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MillimeterDistribute Review: Microboards CX-1 Disc Publisher
May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Reviewer: Jan Ozer
Provides automatic DVD duplication for distribution.
The Microboards CX-1 Disc Publisher combines fast performance and high print quality in a tidy DVD duplication unit.
My favorite products to review, at least initially, are camcorders and notebook computers. Every time I open a new one, it feels like Hanukkah morning. In the long run, however, the products I like keeping around are automatic DVD duplicators. To very roughly paraphrase Lt. Col. Kilgore from Apocalypse Now, I love the sound of DVDs dropping into the output tray — it sounds like money printing. If you're in the market for such a device, you should strongly consider the Microboards CX-1 Disc Publisher, which costs around $2,100.
After having the CX-1 for about four months, and having produced about 500 DVDs, I can recommend the unit with some confidence. There are some caveats, however, such as the lack of a Mac client or network capabilities (although it now supports Vista). On the other hand, as you'll see, it's a very fast performer; offers the best print quality I've seen in any similar disc-publishing product; has a mature, generally functional software bundle; and comes from a reputable company that's been around since 1989.
Let's take a tour of the CX-1 in the order you'd probably approach it after purchasing: hardware installation, label design, pre-mastering software, and finally, recorder/printer functionality.
The hardware
The CX-1 combines a DVD recorder, printer, and input area in a 42lb. unit that's 24in. wide, 24in. long, and about 11in. tall — not counting the output tray for completed discs that hangs off the front, extending below the printer by about 5in. This means that you'll have to set the unit on the edge of a desk or table; I have mine sitting atop two HP workstations of equal height that are beneath my desk. The output tray screws on with thumbscrews, so it's easy to take off and replace. The uncovered input bin is on top, and it can hold up to 100 blank discs.
You connect to the CX-1 via USB 2.0. Installing the bundled software takes only a few moments. After installing your ink cartridges, you should be ready to go.
Figure 1. SureThing, a separate labeling program, is a trusted and well-known app that I use for its many features, such as business-oriented templates and bar-code support.
Designing your labels
Because I always produce the DVDs I replicate with the CX-1 in either Apple DVD Studio Pro or Adobe Encore DVD, my first step when using the CX-1 is producing the label. The SureThing labeling program has been around since I was printing labels on a laser printer and sticking them on CDs. It's a mature and known commodity.
I like SureThing because it has many business-oriented templates that I can use for data discs or quick-and-dirty DVD video labels, with reasonably comprehensive text effects, such as circular text, shadows, and outlines. It also has exotic features such as bar-code support and the ability to serialize your discs. It has libraries with all the necessary symbols for DVD video, CD audio, or DVD data that many programs lack. It makes it easy to choose the right inner diameter for your printable DVDs, which if you've printed DVDs before, you know can be a significant design hurdle.
When I want to insert a picture from my production on a label, it's simple to do. And if you design your labels in another program, such as Adobe Photoshop, you can easily import the finished label as a background bitmap and print it.
Note that you can print directly to the CX-1 from the SureThing software, which is definitely recommended with all new projects. This way, you can perfect the label, make sure you're printing to the right diameter, and then save the SureThing project.
