CD BURNING BASICS

Create your own CD labels 1 Using the Media Edition DesignProª software that comes in the Avery¨ CD/DVD Labeling Kits, click on "Create a project using a Pre-Designed Layout." 2 Click on the "Electronic Media Labels and Inserts" folder and select a pre-designed template that would be appropriate for your office application (data storage/ back up, presentations, training materials, etc.). 3 You may customize the text, typeface, and color. After you are finished, print out your CD labels and jewel case inserts.

If you've never "burned" (that's tech talk for writing on) a CD, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Even technophobes say the process is a snap. The procedure, they say, is just as easy as creating a diskette.

Michelle Bernath, an office manager at Scarcello Associates, an architectural design firm in Bingham Farms, Michigan, says, "It took almost no time at all to learn how to create CDs. The process - I use Roxio's Easy CD Creator software - is easy, and the storage space of a CD is remarkable.

As a design firm, we store not only text files, but also many large drawings and photos. To store the data for one client, I'd use several diskettes. Now I can fit five or six client files onto one CD. The diskettes filled up shelves and shelves, now I only need one small shelf of CDs for all our client files."

In fact, while a diskette's capacity is a mere 1.44 MBs, the average CD-R (a recordable CD) or CD-RW (a rewritable CD) can store 700 MBs of data, making it ideal for archiving work documents or large projects such as presentations, training manuals, client files, tax records, graphics, and even videos.

And now, CD burners are becoming more accessible and affordable than ever. Most new computers come with CD burners, and even include pre-installed burning software.

If your computer has a CD burner and you use Windows on your PC, here's one way you can burn a CD: Insert a blank CD into the CD recorder. In Windows, open "My Computer." Click on the folder or file you want to burn. (Hold down the Control key if you want to copy more than one file or folder at a time.) Then, under the "Files and Folders Task," click "Copy This File." In the "Copy Items" dialogue that appears, click the CD recording drive and then click "Copy." Then, in "My Computer," double-click the CD-recording drive and Windows will display the temporary area where your files are held. Next, in the "CD Writing Tasks" click "Write These Files to CD." A couple more clicks on the CD Writing Wizard that automatically appears, and you've burned a CD!

Now here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

• Close all unnecessary programs before you start the burning process.
• Do not attempt to copy more data to the CD than it's designed to hold.
• Treat your CDs as you would a camera lens. Don't wash them like you might a commercially produced CD. Use a clean lint-free cloth to remove dust.
• Don't store CDs you've burned in areas of high humidity and heat, or in direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

To put the finishing touch on your CDs - and to help you organize them - use Avery® CD/DVD Labeling Kits, available for both laser and ink jet printers. Not only is an Avery label more professional looking on your CDs, but you'll avoid the risk of damaging data by writing directly on the disk. The Step by Step sidebar to the right shows how quick and easy it is to create your own sharp and professional looking CD label using Avery® DesignPro™ software, Media Edition.

Avery® CD/DVD Design Kits, Labels & Jewel Case Inserts

Avery® CD Stomper Pro Labeling System