This is essentially anecdotal. I have used Sharpie markers for many years
to label CD's and DVD's. I pulled out some CD's and DVD's that I burned
about 20 years ago, and they played without a problem. I believe this issue
was discussed at length a number of years ago on this forum, and I don't
think there was total agreement that Sharpie markers killed CD/DVD's. I
have also used a Sharpie labeled CD/DVD Marker, with a medium tip on one
end and a fine on the other. I note that these are still available on
Amazon. Also there are CD/DVD markers from Memorex at Amazon. It is
possible that either or both, due to the lower use of discs, are in limited
production.

On Tue, Mar 5, 2019 at 1:40 PM Karl Miller <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>  My question refers to the use of printers on the top surface of CDR's,
> whether that surface is a white coating or, in the case of MAM-A Gold
> Archive discs, some of which do not have any additional coating. Is there
> any likelihood of those surfaces being compromised (long term) when printed
> on.
> As for the labels that were used at the insistence of our head of
> cataloging, they were placed at the outside edge of the disc and were
> approximately 1/2 inch wide. Not only did they ruin the balance of the
> disc, when people inserted them into CD changers, the labels would start to
> peel as the slots on some of those machines were very narrow. Occasionally
> the reflective surface of the disc would peel as well. Sometimes when the
> labels peeled, one could see that the glue from the label had left tiny
> pits in the reflective surface of the disc. The library bought some machine
> that supposedly would "re coat" the discs. In some instances they would
> play one or two more times.
> And while we are on the subject...is there any pen or marker that is
> "safe" for CDRs?
> Karl     On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, 11:33:12 AM CST, Lou Judson <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>  I think most of us understood implicitly that the subject was paper
> stick-on printable labels the full size of the disc. There was never any
> question in my mind, and they were a hassle and a problem in the early
> CD/DVD burning years.
>
> When white printable CDs/DVDs came along and inexpoensive printers, it all
> got so much better!
>
> But then I am an audio engineer, not a librarian, so no confusion for me.
> <L>
> Lou Judson
> Intuitive Audio
> 415-883-2689
>
> On Mar 5, 2019, at 7:57 AM, Michael Biel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > it might be helpful when asking a question or stating your situation,
> > that you define and describe what you mean by "label".  Do you mean the
> > paper label that covers the entire surface that used to be called the
> > Stomp On, or a small plastic or metal tag with a bar code or library ID,
> > or something else?  Tags unbalanced the disc and should never have been
> > used anyway  The only acceptable ones were small rings that only covered
> > the center before the data.
> > I am concerned with what Steve Smolian mentioned about white top discs
> > Do you mean the printable discs?
> >
> > Mike Biel  [log in to unmask]
>


-- 
Frank B Strauss, DMD