• Can I order printed CD-Rs and DVD-Rs without content that I can burn myself?
  You have the option of ordering your CD-Rs and DVD-Rs color-printed without any content burned on them. Simply select the “Blank” button within the disc options section of Create Project. You will be shipped surface-printed discs that you can burn yourself in any standard computer-based CD or DVD burner. This is a great option if you want professional looking CDs or DVDs but want to custom burn them one at a time with different content.

  Important Note: Like most commonly-available CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, our discs cannot be burned by burners that are stereo components, DVD player/recorders, or other standalone burning systems. Also, be aware that we use DVD-R format, not DVD+R or DVDRW format. Be sure this is compatible with your burning system before ordering.

Audio CDs
Audio CDs are CDs formatted to play in standard CD players like those in your home stereo, car, or walkman. When you buy music in a record store its on an audio CD. They can contain music, voice, or any sounds that you want people to be able to listen to.

• How do I use the MP3 uploader?
  When you want to create an audio CD, you can use our desktop-based MP3 Uploader to upload MP3s or you can mail us your audio master on CD. Simply download the uploader and install it on your computer, start the software, and set it with your account email. (Please be sure to read the note on copyright law during installation. In accordance with US copyright protection laws, we cannot duplicate content for which you do not own the rights.)

  You can drag and drop your MP3s into the Uploader window and they will start loading into your account.

• After my MP3s are uploaded, where do they go?
  After the upload is complete, you can log into your account and find the MP3s in the My Account section of the website. You can also access them by clicking the “audio” button within the disc options section of Create Project, and then clicking the “select audio” button that appears. Don’t worry about the order in which you upload your tracks; you’ll be able to add them to the audio CD you are creating using our online tools in any order that you like.

• I’ve uploaded my MP3s, but I don’t see them on my audio CD?
  Uploading your tracks puts them into your online library. It does not add them to your audio CD. You must go into the Create Project section and select “audio” within disc options, and then click the “select audio” button that appears in the project window to access your tracks (or mailed-in masters) so that you can add them to your CD for duplication.

• What software should I use to create my MP3s?
  To create MP3s we recommend the use of freeware ripping/encoding tool CDEX though just about any music player (WMP, Real, Musicmatch, etc) has the capability to do this -- though some offer ability to create to higher bitrates than others.

• When will the samples for online streaming appear in my account?
  Within about two hours of uploading your MP3s, 64kb/sec sample files will be created that will allow you to listen to your uploaded MP3s from within your online library. We recommend that you listen to all the uploaded tracks that you place on an audio CD in their entirety to be sure they are correct and free of defects before placing an order.

• My upload got interrupted. Do I have to start the upload all over again?
  If your upload gets interrupted mid-stream and you restart it, it will check each track to see if it was already uploaded successfully and pick up where it left off with any tracks that didn’t make it.

• When I try to upload, I get the message “Unable to connect to server”?
  If the uploader has trouble connecting with our server, it may be because your computer is sitting behind a firewall that does not have the proper ports open to allow communication with outside servers. For the MP3 uploader to work, you must be sure that port 4242 is open – contact your company’s systems administrator to open this port if the MP3 uploader will not connect with our server.

• My music CD contains a continuous DJ-style mix. Can I use the MP3 uploader?
  When you make your own music CD, if you want a continuous mix (no gaps between tracks, like in DJ-style mixes) and track indices within that mix, do not use the MP3 uploader to upload the individual tracks. MP3s will produce tiny, but noticeable, gaps in between tracks even if you select "no space between tracks." Instead, select “Mail in Master” within the disc options panel on the Create Project page, and mail us your master.

• Can I use the data uploader instead of the MP3 uploader to upload wav files instead of MP3 files?
  No. This will result in the creation of windows data CD-Rom with wav files on it. It will not play in cd players. If you don’t want your music compressed into MP3 format, mail us your master and we’ll upload it for you in uncompressed CD audio.

• When I create an audio CD, I want my CDs reproduced in full CD-quality audio. Can I mail in my master instead?
  If you don’t want to compress your music into MP3 but want your CDs produced directly from the master in full quality CD audio, you should select “mail in master” within the disc options section of Create Project, and mail us your master. We’ll upload the tracks into your account as full-quality audio WAV files without compressing them.

  Before you mail in your master, be sure to listen to it carefully to be sure it is exactly how you want it to sound. We will reproduce exactly what you send us, even if it has pops, clicks or other problems that you didn’t catch before you sent it to us.

  See the Mailing in your Master section for important information about mailing in your master.

• How much audio/music can I fit on one of your CDs for music CD duplication?
  What size CD should I used for my master?
  We use 79-minute/700 mb CD-Rs. Please make sure the total length of your audio content is less than 79 minutes!

• Does your audio CD duplication process duplicate CDTEXT (song titles viewable in certain CD players)?
  No, CDTEXT will not be duplicated during the audio CD duplication process.

  See the “Mailing in your Master” section below for important instructions on how to mail in your master.

Data CD Duplication – Create a Data CD
Data CDs are CDs that are meant to be read by a computer (or DVD player in the case of VCDs) rather than an audio CD player. You can put most anything on these CDs: documents, photos, pdf files, PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, mpeg files, software, html pages and links, etc. Uses of data CDs include: make CD press kits, make conference CDs, make trade show CDs, make marketing CDs, make product catalog CDs, make public relations CDs, and to make software demos CDs.

• How do I get my content to you for my Data CD duplication?
  You can use our desktop data uploader (which you can download from the account/content section of our website) for CDs with a windows file structure, or mail us your master for CDs of all other formats (e.g. data CDs with hidden files, Macintosh CDs, hybrid/enhanced CDs, multi-session CDs, VCDs, etc – please refer to the “mailing us your master” section for instructions)

• How do I used the Data Uploader?
  For windows-formatted data CDs, you can use our desktop-based Data Uploader to upload your content directly to your account. The data uploader can only be used for CDs that will contain a windows file structure and are meant to be accessed by windows-based computers. To use the data uploader, simply download and install it on your computer, start the software, and set it with your account email. Copy your master into the uploader. You can view the file structure within the uploader window as you work on it. Once everything is complete, simply click the upload button to send it to your online data library. You’ll be asked to name your master if you haven’t already.

• Is there a faster way to get files into the data uploader than the “add file” and “add folder” buttons?
  Yes. You can drag and drop your folders and files into the Uploader window to format the exact file structure you want on your CD. When you drag a folder, all of its contents will be included. For best results, we recommend that you burn a CD master, place it in your hard drive, test that it performs the way that you want, and then select and drag its entire contents into the data uploader in a single step.

• After my data master is uploaded, where does it go?
  Once its uploaded, just log into your online account to view the master in your online library, which is accessible either from within the My Account tab, or within Create Project by clicking the “data” button within the disc options panel and then clicking the “select data” button that appears in the project window.

• I’ve uploaded my data master, but I don’t see it on my CD?
  Uploading your master puts it into your online library. It does not add it to your CD. To add uploaded data to your CD, go to the Create Project page and click the “data” button within the disc options panel, and then click the “select data” button that appears in the project window.

• Can I alter the file structure of my master after I upload it?
  Once uploaded, you cannot alter the file structure online. If you need to make changes, you’ll need to upload a new master.

• My upload got interrupted. Do I have to start the upload all over again?
  If your upload gets interrupted mid-stream, you’ll be able to restart it by clicking upload again. So long as you have not altered any of the files in the uploader, the upload will pick up where it left off.

• When I try to upload, I get the message “Unable to connect to server”?
  If the uploader has trouble connecting with our server, it may be because your computer is sitting behind a firewall that does not have the proper ports open to allow communication with outside servers. For the data uploader to work, you must be sure that port 4243 is open – contact your company’s systems administrator to open this port if the data uploader will not connect with our server.

• My master is for an autorun/autostart CD? How do I know my duplicated CDs will autorun?
  If you want your CD to autorun, be sure to test your master before uploading it or mailing it to us. The autorun files must be at the root level. Your file structure will be reproduced as received. For best results, we recommend that you burn a CD master, place it in your hard drive, test that it autoruns, and then select and drag its entire contents into the data uploader in a single step. If you want to be absolutely sure, you should order a single CD first for testing before placing your full order.

• Will CD volume labels appear when my CD is inserted into a CD drive?
  If you use the data uploader, CD volume labels will not appear when the duplicated CDs are loaded into a windows computer. If you want volume labels to appear, you MUST mail us your master and mark the master as “Direct Disk Copy”

• Can I use the Data Uploader to upload graphics for my CD surface or case inserts?
  No. The data uploader is only for uploading content to be burned onto the CD. Uploads of graphics to be printed on the CD surface or case insert must be done within the surface design or insert design sections of Create Project.

• Will the Data uploader work for non-windows file structure CDs?
  No. If you want us to duplicate a non-windows format CD (e.g. a Macintosh, hybrid/enhanced, video CD, or multi-session CD) then you MUST select “Mail in Master” in the disc options panel of Create Project, and mail us your master. You cannot use the Data Uploader to upload your master. In addition to your contact info and the master name, you should write "Direct Disk Copy" on your master before you mail it. See the section “Mailing in your master.”

• Does your desktop data uploader work on Apple Macintosh computers?
  No. You should either mail us your master, or contact customer care for more information.

• How do I duplicate a Macintosh, hybrid/enhanced, video CD, multi-session CD, or other special format CD?
  You cannot use the Data Uploader to upload your master. In addition to your contact info and the master name, you should write "Direct Disk Copy" on your master before you mail it. See the section “Mailing in your master.”

• I sent you a non-windows format master. Why doesn’t the master show up in my online account?
  Non-windows format masters are not be uploaded into your account – we store your physical master and duplicate your CDs bit-by-bit directly from your disc.

• How can I be sure that hidden files on my CD master will be duplicated during CD duplication?
  You cannot upload masters with hidden files. If your CD contains hidden files, you must also mail us your master and mark it “Direct Disk Copy.” In this situation you should also contact customer care to ensure that we are aware of the hidden files and can try to accommodate you.

• How much data can I fit on one of your CDs?
  What size CD should I used for my master?
  We use 700 MB CD-Rs. Please make sure the total size of your data is less than 700MB.

DVD Duplication – Create a DVD
DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs or Digital Video Discs) are familiar to most people for the playback of movies in a DVD player. DVDs can in fact be used not just for video, they can also be used to store data readable by computers. The DVD-Rs that we use have 4.7Gb of available space, versus 700Mb for a CD-R.

• How do I get my DVD master to you for DVD Duplication?
  For DVDs, you must place the order with the mail-in-maters option and mail us a copy of your DVD-R master (DO NOT send us your only original). The master must be in DVD-R format (not DVD+R, DVD-RW, etc). In addition to your contact info and the master name, you should write "DVD" on your master. Please include the MAIL-IN-MASTER FORM along with with your disc(s). See the section “Mailing in your master.”

• Will the Data uploader work for DVDs?
  No. If you want us to duplicate a DVD, then you MUST select the “DVD” button and the “mail in master” button of the disc options panel within Create Project, and mail us your master. You cannot use the Data Uploader to upload your DVD master. In addition to your contact info and the master name, please write "DVD" on your master before you mail it. See the section “Mailing in your master.”

• Why doesn’t the master show up in my online account?
  DVD masters are not be uploaded into your account – we store your physical master and duplicate your DVDs bit-by-bit directly from your disc.

• How much data can I fit on one of your DVD-Rs?
  What size DVD should I used for my master?
  We use 4.7 Gb DVD-Rs. Please make sure that you send us a master that is also a 4.7Gb DVD-R.