03. CD & DVD label dimensions
To create a proper label design you need to know CD label size. CD and DVD dimensions are standard. A common CD disk, according to Wikipedia, is a digital optical data storage, first released in 1982, with standard dimensions of 120 mm or 4.7 inches. This standard disk is compatible with most CD and DVD players. There is an additional format of 80 mm (3.1 in), called Mini-CD. This is the same digital optical storage, however its capacity is minimized to one third of a standard 120 mm (4.7 in) disk.
Knowing the common CD and DVD dimensions you will be able to design proper custom CD labels or adjust desired designs to standard printable CD labels.
Measurements of a CD & DVD labels
(Click to enlarge)
In addition, we suggest you to review our articles CD cover dimensions and Popular DVD case dimensions.
Why you need to keep your custom CD labels designs to common dimensions?
You are free to design any CD label size and to fill it with necessary data. However there are to major risks you will face with end result, when you create a CD sticker irrespective of standard disk dimensions.
First and foremost, your custom design will not fit in standard printable CD labels. When printed, such a design will miss parts of content.
Second, you can optimize a label design to standard CD label size, however when you minimize the design, you compromise the readability of data. And the key rule of any label design is to keep data readable optimizing fonts, colors, backgrounds and images used in custom CD labels design.
In case you do not want to calibrate your template and to fine tune it to standard CD label size, then you can use RonyaSoft CD DVD Label Maker, which solves major tasks of CD label, covers and inserts design!
Three reasons to use RonyaSoft for custom CD labels design
- RonyaSoft full cycle label designer offers you a vast selection of CD DVD label and cover templates. The templates come with the software on default. You do not need to search and download additional labels and then to check the accuracy of their sizes. Among provided templates you will find CD DVD labels of most popular brands: avery label templates, HP, JP, Memorex and many others. You can check all the compatible label brands in the section of Supported Labels.
- RonyaSoft offers a simple, yet effective editor allowing to create professional designs. The editor will keep your design up to the common CD label size. So you will see how each element looks in the template and how it will look on the disk.
- When your custom CD labels are ready, you can use inbuilt printing option which allows to correctly locate a design on paper and to get amazing result. For more details on how to correctly print a CD sticker, please, review the article Ways of printing CD and DVD labels.
Let us review standard disk dimensions and show you the pictures which will clearly demonstrate the difference between CD and DVD dimensions.
1. Standard label
You will use standard CD label size most often. This type of CD sticker is used for most of label designs. The dimensions of standard label are 116 mm (4.57 in) external diameter and 45 mm (1.77 in) internal diameter. The standard label covers disk surface from external disk rim to the inside rim of a mirror band.
Take a look at the image. Here you will see standard CD label size explained.
2. Extended label
Extended label is a CD sticker with an enlarged area of design. Its dimensions are 116 mm (4.57 in) external diameter and 38 mm (1.46 in) internal diameter. The label covers the disk surface from external disk rim to the inner rim of mirror band. The next picture illustrates the extended label and shows the difference in coverage of disk surface:
3. Full Face label
This CD sticker template features the largest size. Such templates are used for most of offset printed CD and DVD disks. The first printed layer is white. Other four color layers are printed over the white one. The dimensions of full face label are 116 mm (4.57 in) external diameter and 21mm (0.83 in) inner diameter. RonyaSoft also provides full face custom CD labels templates. The next illustration shows a standard full face CD label size.
4. Custom CD labels
When using CD DVD Label Maker, you are not limited to set DVD dimensions. You are not obliged to use printable CD labels templates. Template generator will create any custom design for you in a matter of minutes. With this simple tool you will be able to create original CD labels, break the rules and still get excellent result.
Template generator creates proper labels for vinyl disks and original stickers for standard CD and DVD disks. The key advantage of using template generator for your own templates is that you get a design and a label optimized to the common dimensions of a given disk (vinyl, blu-ray, CD or DVD).
The template generator will create a new template from scratch and will guide you through the process, offering you to choose a type of template (it being an insert or printable CD labels) and cd dvd dimensions of a new label template.
The next picture shows you examples of custom cd labels which can be created with RonyaSoft template generator.
Summary
RonyaSoft CD DVD Label Maker is a full cycle software supporting all stages of custom CD labels creation: from choosing a necessary label to customizing it up to your needs, optimizing its design and getting it printed. With RonyaSoft you get a professional result with less efforts and time invested.
The software offers standard CD label size templates. Each template keeps to the brand standards. You will find popular avery label layouts, Memorex, and many others. RonyaSoft ensures the correctness of DVD dimensions, so a label created from RonyaSoft template will ideally fit a disk. Apart from disk labels the software supports disk inserts and covers design with templates of standard CD DVD disk dimensions provided. Moreover you will find extensive tutorials on disk label creation and printing.