VU Webcast #4

posted in: Webcast

Welcome to the VideoUniversity webcast.

Whether you produce corporate, wedding, or any kind of video, there’s a
lot to be made in duplicating the videos you’ve produced. Shawn Lam just
did a video review for our blog about a tower duplicator he built. Check
it out at the VideoUniversity blog. Now you may not need the kind of
duplication volume that Shawn does. If you want a disk publisher that both
prints and duplicates without your having to touch it, then a disc
publisher may be right for you.

Today I’m going to review the Primera “Bravo Two” Disc Publisher. It can
duplicate and print 50 DVDs or CDs and it uses a robotic arm so you don’t
have to feed disks one-at-a-time. It has one drive and prints at 4800 dpi
on inkjet- printable discs. It does require a computer (Mac or PC) and
connects with a USB 2.0 interface. It includes software for duplication
and printing. Once you set it up, it is very easy to use. I’ve found you
can use your computer for other things while it’s duplicating, but many
people advise you not to do this. So you may want to duplicate when you’re
not using the computer.

You’re not supposed to use it with the cover open, but for this
demonstration I’ve tricked the door sensor so we can see how it works. The
Disc Publisher is pricey, about $1,700. I bought mine used on the
VideoUniversity Trading Post for $500. If you want a used one, you may
find it on the Trading Post, Ebay or elsewhere. Be careful with the model
descriptions. Some are printers only, even though they look nearly
identical to the publishers which do both copying and printing. I found
one on eBay where the guy called it a Disk Publisher, but it was only a
printer. The next step up from the Bravo 2 is the Bravo Pro which has two
drives and can handle 100 discs at a time.

After installing the software, I had trouble getting it working, so I
eventually called Primera Tech Support who determined that the problem was
a conflict with my internal DVD burner. He suggested I use only the Data
Disk option instead of the image job or other options. This has worked
just fine for duplicating DVDs & CDs.

The machine is easy to use. First it burns the disks then prints them. You
do have to use inkjet-printable disks because it prints right on the disk
itself, not on a label. The robotic arm and print head move with enough
force to make a light table wobble which is kind of funny, but the machine
does what it says it will do and that’s a good thing.

The biggest problem is the cost of ink cartridges. You need two
cartridges: a color cartridge and a black and white. These sell for about
$36 each plus shipping. You probably won’t find them locally. Depending on
which combinations of colors you print, it should give you 100 copies on a
cartridge, but if you use mostly magenta in your prints, that can drop to
only 75 copies. Either way that’s expensive printing.

Since the print engine is a Lexmark printer, people have tried using the
Lexmark 26 cartridge, but that doesn’t seem to work. I found a refill kit
from a small company called DVD Ink Refills – good name! Their refill kit
for the Bravo 2 sells for $40 and provides 10 color refills and 3 black
refills. It comes with an instructional DVD.

I’ll be buying this one soon. It will save a lot of money. I’ll let you
know how that works out. This could affect the Primera warranty, so read
your warranty.

So there it is. I can recommend this automatic printer/burner. It is
expensive and so are the ink cartridges, but it looks like there’s a way
to refill them inexpensively. After a difficult time getting it going,
tech support was very helpful. The machine has performed well for me.

Duplication is a profit center so the more video services you sell, the
more DVDs you’ll have to duplicate. Go sell some video services and always
give your customers a duplication option.

Please visit VideoUniversity.com. If you have questions or comments about
The Primera Bravo Publishers, we’d love to hear from you. We don’t check
Youtube very often so to ensure that we see your comments, please make
them on VideoUniversity.com. While you’re there, subscribe to our free
newsletter.

Thank you for joining us.

Happy Trails