FAQ

[1] OPTICAL MEDIA AND GLASS MASTER

» WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF CD/DVD ?
The CD/DVD is a 99% plastic disc with a silver-colored surface that reflects laser light. The CD has several layers. First, to protect the 8 trillion microscopically small pits against dirt and damage, the CD has a plastic protective layer. On the top of this layer the label is printed. Then there is the reflecting aluminum coating which contains the ridges. Finally, the disc has a transparent carrier through which the actual reading of the disc takes place. This plastic forms a part of the optical system.
The information on optical discs are recorded on a spiral track. When play back starts, a laser beam shines on the ridges and lands on the data membrane layer. The disc data is converted into electrical pulses (the bit stream) by reflections of the laser beam from a photoelectric cell.

» HOW IS CD/DVD BEING PRODUCED ?
Replicated CDs are mass-produced initially using a hydraulic press. Small granules of raw polycarbonate plastic are fed into the barrel while under heat. The screw inside the barrel forces the liquified plastic into the mold cavity. Equipped with a metal stamper the mold closes, allowing the plastic to cool and harden. Once opened, the disc substrate is removed from the mold by a robotic arm, and a 15 mm diameter center hole (called a stacking ring) is removed. The cycle time, the time it takes to "stamp" one CD, is usually 2-3 seconds.
This method produces the clear plastic blank part of the disc. After the metallic layer is applied to the clear blank substrate the disc goes under a UV light for drying and it is ready to go to press. To press the CD first a glass master is cut using a high-power laser on a device similar to a CD writer. This glass master is a positive master. After testing it is used to make a die by pressing it against a metal disc.
The die then becomes a negative image: a number of them can be made depending on the number of pressing mills that are to be running off copies of the final CD. The die then goes into the press and the image is pressed onto the blank CD leaving a final positive image on the disc. A small circle of varnish is then applied as a ring around the centre of the disc and a fast spin spreads it evenly over the surface. The disc can then be printed and packed.

» REPLICATION OR DUPLICATION ?
The choice depends on a variety a factors: urgency, budget, quantity etc.
The advantages of replication are:
1) hundreds of thousands of units produced in a short turnaround time.
2) product compatibility with all the disc players available on the market.
3) high quality water and cratch proof printing.
The only disadvantage is that the cost of equipment setup and development of screens are proibitive for small CD runs.
The advantages of duplication are:
1) hundreds of units produced in 24 to 48 hours turnaround time.
2) small cd runs (starting with 50 units).
3) the are no glass master and screens charges.
The best and most cost effective option for your projects with quantities below 500 units.


» WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPLICATED AND DUPLICATED DISC ?
Replicated discs have a clear metallized bottom side and they are those you find displayed at music stores or enclosed in periodicals. Duplicated discs have a slightly colored bottom side (green/blue/silver). The process of replication ends up with a high resolution silk-screen/offset water and cratch proof printing. T

» WHAT IS GLASS MASTER ?
The starting point of the CD replication process. A large glass disc that is coated with a photosensitive material that is then bombarded with laser light to encode the date. Exposing the glass master creates a 'father'.

» CAN I AVOID GLASS MASTER CHARGES ?
Yes, glass master is free for projects with quantities above 2.999 units or in case of project reprint.

» CAN I ASK FOR THE GLASS MASTER TO BE RETURNED ?
Our  General  Sales Terms and Conditions say nothing regarding the property of the master.  You are paying only for its creation, not for a product (glass master) to be delivered.
According to the Article 18 of our  General  Sales Terms and Conditions,  all devices and materials created for production purposes (glass master included) cannot be returned to the client due to the exclusivity of the process.  In any case, according to the Article 18, our company guarantees  glass master  technical efficiency for  12 months from its creation and does not charge any extra costs in case of a reprint.
It is necessary to distinguish a glass master as a data containing media from the data itself.  The property of a data containing media belongs to Shelve as is does not sell it. The data itself is an intellectual property of our client who can always ask for the data impressed into the glass master to be destroyed. 

» WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CD AUDIO AND CD ROM ?
CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) is similar to CD audio. The only difference is that the first may contain both music and data.

» WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHITE AND SILVER PRINTABLE SURFACE ?
Silk-screen printing on silver printable surface differs from silk-screen printing on white printable surface:
1) White printable surface is totally reflective and fully reflects the colors applied on the disc surface. The colors are more brilliant. Silver printable surface is partially transparent and not totally reflective. The colors are partially absorbed and the printing output is less brilliant in comparison to the oroginal project.
2) If the project contains white color parts they will become silver once the printing on silver printable surface is finished. For this reason we recommend choosing white printable surface if your project contains white color parts (images, caracters etc.).

» WHAT IS DLT TAPE ?
Digital Linear Tape, the tape format used to transfer pre-mastered DVD data for glass mastering.

» WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LARGE AND NARROW LABEL HOLE ?
Large label hole printing: Usually the printing is applied from the outer limit of the disc to where the data area ends & the mirror band begins. Narrow label hole printing: Printing can be extended over the molding groove and applied also on the clear area around the disc hole. The choice depends on the project and technology (replication or duplication).

» CAN I PRODUCE A HYBRID CD (AUDIO+ROM) ?
Yes, there is a special format (CD-XA or CD-Extra) that permits to mix audio tracks and data. The output is multimedia CD audio, CD-Text, CD-Plus or CD+G (Karaoke).

» WHAT ARE AUDIO TRACKS ?
Audio track is a part of a CD where music and sounds are memorized. Standard audio tracks are MP3, MP4, CDA, WAV, WMA. CDA tracks are audio files that can be played only from a CD-ROM. Copied from the CD-ROM to the hard disc it cannot be played. This is format used for encoding music on all commercial compact discs. If you buy a CD from a store, the music on that CD is stored in CDA format. Other formats are used to create multimedia CD that can be read by PC or DIVx recorder.

» WHY DO I HAVE TO SIGN EACH COPY ON ITS SURFACE ?
We ask you to sign each copy on its surface in order to facilitate CD tracking. You can always ask for the copy to be returned to you.  We want to be sure that the copy returned is the original one.

» WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE MASTER EXCEEDS 74 MIN. ?
According to Yellow Book specifications, the playing time of a Compact Disc should not exceed 74 minutes. Replicated/duplicated discs contain not only files/folders etc., but also some additional data: table of contents, information regarding disc structure etc.  CDs exceeding the recommended playing time of 74 minutes may not play satisfactorily on some CD players.

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[2] ARTWORK

» IS SILK-SCREEN PRINTING OUTPUT DIFFERENT FROM PAPER PRINTING OUTPUT ?
Yes, silk-screen printing is different from paper printing because the printing surface is different. The paper is white, flexible, non trasparent and porous. Disc’s surface is rigid, partially trasparent and partially reflective.

» I WANT LABEL PRINTING OUTPUT TO CORRESPOND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO A PARER PROOF. WHAT SHALL I DO ?
Follow the following guidelines:
— Graphic elements should be at least at 300 dpi
— Avoid using small caracters when developing your artwork
— Do not use JPEG (or Gif) compression, which is a destructive one
— Choose write printable surface (not silver)

» IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE AN IDEA OF THE OUTPUT BEFORE STARTING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS ?
Yes, you can ask for cromalin.

» WHAT IS CROMALIN ?
A type of color proof that is used for verifying colors, checking register, obvious blemishes and size of images. Cromalin is a trademark of DuPont.

» WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SILK-SCREEN, OFFSET AND DIGITAL PRINTING ?
The difference between silk-screen, offset and digital printing is in the printing technique. Silk-screen method involves the development of screens. A rubber blade is used to push the ink evenly into the screen openings and onto the paper below. Offset printing involves the transfer of the inked image from a plate first to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. Silk-screen printing produces clear and sharp-cut image. Offset printing can look far superior to a screen print if faded images are in the onbody artwork. Digital printing involves the use of special inkjet printers (a type of computer printer that operates by propelling tiny droplets of liquid ink onto disc label). If you need to keep costs down, you should choose this method since there are no film and screen development costs.

» CAN I USE SPECIAL PANTONE COLORS (es. golden, fluorescents, etc.) ?
For artwork with pretty solid color, meaning a large area with the same color, you can specify a Pantone number to make sure the color you mean will be the same color the replicator will print. The Pantone system also allows for many 'special' colors to be produced such as metallics and fluorescents.The PANTONE name is known worldwide as the standard language for color communication. Pantonecolors are described by their allocated number.

» WHAT DO 4/0, 4/1, 4/4 CODES MEAN ?
These terms are used to describe how many colors are printed on a piece of paper. A 4/1 piece is printed in four colors on one side and one color on the back (usually black). 4/4 means full color on both sides. 4/0 means full color on one side and no printing on the back.

» WHAT IS BLEED AREA ? WHY IS IT NECESSARY ?
Artwork that extends past the edge of the desired physical size is called a bleed. Bleed is needed for products that require cutting or trimming to a specific size. Bleed is a very important part of the artwork. By extending your artwork beyond the physical size, the minor shift of the cutting tool will be covered up by the bleed. We advise to include a 3mm bleed on all sides of the project (except for label artwork). We recommend placing all text and images at least a further 5mm from the crop guides.

» WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CONVERT CHARACTERS INTO OUTLINES ?
You can convert selected text characters into outlines that you can edit and manipulate as you wish. This operation enables us to avoid problems in visualizing special fonts that are not installed on our computers.
Note: You can’t edit converted caracters as a text.

» WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO AVOID USING SMALL CHARACTERS ?
Small caracters may blur into the background and can compromise the quality of the printing.

» WHAT IS VECTOR FORMAT ?
Vector graphics are images that are completely described using mathematical definitions. Vector drawings can usually be scaled, resized, skewed, rotated or manipulated without any loss in quality and without fear of getting the unwanted pixelation effect. This makes them ideal for company logo's, maps or other objects that have to be resized frequently. Vector drawings are usually pretty small files because they only contain data about the bezier curves that form the drawing.

» WHAT DO THE INITIALS CMYK, RGB MEAN ?
(R)ed, (G)reen, (B)lue model. The most widely-used color model for images displayed on electronic screens. It is based on the color subtraction that results from shining white light through a colored medium such as a slide.
CMYK is short for Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black, and pronounced as separate letters. CMYK is a color model in which all colors are described as a mixture of these four process colors. Because such printing uses inks of these four basic colors, it is often called four-color printing.
When your artwork is in CMYK mode, it make easier for making the film that is required for the printing. If your artwork is in RGB mode, you will need to change it to CMYK mode. In most cases the changing from RGB to CMYK is complete un-noticeable. But some many cases the change can distort the contrast and brightness of the original picture. Make sure to make some final touch-up to get the desired color you need. Pay special attention to the BLUE color. Changing a blue from RGB to CMYK is almost always noticeable.

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[3] S.I.A.E. (stickers and copyright)

» WHEN IS IT OBBLIGATORY TO APPLY SIAE STICKERS ?
- always on DVD Video
- always on CD Audio (even if you are the author of the music)
- on CD Rom if contains music (even if you are the author)
- on CD Rom if contains video (even if you are the author)
- on CD Rom if you are planning to sell it
- on CD Rom with copyright protected work of art (pictures, photoes etc...)

» CAN I USE FREE PUBLIC DOMAIN MUSIC ?
The copyright lasts until 70 years after the author’s death. For example, the music composed by Mozart is free. Attention! It does not mean you can freely use the music composed by Mozart from a cd you can buy at the music store. In this case it is necessary to ask music interpreters (orchestra, singers etc.) for a written consent.

» WHAT SHALL I DO IN ORDER TO INCLUDE A MUSIC INTO MY PROJECT ?
- if you want to use old music, you can hire the orchestra, the studio and to riproduce the music (rather expensive option)
- if you prefer to take the music from a CD in commerce you must ask the author or the publisher for a written consent (often it is very difficult to get in touch with overseas authors). In this case the author's/publisher’s authorization is MANDATORY in order to get SIAE licence / stickers.
- if CD Rom contains copyright images (pictures, photos etc.) you must ask the author or the publisher for a written consent.

» WHAT INFORMATION MUST I PROVIDE IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A LICENCE ? 
It is obbligatory to communicate the following information:
- author’s name and surname (not the name of the group or orchestra)
- publisher’s name
- each piece name
- duration in seconds
- SIAE Inscription Number
It is not possibile to obtain SIAE licence without providing the above mentioned information.

» WHEN IS IT POSSIBLE TO AVOID APPLYING A SIAE STICKER ON A CD ROM ?
SIAE stickers’ application is not neccessary if CD Rom will be distributed free of charge and doesn’t contain music, video (freeware, self-produced or copyright protected).

» HOW MUCH DOES A SIAE STICKER COST ? HOW MUCH TIME IS IT NECESSARY TO GET IT ?
- The minimum price is 0,0181 euro (VAT included). If there are copyright fees, the price may reach 0,729 euro (VAT not included). The payment must be done at the moment of stickers’ withdrawal.
- The time varies for different SIAE offices and depends on SIAE employees’ working load. It may take from 7 to 15 days for your request to be processed.

» WHERE CAN I FIND SIAE FORMS ?
SIAE forms can be asked for at a local SIAE office. We advise you to visit SIAE site www.siae.it in order to check for the nearest SIAE office available. It is our concern to prepare all the documents if SIAE file preparation services are provided by the contract.

» CAN I USE COPYRIGHT MUSIC PAYING COPYRIGHT FEES WITHOUT A WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE AUTHOR ?
If you want to use the original music you must ask the author or the publisher for a written consent. If you decide to use reproduced music you must ask the reproducer for a written consent. The document must contain the following information:
- description of a piece of art (for which written concern is being asked)
- name of the project
- terms&conditions of usage
- author’s signature

» I AM THE AUTHOR OF THE MUSIC. MUST I ASK FOR THE LICENCE AND PAY COPYRIGHT FEES ?
Yes. It may seem rather odd. In this case the author pays copyright fees to himself. The sum paid to SIAE is then accredited to the author’s account (authentication fees deducted).

» I WANT TO PREPARE SIAE FILE ON MY OWN. WHAT SHALL I DO ?
We advise you to visit SIAE site www.siae.it in order to check for the nearest SIAE office available. There you can find the neccessary information and forms for SIAE file preparation. SIAE file (properly compiled and signed) must be submitted to SIAE office. Note: please send us a copy of SIAE file by fax.

» WHAT DOCUMENTS SHALL I SEND YOU IN CASE I PREPARE SIAE FILE ON MY OWN ?
If you prefer to prepare SIAE file on your own, we ask you to send us the following documents:
- a copy of documents presented in SIAE
- a copy of Data Sheet (“Scheda lavoro”) issued by SIAE and/or DRM4/DRV4 form
- SIAE stickers (if their application is provided under the contract).

» WHAT IS PRODUCTION MUSIC LIBRARY ?
Production music library provides music for production, multimedia projects, film, television, video, advertising, music on hold, and background music. You can hear thousands of music tracks directly on the website and download the music you like. The cost depends on how much music you use and what you are using it for. Note: the use of the music doesn’t relieve you of the obbligation to ask SIAE for a license. The forms to use are: DRV2 (video) or DMM2 (multimedia) and PM form.

» CAN I USE FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET ?
The use of the music downloaded from the Internet must be done respecting copyright. Copyright is a property right, which authors hold in respect of works which they have created. Copyright confers an exclusive right to exploit an original work (copy, publish, quote, translate etc.). Therefore, in order to use the music downloaded from the Internet, it is neccessary to obtain a license and pay copyright fees.

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[4] S.I.A.E. (Private copying or blank media tax)

» WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF PRIVATE COPYING TAXATION ?
Paying private copying tax, a consumer has the right to legally riproduce phonograms/videograms for personal use without asking the author/producer for a special permission (license). As a consequence, a consumer, who creates a personal copy of music/video without having paid private copying tax, conducts illegal activity.

» WHO CAN PRODUCE A PRIVATE COPY OF PHONOGRAMS/VIDEOGRAMS ? ON WHAT CONDITIONS ?
Only a private person can produce a copy of phonograms/videograms on the following conditions:
- a private copy must be created only for personal use without any profit purpose (direct or in direct);
- a private copy must be duplicated using recording appliances and recordable media regularly purchased (paying private copying tax).
Under the above-mentioned conditions, it is possible to legally create a private copy of music/video without asking for the licence.

» IN WHICH CASES PHONORGAMS'/VIDEOGRAMS' REPLICATION IS ILLEGAL ?
In all other cases the replication of fonograms/videograms – without the licence - constitutes a violation of copyright law.

» CAN A MEDIA REPLICATOR COMPANY REPRODUCE PHONOGRAMS/VIDEOGRAMS ON BEHALF OF A PRIVATE CLIENT FOR HIS PERSONAL USE ?
No, its illegal and persecuted by Law.

» ON WHAT PURCHASES IS PRIVATE COPYING TAX CHARGED ?
Private copying tax is charged on:
- all recordable media (blank, digital, analogic (audio and video) that can be used for phonogram/videogram recording (VHS, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, etc.)
- all recording appliances (analogic and digital) that can be used to record phonograms/videograms on recordable media.

» WHAT IS A PRIVATE COPYING TAX RATE ?
Private copying tax rates are:
Recordable media: the rate depends on media capacity and type (euro 0,15 for CD 700Mb/80minutes - euro 0,41 for DVD 4,7 GB).
Recorders: 3% of the invoice price.

» WHO MUST PAY BLANK MEDIA TAX ?
A private copying tax is charged on purchases of recordable media and recorders. It must be paid by importers and manufacturers of such media and recorders sold within Italy.

» BLANK MEDIA TAX: WHAT IS SIAE AUTHORIZED TO DO ?
SIAE has the power to control all the activities in connection with the fabrication, importation and distribution of blank media and recorders. SIAE inspectors are authorized to visit production plants and offices of blank media producers/duplicators/importers/distributors asking for the necessari documentation.

» CAN I ASK FOR A BLANK MEDIA TAX REFUND ?
Yes. There are special cases when it is possibile to obtain blank media tax refund. We recommend that you visit SIAE web site (www.siae.it) in order to study subjective/objective requirements and the procedure for applying for blank media tax refund.

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[5]  PAYMENTS

» THE AMOUNT OF AN ADVANCE PAYMENT INDICATED ON MY INVOICE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE AMOUNT PAID. WHY ? 
Because all amounts indicated in your invoice are without VAT.

» I HAVE PAID THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE CONTRACT BUT YOU SENT ME THE PREPAYMENT INVOICE. WHY ?  
According to the laws and regulations in force, it is not correct to issue a final invoice before the goods are delivered. In case you pay 100% in advance, we have to issue the prepayment invoice for 100% of the amount due according to the contract. When the goods are delivered we issue the final invoice for 0,00. In the final invoice there is a detailed description of the purchased service. Such invoices are of zero amount as they cancel the advance payment created with the first invoice.

» WHAT IS THE C.R.O. NUMBER ?
The C.R.O. number (reference transaction code) is a code which consists of 11 figures and is necessary for the registration of payment with money transfer. Such a number is given directly by your bank and, if not indicated in the receipt, it must be requested from the same bank. If you do not have this code, the payment will be however registered as soon as we receive the bank statement from our bank. Therefore in order to speed up the registration of the money transfer you need to send the receipt with the C.R.O. by fax to this number 089 2757982 or by email to this address t.delsorbo@shelve.it

» 4% VAT RATE: WHEN IS IT POSSIBLE TO APPLY IT ?  
According to article 18 of D.P.R. 633/72 the 4% VAT rate applies to optical media produced specifically to support blind and partially sighted people.

» VAT EXEMPTION: WHEN IS IT POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN IT ?
Export oriented clients (at least 10% of the turnover is destinated for export) are exempt from VAT. In this case we ask you to enclose the intent statement to your contract.

» HOW CAN I RECEIVE THE INVOICE ?
The invoices are automatically sent by email to the address indicated in the contract data. Old invoices (if never received) can be required directly from the administration by email to this address teresa@shelve.it.

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