.]

That said, it is for knowledge only. Today, reliability is very high. Use a soft tip pen is good enough. I even use ‘hard’ felt tip marker (but write softly!). Has no ill effect. As usual, the escape clause: Do it at your own peril.

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