Casio Disc Title Printer with Qwerty keyboard (CW-75)

Once that was done, I opened up the software and after clicking around a bit to see some of the formatting options, it took me less than ten minutes to put together a label for tomorrow night's MONK second season finale episode which I will burn onto DVD-R, with MONK at the top print area, and the episode name and original air date on the bottom print area. I used TDK brand DVD-R media which has a nice, large, smooth printable surface at the top and bottom.

Then I used the sample CD-R which comes with the machine, to burn a copy of a music CD. My results and observations of the machine's performance:

1. The software is pretty slick, and so far it works flawlessly. Depending on the type of disc you are printing (e.g. music, data, photos, etc.), it presents you with a variety of formatting options for the two print areas. With all formatting options, you can change the font name and size to whatever you have installed on your computer. All text formatting changes are immediately shown in the on-screen depiction of your label, so you can see right away if your text will fit into the print area the way you want it to appear. If you are printing in both print areas of the disc, the software prompts you to first align the disc in the tray for the top portion of the label...click print and it goes to it. Then the tray opens again, and the software prompts you to turn the disk so that it can print the lower print area.

2. I have not yet used the printer as a stand-alone...I will eventually try it out, but why bother with all those buttons and keys when I can easily get what I want much more easily on the computer?

3. The print quality is Pretty Darn Good. Larger, bolder and straighter fonts come out better than smaller, thin and curvy fonts, but in all cases you'll notice a slight "pixelization", or slightly rough edges. To my eye, it's only obvious if I hold the thing right up to my face. You can change the print density but I haven't played with that option yet, to see if it makes a difference. Overall, I'm happy with the print quality.

4. I'll be interested in seeing how the printing on the CD holds up from use in my car. The instructions say that use in such players causes wear on the print surface from the CD player's rollers that load the CD, which could cause the printing to eventually get worn off. Also says not to keep printed CDs where they'll get very hot, and not to store them in plastic-sleeve storage devices...I guess the ink can come off on the vinyl if it's in contact with it for very long.

5. Cost per print raised by others...bah! Definitely no comparison to the almost-zero cost of just writing on a disc with a marker, but my handwriting and printing looks like crap. Labels and ink jet ink aren't free, but probably cheaper than using this...but so what? And I'm starting to see some of the labels I've been using (Stomper and Avery) come up a little around the edges over time.

6. Power options: the battery power is great for me, because I don't have to find an empty outlet in my gaggle of power strips, and I can just pick the thing up and put it in a drawer when I'm done. On the other hand, I think Casio could have sprung for a measly A/C adapter instead of making it an option.

7. The CW-75 is not built like a tank. The drawer has a flimsy feel and does not close as precisely as it should. The unit is lightweight and...well, just think of your last Casio calculator or adding machine to get an idea of its general construction, fit, and finish.


Better than a marker pen   November 1, 2004
Tom T (NC USA)
62 out of 63 found this review helpful

A friend heard I was planning to purchase a printer for labeling DVDs and CDs, so he gave me his Casio DC-75 to try out. Actually, the exact words were, "If you can make use of this, you can have it." I gave it back after about a week in case he could find someone else who wanted it.

In all fairness, the CW-75 is a nice little thermal printer. It's a great alternative to using a marker pen or sticky label on a disk. But, I'm giving it only 3 stars because although I think it does very well at printing text, other printers that cost less offer more features and user options.

The CW-75's lettering is excellent as long as the disk has a perfectly smooth surface. If the disk surface has any sort of texture, you'll get breaks in the lettering. The printer has a variety of built-in templates, fonts, and standard symbols. It can print in colors, as long as it's one solid color at a time. (This printer uses a ribbon cartridge, so if, for example, you want to change from black to red, you have to take out the black ribbon and insert a red ribbon.) You don't need a computer to use the printer, but using it with a computer (PC only, not Mac) gives you more flexibility.

Altho the CW-75 keyboard looks extremely complicated, after using it a bit -- along with reading the relatively small manual -- I'd say a person doesn't need to be technically oriented to be printing out sharp looking disks in a short time. Sharp text, that is. If you're hoping to print a full color picture, the CW-75 won't do it for you.

For less (as of Nov. 1, '04) than the price of the CW-75, there's the Epson Stylus Photo R200. It not only prints text and up to full photo quality on letter and legal size paper, it can also print directly on CD/DVDs that have an inkjet-printable surface. With the included software -- or software available from other sources -- you can print full color photos, text, graphics and whatever else you want anywhere on a disk. Compare that to the CW-75 which pretty much limits you to printing text and simple line art in one color, unless you want to play around swapping color print ribbon cartridges.

That's why I gave the CW-75 back to my friend and purchased an Epson R200 here at Amazon.


FANTASTIC!!!!!!!   September 2, 2003
50 out of 50 found this review helpful

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I recently purchased this CD title printer by Casio, but I am glad I did. It's FANTASTIC in every way!First off, you don't need a computer to print with this little gadget (very light weight). It's got everything you need built in: keyboard, 5 fonts, various sizes, a preview window, symbols ($ dollar sign, yen, GB pound, etc.), characters, and Greek/Russian lettering. It even comes with 126 illustrations (pictures) to choose from, like umbrellas, birthday cake, boombox, ice cream cone, and so on. It even comes with 10 built in logos to choose from, like a music bar for "Music," discs for video/movies, and a suitcase for "Memories" of your home videos or jpegs. These logos, which comes in various sizes, give your CD-Rs a truly professional look and not a CD-R look if you know what I mean. This little gadget gives you the option to connect it to a computer and import your own logo, drawing or other jpeg file, as well as free style text printing. The software included gives you dozens and dozens of different fonts like Broadway, Tahoma and Arial. I was truly impressed.As for the printing results itself, well, everyone I show the discs to immediately goes WOW! Your printed CDs look like they come from a record label; great if you are your own independent music artist and you need a professional look to sell your CDs. That's how professional this little gadget is, and there are 5 color ribbons to choose from (red, blue, green, silver and black).The drawbacks. The only problem you may run into (but don't panic) is the type of blank CD or DVD-R you use for printing. If you use a blank, all-silver or all-gold disc you'll be fine. If you use blank discs that have a rough pre-printed surface or discs that have a matted finish, like those for ink jet printing, you will get smudged/fainted printing. The solution is NOT to use such discs and you will be FINE. TDK color or white blank discs work just great with the printer. Casio recommends Maxell shiny surface blank discs to print on. In fact, they even include a sample disc with your printer, a good idea so you will become accustomed to the finished product.You're supposed to get 50 prints out of the ribbon, but only 20 if you print the upper and bottom half of the disc. Some reviewers have complained about the high cost of the Casio ribbons (TR-18 accepted on this printer), but at $6.99 and with a professional look, I'd say that's cheap. Amazon offers a 3 pack ribbon with free shipping and no tax, so how can you go wrong there?One final thought. Even someone brainy like me had trouble understanding how to operate it at first. You will get overwhelmed as you set it up and try to understand how to use it as it is very complicated. But with patience and time, you will become familiar with how to use it. I now breeze through it. If you're unhappy with paper labels and ink jet printing for your discs, this is the perfect solution. I say run, don't walk, to your nearest retailer and get one. You will say FANTASTIC when you make your print your first disc.


Very Pleased, This Product Works Great!   April 25, 2004
Joseph J. Canonica Sr. (Williamstown, NJ USA)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful

This product works great! I read some of the negative statements and was a little reluctant to purchase it...but when I came across it at BJ's for $89 (after rebate) I figured I'd give it a try. Some of the negatives I've read was that you could only print on top and bottom of the cd or dvd...NOT TRUE!! Use your heads people. If you wish to print on the left or right middle of the cd (eg: a compact disc logo) simply import the graphic you want to use...rotate it so that after it prints the logo will be upright when the disc is turned to the left or right....then simply print on the top and bottom of the disc keeping the logo to the left or right depending on which side you want it. It's very easy to do. The templates and print options included in the software gives you almost unlimited options...you just need to use your head. After searching the net i was able to find cartriges in bundles of ten for $58. (5.80 a cartridge) @20 CDs per cartridge the cost is a mere 29 cents per cd or dvd. Not bad considering the professional results. You can also mix colors (not on the same line) if you're patient enough to print one line, change cartridge, then print another line. The unit needs a fairly smooth surface for best results...and quite frankly..the bare silver cd's look the best, even though it print on Memorex DVDs that are not completly smooth and have the memorex logo on them. Don't condem a product because you fail to follow directions. The Casio CW-75 does what it advertises and does it well...if you shop around it's cost effective..and if you have some patience and foresight you can get this to print almost any label you want on any part of the disc. Great Job Casio.


Not Quite What I Expected   March 15, 2004
Otto Bost (Quakertown, PA United States)
24 out of 25 found this review helpful

I recently received a Casio CW-75 as a gift (after dropping a hint that I'd seen one in a store).

The picture on the box shows a CD-R coming out of the printer, and even though no manufacturer's name or logo is visible, the markings on the CD-R bear a striking resemblance to the markings on the Sony CD-Rs that I had sitting on my desk. I immediately tried printing onto a few of the Sony CD-Rs, and the results were terrible.

After consulting the troubleshooting section of the manual, I tried adjusting the print density to its maximum setting. The results were better, but still unacceptable. Finally, I tried the test CD that came with the printer, and got much better results. The test CD had an absolutely smooth surface, whereas the Sony CD-R had a subtle texture to it.

The printer documentation mentioned a website address for information about the type of media recommended for use with the printer, but when I visited the website, I was greeted with a "sorry, now under construction" message. No help there.

I ended up buying some inexpensive Imix CD-Rs at a local office supply store. They have a perfectly smooth surface, and I've just printed a batch of 30 CD-Rs with very good results; only one disc came out less than perfect.

I also found it interesting that batteries ARE included with this printer, but NOT an AC adapter. The included batteries haven't died yet (after 30 good discs and about 10 test discs, each with 2 passes of printing on each), but I don't know how much life is left in them.

Incidentally, why does this thing run on batteries, anyway? Does Casio think people are going to be printing discs while they're out jogging or something? Before you get any ideas, let me point out that moving the printer while it's printing gives poor results. For best results, put this printer on a flat, stable surface and don't bump into it while it's in use.

The ribbon ran out after about 20 discs or so, which (as someone mentioned in another review) translates to about 50 cents per disc for labeling. In this case, that's more than DOUBLE the cost of the discs themselves, but the results really do look quite professional with the right combination of media and gentle care.

Using this printer as a standalone device was a little awkward, but the included software installed itself without a hitch, and it makes it MUCH easier to see what you're doing when laying out a label. I'd strongly recommend using the computer connection unless you have a very good reason not to do so.

Only time will tell if this labeling mechanism has any long-term adverse side effects. I was using paper labels for a long time before I discovered that after many months, they apparently shrink just a bit, which warps the CD-R into a slight bowl shape, and causes readability problems. I'm thinking that this Casio device is a much better idea than paper labels, if only for that reason.