You can eliminate the need for stickers by printing directly onto specially coated CDs and DVDs. They look like oversized drink coasters and hold your sticker and disc in place so they both align perfectly. If you plan to label several discs, a label applicator ($11) makes a smart investment. But if you don’t have one of these programs, you can use Avery’s free online tools to create labels. Avery’s templates are compatible with iPhoto, Adobe’s desktop publishing applications, and applications that can open Microsoft Word files (such as Apple’s Pages). Media label packs range in price from about $11 to $75 and are available with jewel case inserts, DVD case sleeves, and other extras.
This can be as simple as buying a pack of Avery disc labels and downloading its free template file.
Professional-looking labels can help make your next CD or DVD a unique work of art, or simply much easier to read when you’re hunting for that important file. When a Sharpie isn’t the right tool for the job, use your Mac and a printer to create labels. But old-fashioned optical media still has one advantage over other storage methods––you can easily label your discs to see their contents at a glance. These days, we can save our files to flash drives, iPods, and the ever-present cloud.
