It's really funny. When you think about duplicating discs it's just a case of getting some copies.

Kind of like going to a photocopy shop and paying for some dude to press the button, or heck - even pressing the button yourself. But as you know, copies can be pretty different in quality. Go to the Kwiki-mart with the old clapped out photocopier and you're probably going to get a pretty disastrous result. Go to a proper copy or digital print shop and it's likely you're going to get a pretty decent copy - maybe even better than you can plainly see with your eyes. Chances are before you bet your money and reputation on getting copies this way, you're going to think it through.

It's the same for CD and DVD duplication.

There are outfits who have sprung up around town and are offering media duplication services. They're kinda scary to be frank. Many of them are using media from unlicensed suppliers of dubious quality, duplicating the discs by hand using towers instead of robotic systems in a controlled environment production area and packing in only God knows what conditions. 

Why am I mentioning this? Because one of my clients got hurt by someone like that. My customer is a corporate. The marketing team had a budget cut (surprise, surprise, surprise) so some wit decided to shop around town and get the cheapest deal they could find in hopes of appeasing the boss. Nice thinking, but badly thought out. The product they received, and I use the term 'product' very loosely, was barely readable on most CD/DVD drives and had very poor grade inkjet printing that was still wet three days later and sticking to the super-shiny and not fit for the job plastic sleeves.

Result? About 500 defective discs. Remedy? Almost none because there was a deadline at stake.

No guarantee was offered. No recompense offered. Scant chance for the client to meet their deadline. What looked to be a golden deal was turning into a career limiting nightmare for the nice young lady in marketing trying to do her best. 

Red Circle saved the day with some fast, top quality work. We re-made the project from go to whoa, overnight, on top quality media on top grade robotic machinery, premium grade media with excellent non-wet print and packed it into archival grade sleeves. Customer? Very happy and relieved and their marketing push is a success.

However the costs the client suffered in order to protect their good name were far too high. If they hadn't been silly and cut corners the outcome would have been stress free and lower cost all the way. 

Yes, we want your busines and yes, we want you to save money but please - think before you vote with your budget. We want you to be successful.