Which side is the engraving on???

Yes, I also confirm: the engraved side is the one that has no inscription.
(the one underneath when you place the CD in the burner/player).

Besides, if you look at any CD player/burner: the lens is underneath.

I won't go buy a PC at your friend's place, either he is messing with you or he is really stingy!
The engraving is done well on the bottom side, the top side is often printed and you can even stick a label (if it is perfectly centered).
The engraving is visible on CD-Rs, much less so on CD-RWs.

Not very satisfied with your answers, I am still in doubt. Who will give me a good response? Thank you.

On a a CD there are 2 sides:

- In most cases when you open your blank CD case, the side that is presented to you has different things written on it (brand of the CD, characteristics, etc.). On this side, you can stick labels and/or use a marker to write whatever you want (like the content of the CD, for example).

- The other side is therefore protected from contact; it is of a uniform and homogeneous color. This is the recordable side.

It's like on original CDs: there is the side with the album's advertisement and the side where the music is recorded.

Is that clear??
--
Mr. Poussy

Hi Dom,
you’re asking which side the CDs are engraved on?
Well, you’ve seen that there are two sides, and one has changed color after burning.
In fact, the top is the engraved surface, while the bottom serves as a scratch protection.
Be very careful not to scratch the top because that’s where the data is recorded, whether it's mp3s, wavs, or programs.

There you go, have a nice day

:o)

Former Tiben

the engraved side is the one where there is nothing written
so the one on the top .........or the one on the bottom depending on how you hold the disc!
i hope that this way you won’t die (for a very very long time!) silly
serge

Attention,
We also see double-sided DVDs.
On some CDs (without markings), it is difficult to determine which side is recorded.
In any case, on all the players I've seen so far, the laser lens is indeed on the bottom (see the window in the tray).
Try placing the side with the markings facing down, it will end badly!

Hi Dom,

I confirm what Sebsauvage and mr_poussy said, who are two people with great knowledge.

In fact, it’s the bottom part that is engraved. The top part, where the ads or prints are, actually serves to stop the laser during engraving. If you want to do a test, scratch the top of your blank CD hard; when the laser hits the scratch, it will go through the CD and your engraving will be ruined.
Another way to check is that the bottom side slightly changes color after engraving; it becomes a bit darker.

I hope your doubts have been cleared up.

Elmine

Hi,

isn't "great knowledge" ironic?

see you later
Mat

Last explanation:
If you look closely at a CD (and use your finger if necessary), you'll notice there's a circle towards the center at the end of the engraved area (or rather at the beginning since I believe we start the disc from the center).
This circle marks the end of the central area where the CD rests in the player. It's a bump on the side of the engraved surface and (often) a hollow on the side of the unused surface... this can help with orientation.
At least, that's what I've noticed.

No, it’s not ironic, Mat. We are all strong to varying degrees, but what makes us even stronger is that we share our knowledge.

Elmine

Hi,

I understood and agree with what you said! Your compliments were well-deserved.

See you later
Mat

Hello,

And the question for €1.52:

What is the most fragile side of a CD, the one you absolutely must not, under any circumstances, scratch?

I’ll let you answer.

@+

Laurent

Here’s the scoop:

The most fragile side of a CD is the printed side, which supports the reflective layer; if this layer is damaged due to scratches: bye bye CD. For the other side of the CD, there are error corrections in case of scratches (well... not too many, though).

The lesson is, the danger doesn’t always come from the side we think.

Cya
Laurent

Anyway, everyone knows that the information is engraved on the lateral edge of the CD.

Johan

Explanation

During the preparation of the engraving, the engraver splits the CD into 2 identical parts and then engraves the data on the back side of the first disc (are you following along?). Finally, when the engraving is finished, the engraver takes out his little tube of glue and carefully re-glues the CD. THAT'S THE SECRET
never seen, never known ;-)

I really enjoyed reading all these messages for a silly question like the one that sparked the debate. I'm at work and I laughed reading the answers, as foolish as they may be, just like the question. But good explanations have been offered on the subject, which seem logical especially when you are a computer scientist ;)

I’d like to give a shout out to people like elmine, mr_pussy, sebsauvage, benhotmail... whom I often see in the replies.... :) I'll try to check in from time to time on the various forums to share my knowledge with the community. After all, it's only been a year and a half since I was absent from these forums ;)

Kris©2002

Hello everyone,

On CDs, the layer containing the laser-etched information is indeed located on the side of the printed surface but underneath it, in direct contact with the polycarbonate substrate. Since polycarbonate is transparent, it is this layer that we see when we turn a CD over.

Moral of the story: watch out for the printed side! ;-)

For more information:
http://www.mitsuimedia.fr/distri/fr/web/descrip.jsp

See you later
Philippe
[[ The Truth is Out There ]]

realize for yourself, scratch 2 CDs (one on each side) and see which one works best

Hi,
I confirm what PHP says, the engraved side is on the label side.
In fact, it's the inside of the label that is the substrate for the engraving. The rest is just a developed protective plastic.
Try the experiment, if you have an old CD, remove the original label and put another one in its place. You will be convinced!
See you!