#CD-ROM duping costs?
9 messages in this thread
Dear All,
I'm doing some research into the cost and turnaround time to duplicate small
runs (1 – 3 thousand) of Mac- or PC-compatible CD-ROMs. I need to know
1) Which companies provide duping services?
2) If I provide a one-off CD, what price range am I in for?
3) If I provide the duplicator with the data on disk or tape, what price range
am I in for?
4) What's the absolute minimum rush turnaround? (I may need a 1-day trunaround
for some products)
5) Do any of the duping companies also handle mailing? Can I provide a mailing
list, packaging and a one-off master and let the duplicator handle duping and
distribution?
6) What equipment do duplication houses use? What price range? What would be
involved in my purchsing mass-duplication equipment for doing the production in
my own plant? At what point does it make sense to leave the 'service-bureau'
environment and bring the production in-house?
7) What else should I be considering?
Any/all comments welcome. Many thanks…
Val Cohen
Newsroom Systems Mgr.
The Orange County Register
Val,
Do you have a project in mind or just taking a survey?
Our company offers one-off services as well as replication, shipping, inserts,
packaging, and rush services. I don't feel very comfortable responding to such
a blue sky set of questions with pricing. As I'm sure you understand, pricing
depends on the amount of business you're actually planning to do. If you've
got a project or projects in mind I'd be happy to talk to you in E-Mail or by
phone.
We're currently working with two major newspapers with their CD-ROM projects
and would be happy to include your paper as well.
Jerry Warner
CD Solutions, Inc.
Val,
My company handles mass replication services of all kinds. One-day service and
drop-shipping are available. Quoting prices on a general forum is not
considered good form, and in complex matters like CD-ROM reproduction are
probably not possible without some exchange of questions and answers anyway, so
I won't try to give you dollar figures. If you'd like to discuss this by
phone, please call me at 205-534-3050. Or you may reach me via email. I'm
also sysop of the One-Off CD Shop section on the CDVEN forum, where the rules
about talking in numbers are a little looser. Type GO ONEOFF to get there.
You can find a list of mass replicators in Library 8 (MFG.TXT) on this forum.
For doing your own mass replication, first find a facility that can handle
clean-room environments, then budget about $10 million for equipment (much of
it custom-crafted), plus the personnel to operate it (skilled, experienced
people in this field are not easy to come by, either). Probably not
cost-effective for small runs such as you describe. <smile>
Doing your own one-offs is another matter. It depends on how often and how
many you plan to do, and whether they are simple data dumps, or if you plan to
do hybrids or mixed mode, or other fancy stuff. Also on whether you want to
devote the personnel to training and production. I'd be happy to discuss these
issues with you, too.
Regards,
Kathy Cochrane
Kathy, Jerry,
Thanks for the info. I'll follow up on the leads you mentioned, and probably
get in touch by phone later this week. I'm doing preliminary research for a
client (as well as for my own edification – we may get into this inhouse before
long), and the client wants to know the tardeoffs between sending disks out to
be duped versus doing it himself. From the vague figures you mention, Kathy, it
sounds like mastering 1,000 CDs is not unlike manufacturing 1,000 hard disks
<g>. I have a Pinnacle Micro RCD-202 one-off device, and it's great, but 1,000
hours for 1,000 CDs isn't very good thruput.
Thanks again, and I'll be in touch.
Val Cohen
The Orange County Register
Val,
Even I would not suggest making 1000 (or even 100) identical CDs as one-offs.
Not just the time, but the media costs would be absurd. We can do the mass
production thing, too, though, after providing you with a test disc that is
functionally identical to what you'd receive from the replication plant. What
a deal! <Grin>
Kathy Cochrane
[GO ONEOFF]
Val,
I agree with Kathy 100%. Making 1000 identical CDs on one-off technology would
be nuts. Much better (and far cheaper) to make a single premaster (one-off)
then have one of us replicate for you.
Jerry Warner
CD Solutions, Inc.
Jerry,
We actually agreed on something!!! <BG>
Kathy Cochrane
[GO ONEOFF]
Oh now Kathy, you and I agree far more than we disagree and you know it <g>.
Our only problem is that we both want to be the first to say it.
Jerry
CDS
Possibly. Or maybe just the first to say it right? <G>
Kathy