Imation Aquaguard vs Taiyo Yuden Watershield
August 4, 2008 | Recordable DVDs
One of the greatest challenges with CD and DVD manufacturers has been the inkjet printable surface of a recordable disc. Many improvements have been made over time but the greatest achievement is the water-resistant surface of Taiyo Yuden. Taiyo Yuden has created a glossy and water resistant printable surface called “Watershield”. Imation offers a matte white ink-jet printable surface under the brand name: “AquaGuard”. Depending on your requirements each has it’s place.
Imation AquaGuard matte surface gives a more muted color spectrum, helping to hide any imperfections in the label image. AquaGuard’s surface is very similar to a regular inkjet printable surface in some ways. The product line spans CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R and now recordable Blu-ray or BD-R. It features a hub printable inkjet printable disc surface.
Taiyo Yuden’s Watershield surface is glossy and dries very quickly. Image resolution is good and color vibrancy is high. It resembles silk-screened (although silk-screen is limited in color mixing) resolution. It’s very much the surface everyone compares their attempts at copying Watershield media. Taiyo Yuden manufacturers Watershield in both CD-R and DVD-R and is distributed by Microboards Technologyin the United States. Watershield CD-R and Watershield DVD-R are hub-printable. Taiyo Yuden CDs are 52x and the DVD-R is 16X.
It’s important with any print job to make sure one is putting down the right amount of ink and not too much. Many times this contributes to drying issues and in the long run financial issues 
It’s best to use just the right amount of ink for best results. Too little or two much ink can make even the best printable disc look amateurish.
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