CD replication is a process of producing large numbers of the same disk. It involves many steps including mastering, injection molding, metalizing, and spin coating. Duplication, on the other hand, is more like photocopying a CD. It involves less equipment, is less expensive, and turnaround time is much faster. With duplication, you can also do smaller runs.

As equipment has improved, so have the tasks involved. Duplicating CDs is an easier and cheaper way of copying CDs than CD replication. Replication equipment has never been suited for small runs, so duplication is a viable alternative when you only need a few disks copied.

CD Replication Offers Better Quality

Of course, there are quality issues to be concerned about. When you need a high quality CD, replication is preferable. Duplicating CDs is making a copy of them, while replicating is more like making hundreds or thousands of originals. No matter what you choose, there are many choices to be made when producing quantities of CDs.

Vendors often have several choices of packaging: jewel cases, slim jewel cases, or sleeves. You can choose the color of the boxes and have custom liners designed and printed. The CDs themselves also come in different colors and you can design your own labels or have your company name printed right one them. Whether you are replicating or duplicating, the packaging is as important as the CD itself.