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REPLICATION vs. DUPLICATION: What it is and why.

CD Replication is the manufacturing process that clones the original master. A glass master is made from a premastered image. Stampers are made from the master, then discs are pressed with the stamper using injection molding. In a matter of seconds, a plastic disc is made. A thin layer of aluminum is applied over the disc and then a protective layer of lacquer which is hardened by ultraviolet light. The disc is then ready for the silk-screen printing presses that are accurate and fast. Every CD will be an exact copy of the original.

Replication is best used at volumes of 1000 units plus. It has higher start-up-costs with lower per unit cost.

CD Duplication uses a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable). This method of producing CDs has a premastered image on a disc that has a dye layer, a laser burns data into the dye. Duplication makes several copies of the disc at one time.

CD-R is ideal for small projects (volumes less than 1000). This method is faster and has lower startup costs (as in comparison with replication) but has a slightly higher per unit cost. Duplication is more efficient for projects that need fast turnaround. Time delay is avoided because there is no waiting for production of a glass master or machine set up.