Primera Signature Z1 CD/DVD Printer

Rating:
Summary: Great product, great value
Review: I have made about 200 CDs with the Signature Z1. The results are exactly as promised. Yes, you can see the pixels at 200 dpi, but you have to look hard. I already have "my money back" vs. commercial CD duplication.

There is no problem with ink adherance to CD blanks designed for thermal printing. With good blanks the spoilage rate is less than 5%, and that's being picky. It even prints cheaper blanks with only slight rub-off problems.

The Signature Z1 is nominally a monocolor printer but I have made CDs in which the logo field is red and the other three fields are black. It requires two passes through the printer.

My only complaint: the hub-gripper does not always want to release the CD. I found a painless workaround: drop a blank CD over the printed CD to push the pins back, then lift them both off together. At last, a use for the transparent CDs that are found at the top and bottom of each spindle!

Rating:
Summary: Great idea, but poor quality
Review: I was really excited to get this product it was exactly what I was looking for. The day I received it, took it out of the box and tried it. Hooked it up and printed my first cd (one included in the box). The logo that I had downloaded was printed incorrectly in one quadrant and another quadrant had text misprinted. 2 out 4 quadrants misprinted. Hmm, I tried it again and again . . . after 6 cds I gave up. E-mailed Primera and they gave me RMA. At first wanting me to send it back on my dime. I protested and they sent me a shipping label. Waited for the second unit, hoping it was a fluke. Second unit, same thing . . . now I'm returning it for a credit. I hope no one else has the same problems.
Like I said great idea but the product did not deliver. I guess I'll have to buy a Epson or HP to print directly onto the cds.

Rating:
Summary: Primera Z1 happily meets my needs
Review: Overall I have been very pleased with the Primera Z1. It is quick and simple to use. I've been pleased with the results.

Unlike another reviewer, I have not found the slight jaggedness in text a problem and didn't even notice it at all until after I read his review -- I had to look closely to notice it. I have not tried to print graphics so I can't comment on that. I found the Primera Z1 extremely easy to set up: just connect it to my USB port, install the software (which was a snap), and follow the instructions to install the printer cartridge. I was up and running very quickly. It is true there is no printer cartridge indicator of how much is left, but then few printers I've used (and I've used many) provide that information which is why I always keep a spare cartridge. So this isn't a problem for me.

I've been using the Primera Z1 to label DVD discs and have used TDK DVD-R discs which have a silver satin finish and the TDK name, type of disc, size, etc. imprinted. (I had a supply of these prior to my purchase of the Primera Z1 and wanted to use them up before getting the plain discs which are recommended.) You can line up the disc in the printer and enter the text in the software so it won't overwrite any disc imprint (hint: if using imprinted discs, make sure the disc is in the printer so that the imprinted text runs horizontally).

I've used a variety of fonts with this in sizes from 12 points (anything smaller would be hard to read) up to 36 points and have been very happy with the results. I've only used a black cartridge. This sure beats hand writing titles in indelible ink or trying to use labels (which made one DVD I recorded of camcord film I had unreadable on my player).

The Primera Z1 is not going to give you the type of very high quality output you find on pre-recorded DVD or music CD discs. But if your needs, as mine were, are simple -- printing text directly onto DVDs or CDs -- it is great. As mentioned above, you can print in whatever font you have on your computer in whatever size (just highlight the text and then select the font from the pull-down menu, then select the size). You can mix it up, i.e. I had 3 different titles and printed each in a different font and size. You can have text centered, flush right or flush left, and justified. Also you can bold, italicize, or underline text. It will even do square bullets or numbering.

I probably should mention that I'm running this on Windows XP home edition.


Rating:
Summary: Primera Signature Z1 (Fair)
Review: Primera Signature Z1 CD/DVD label printer was what I was looking for...inexpensive thermal disc printer for printing on regular discs. Primary use would be for labelling client's discs in a simple, clear manner.

I could not find any users reviews on this product as of late Sept. 2004. Ordered the Z1 from Amazon in early Oct 2004. Software installed easily on Windows 2000(J) PC and hookup was a breeze. Design software is fairly intuitive, allowing you to place text or images on north, east, south, west quadrants of your disc.

Print quality is fair...I was expecting better for claimed 200 dpi resolution. Larger, serif, italized fonts are jaggy. Smaller, non-serif fonts are a little better. I imported logos in bmp and tif format. Logos had about the same jagginess as text, so maybe it's 200 dpi limit. One quirk...image aspect ratio changed on import. Software (Ver 1.2) allows aspect ratio adjustment, but requires patience as it is a little buggy. Print time is quick, tho spent much more time designing. No inidications for ribbon life remaining.

I used regular, unbranded silver top discs with no problems. Branded discs didn't work well as thermal print did not adhere over disc design (ie TDK logo). Printed discs have not smudged or bleed.

Compared to ink jet printed discs that I have had printed, Z1 printed discs are good but different. Ink jet allowed photo real images and text was sharper. Smudges can be an issue tho. Ink jet printing is more expensive in general.

Overall, the Z1 is easy to use and inexpensive. I'm able to print simple, clean discs. Print quality is fair, but acceptable. I'm able to print discs without using a Sharpie. Would I buy it again..probably.

Rating:
Summary: An inexpensive alternative to CD labels
Review: Trying to put a paper label on a CD is not only a hassle, but if you don't get it right, the label can jam up your CD mechanism.

Currently there are two types of CD/DVD printers, thermal and ink jet. Thermal has at least three advantages over ink jet. First off, thermal printers are less expensive than ink jets. Add to that is the fact that you don't need to use expensive "printable" CD's, thermal printers work great on the cheapest blank CDR's. Finally, thermal print is more durable, it doesn't rub off as easily as ink jet print.

I chose this one over the Casio CW100 because the Primera prints on all 4 quadrants, whereas the Casio only prints along the top and bottom of the CD, not the sides.

The Primera label design software is easy to use. I did notice that it's not exactly WYSIWYG, the printed text appears smaller on the actual CD than you would expect from the design screen. Printed text was smooth and gives your CDs a professional look.

I was disappointed with the "graphics" feature. Don't expect too much, with only a single color and 200 dpi you will need to simplify your graphics. Think back to the rudimentary graphics on your 1980's IBM-PC monochrome monitor, that's about what you get.

Overall I am happy with my printer, it does exactly what I hoped it would do.