Guide for care and handling for CD and DVD

Do:

• 1. Handle disks by the outer edge or the centre hole.
• 2. Use a non solvent-based felt-tip permanent marker to mark the label side of the disk.
• 3. Keep dirt or other foreign matter from the disk.
• 4. Store disks upright (book style) in plastic cases specified for CDs and DVDs.
• 5. Return disks to storage cases immediately after use.
• 6. Leave disks in their packaging (or cases) to minimize the effects of environmental
• changes.
• 7. Open a recordable disk package only when you are ready to record data on that
• disk.
• 8. Store in a cool, dry, dark environment in which the air is clean.
• 9. Remove dirt, foreign material, fingerprints, smudges, and liquids by wiping with a
• clean cotton fabric in a straight line from the centre of the disk toward the outer edge.
• 10. Use CD/DVD cleaning detergent, isopropyl alcohol or methanol to remove stubborn
• dirt or material.
• 11. Check the disk surface before recording.

Do not:

• 1. Touch the surface of the disk.
• 2. Bend the disk
• 3. Use adhesive labels.
• 4. Store disks horizontally for a long time (years).
• 5. Open a recordable optical disk package if you are not ready to record.
• 6. Expose disks to extreme heat or high humidity.
• 7. Expose disks to extreme rapid temperature or humidity changes.
• 8. Expose recordable disks to prolonged sunlight or other sources of UV light.
• 9. Write or mark in the data area of the disk (area where the laser "reads").
• 10. Clean in a circular direction around the disk.

For CDs especially do not:

• 1. Scratch the label side of a CD.
• 2. Use a pen, pencil, or fine tip marker to write on the disk.
• 3. Write on the disk with markers that contain solvents.
• 4. Try to peel off or re-position a label.

Storing recommendation

• Temperature Less than 20°C (68°F) Greater than 4°C (39°F)
• Relative Humidity (RH) 20% to 50% RH