Problem - bigtime!

[Ron Ingram]

How does one remove Magic Marker ink from a CD. I read (too late) that one should not label a CD that way an' now I'm stuck. I really hate th' tho't of reburnin' roughly 80 CD's. Any idea how long it takes for damage t' show up?
tnx,
Ron

[jiminyClickit]

Ron Ingram,

Drugstore 50% solution isopropyl alcohol on a cotton cloth is effective against a Sharpie (US brand) marker. Mineral spirits (hardware/paint store) is another possibility, depending on type of CD.

[windrider86]

Put a label over it

[jiminyClickit]

windrider86,

There is some evidence that the chemicals used in markers can eventually corrupt the information on the recorded side, as they migrate through. I haven't seen it happen yet, but the "people who know" suggest using a marker only on the clear inner 1-inch hub, just to avoid the possibility of damage.

[prrs4me]

That's what I love about this site. You learn something new every day. I have been marking my cd's-dvd's with marker for years because I heard the paper labels can get jammed in the players.
What are we supposed to use to label our disks.

[Digidave]

The reason not to use paper labels is, they can off-balance the CD if not put on properly. When a CD is being read in your player, it is spinning at a very high rate & any little bit of balance problem can be a very bad thing. There are markers that are made specifically for marking CD's. I believe I got mine at Wal-Mart. They are water based(not oil based) & labeled very clearly, "For use on CD's & DVD's".

[Val1064]

Originally Posted by Digidave

The reason not to use paper labels is, they can off-balance the CD if not put on properly. When a CD is being read in your player, it is spinning at a very high rate & any little bit of balance problem can be a very bad thing. There are markers that are made specifically for marking CD's. I believe I got mine at Wal-Mart. They are water based(not oil based) & labeled very clearly, "For use on CD's & DVD's".

I used these also. I lightscribe my dvd's for the most part though.

[banbro]

The rubbing alcohol will work fine, you can also use the cleaning solution that is used to clean white marker boards... I use the stuff made by Expo.

As to the Sharpie degrading your media quality.... I have been burning CD and DVD for over 15 years (DVD for about 10) and have always used a Sharpie. I have yet to see a CD or DVD media become corrupted and un-readable as a result of the Sharpie usage (not to say it isn't possible, I just haven't seen it.).

They also say that recordable media is only reliable for about 10 years... again, I have not seen any evidence of that with the media I have used and I have a lot over the 10 year mark.

On the flipside... you can get a marker that is designed to write on CD/DVD media if it makes you feel safer.

Brock

[TW1NS]

i would have to say unless you marked on the wrong side of the cd...then the problem isn't that big...
I use lightscribe on my cd's or dvd's also, but they cost more and take more time to label...
have never had a problem with a sharpie -
wouldnt you think that the ink that is printed on the label side could be any worse than a sharpie?

[Taallyn]

You can also purchase discs that are intended to be printed on. They will have either a matt white or gloss white finished over the disc substrate film which contains the data. These discs are printed with inkjet printers so they should be fine with sharpies. Plus, quite a bit more affordable than Lightscribe discs. Here at work we have an Epson printer that can print on the discs. We have used the discs without printing on them and using Sharpies instead for quick, one-off copies.