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Cheap CD Duplication? Look Closer…

cd manufacturing

When shopping for the best price on a CD or DVD duplication project, customers often look for the lowest price they can find, which is completely understandable. At this point in the production process, you’ve probably already spent a lot of money on recording, mastering, and even graphic design. After paying for all that, you might be looking to pinch every penny you can. But when you are evaluating quotes from different companies, make sure you are comparing apples to apples.  

When you see a quote that is drastically lower than the rest of the competition, there’s often a good reason why: it’s missing one or more of the standard elements that better companies offer. Advertising the lowest price is a great way to get you in the door.

If you find a company that is offering a shockingly low price, here are some common items that could be left off your low price quote:

QUALITY 

Our printing is second to none. Regardless of quantity, when you run a project that will be printed on our cardstock (sleeves, digipaks, wallets) it will be printed offset. This isn’t always the case with other companies. They will print digitally, and on cheap stock. Then, the quality of your finished product suffers.  

CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Sure that project is cheaper with one of our competitors. But do you have an actual person that helps you from start to finish? Generally no. Some other companies are completely digital. You upload your art files, your music, and the the project just arrives at your door. What if there’s an error with the art, or the audio master is incorrect? You have no one to call. When you run a project at Copycats Media, you’re assigned a sales rep. They’re your contact from start to finish. They make sure that your project gets done the right way, and on time.

STANDARD PRODUCTION TIMES 

Standard production time for a CD or DVD duplication project shouldn’t take more than two weeks (10 business days). Some places that offer the lowest prices will also have slower than usual production times, like 15-20 business days. Again, the tactic here is to rope you in with the low advertised price, then raise it when you want a faster production time.

FILE QUALITY CHECK (FQC) / PROOFING 

One of the reasons our quality is higher than everyone else’s is because we take the time to make sure that your art files are setup correctly. If there is an error, such as low quality photos, or fonts missing, we let you know directly and give you the opportunity to submit new artwork. Additionally, you get a digital proof of your artwork before it goes to print. Maybe you forgot to credit your engineer, or designer. We understand, that stuff happens! The extra proofing step saves you a lot of headache, that’s why we offer it at no additional cost.

BARCODE

Will you be selling your project in a retail store? You need to have a barcode associated with that package. We’re happy to add a barcode at no additional cost.

By now, you’ve probably recognized the pattern: 1) advertise prices,  lower than the competition to lure customers, 2) exclude key features that most customers will need, 3) raise the price when they request these features, 4) generally provide a lower quality of package AND customer service.

Every cd / dvd duplication company will aggressively advertise their lowest prices, but make sure those low-priced packages include everything you need.

We’re here to help you from start to finish… get a quote today to get your project rollin’!