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Primera Signature Z1 CD/DVD Printer Review

How many CD or DVDs do you burn in a week? How many of those disks are not marked or if they are marked are just labeled with a Sharpie? If you burn disks for any reason you have probably tried to do the printed labels and given up. You might have even thought about buying an inkjet printer that would print on disks only to find they aren't very pocket book friendly. Today we take a look at an affordable thermal disk printer from Primera.

Company:

Primera Technology, Inc., www.primera.com

Price:

$125.00 US at NewEgg.com

Ratings

Price:
Install/Setup:
Usability:
Cost to Operate:
Average Rating:

Getting Started

Whether I'm backing up family videos of my brand new baby boy born last week or burning a mix of MP3s to listen to in the car or making a disk of utilities and files to use in the lab or give to a customer, I am constantly burning CDs and DVDs. Over the years I keep coming back to the same option of labeling my disks...assorted colors of Sharpie markers.

The Primera Signature Z1 Thermal CD/DVD disk printer is changing my burning life. Now, while a disk is in the burner, I bring up the included, simple to use, software app and I can add texts and simple graphics. Then when the disk is done burning, I drop it immediately into the Signature Z1 and print labels right on to the disk. No more wondering what is on a disk. The simple labeling options allow you to put a title, or a list of files, or a graphic, or whatever. You can even save the file and come back later and print additional info on the top after you burn new files on the disk.

Setting up the printer is simple. You have a USB cord, a power cord, and ink cartridges. After installing the printer drivers and the disk printing software you are ready to go. If you are not running Windows 2000 or XP then it might take some more set up time to get the USB 1.1/2.0 interface functioning.

The unit's ink cartridge snaps in easily into place and ships with a black ink ribbon cartridge. Additional ribbons cost $20 each, and are available in red, blue, and green, although as mentioned you can only print one color at a time. Specs state that the ribbons will last for anywhere from 100 to 400 discs, depending upon how graphics-intensive your disc labels are. The more you print on one disk, the fewer total disks you will be able to print.

The Signature Z1 printer supports text using any installed font on your computer. It will print curved and imported images including BMP, TIF, JPEG, and PNG files. Because the printer is monochrome best results come from images or graphics that are simple in design.

Click on picture to enlarge image

Usability

If you compare the Signature Z1 to other disk printers on the market you will notice a feature that other printers are missing. When printing on multiple areas of the disk, the disks rotate automatically so I don't have to turn the disk to print on the various areas. With other printers you will have to manually turn the disk which can result in alignment issues. If you are need a somewhat professional finish, this feature is well worth every penny for this printer.

Changing the cartridge is pretty easy and fast, but it would be nice if you could print multiple colors at once. However the printer design does help keep the end price low. The included software is very simple to use and is very basic. You are only limited to the installed fonts on your computer, your imagination, and a little trial and error to see what does and does not work with this printer.

Features and Specifications

It's a little difficult to photograph a shiny disk, but here are two sample disks we printed.

Pros:

• Great results for a low Price
• Thermal Inks are durable and long lasting
• Fast set up and printing

Cons:

• Can only print one color at a time
• Included application for printing is limited in it's capabilities

Adding It All Up

You will find the Primera Signature Z1 CD/DVD printer easy to use. Whether you have a business or professional reason to have printed disks or just like to have a nice look to what you are doing at home, this printer will give you professional quality printed disks. The thermal inks are also very durable and long lasting. Using it for you photo or home video archives is a great option. I'm even thinking of putting together Holiday Video Cards and just sending disks in the mail this year. The Z1 will give me the ability to add a nice Christmas graphic and title on the disks.

Because of the great print quality at a decent price we are awarding the Primera Signature Z1 CD/DVD Thermal Printer the UpgradAdvisor.com Recommended Upgrade Seal of Approval!!!

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