Who's the idiot who designed the plastic CD case?

Whoever it is presumably now runs a fairly lucrative business supplying all those replacement CD cases you can buy...

I prefer the typical DVD case design. They could use that.

It was designed by the man who formerly had to make cases by carving them out of wood.

Should be drawn and quartered.
David

I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes CD plastic cases. They are really cheap and tacky.

BTW who thought putting an ugly great bar code on the artwork was a good idea? Applies to vinyl too.

OK waspus, what do you suggest?

I have no problem with CD cases - once I've got the wrapper off.

SACD cases seem much more substantial. Still small though. I suppose you could buy box sets.

Personally, I don't keep the cases on CDs anymore as I've run out of room, I store the CD and the inserts in slip in/out carry cases like wot they bring to the HiFi shows innit. Plenty on ebay.

As crap as they are, and believe me I do agree they are crap, they are still better than those LP type cardboard efforts. How cheap and nasty are they?
I can never get the bloody CD out!

Its our punishment for abandoning vinyl. We get what we deserve.

Slight hijack, but can anyone suggest a source of decent quality replacement cases (particularly doubles with the fold out gate)?

I've bought from Townsend Records before, but the cases they supply are lighter weight than originals and break much more easily. Cheap, but I'd rather a higher quality product.

Many thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Simon Perry:
Its our punishment for abandoning vinyl. We get what we deserve.

Silly comment, in my opinion. As frustrating as CD cases can be, only a loony would go back to the cardboard, paper and plastic that 'protected' LPs.

G

quote:

Originally posted by Milo Tweenie:
Slight hijack, but can anyone suggest a source of decent quality replacement cases (particularly doubles with the fold out gate)?

Many thanks.

I have bought many from Concorde Stationary in Worcester.

I guess any reasonable stationary emporium would have them. Many computer data disc come on a spool and some of these discs will need decent housing when finished.

Fredrik

I think that in the 80's cd cases looked very modern and much smaller than cassettes and vinyl.

The double cd cases were a bit of a disaster though. I quite like the thin cases you get for compuer cd now though.

I am not a fan at all of the dvd cases - way to big. If you have a few hundred they dominate a room. I guess they have to be bigger to reflect the perceived value. I wonder how big HD DVD cases will be.

Gus

quote:

Originally posted by graham55:
As frustrating as CD cases can be, only a loony would go back to the cardboard, paper and plastic that 'protected' LPs.

Call me a loony. LP covers had other functions too - as far as I can remember.

quote:

can anyone suggest a source of decent quality replacement cases (particularly doubles with the fold out gate)?

SVP

They have loads of CD/DVD cases up to 8 way for DVD. See under cases and storage.

Dear 7V,

I am not calling you anything, but I have no idea what use an LP sleeve might be put to except housing an LP!

LP sleeves often seemed designed specifically to warp or scratch their very fragile contents.

Gatefold covers were always useless with respect to warping and often even quite important recordings came with plain paper envelopes, where any movement of the vinyl in the sleeve more or guaranteed surface damage, and how often that occured before the first playing!

The only disagvantage of the CD (either sonically or as an object) is the microscopic size of the print in any notes, which have to be paired down to the size of the jewel case. Given the decreasingly quality of these notes compared to those issued with LPs and more specifically 78 albums, this reduces the importance of the size of the print used!

One gripe I have is the occasional need to entirely remove the notes to find the tracking details. These should be printed on the back cover, and again in the largest feasable print on the back of the booklet so as to be visible when the CD case is open...

Fredrik

I use the thin (4mm) cases for CDRs and DVDRs.£1 for 10 in Poundland. Being so thin labelling is the problem(that's why CD cases are 10mmm I suggest). They are fragile though but cheap.

Howard

Dear Howard,

I find that the adhesive labels such as you might use for addressing an envelope are perfect, as you rarely need more information than title, and a few tracking cues. They stick on the outside, and are not visble once the cover is stored on a shelf, or whatever...

Fredrik

Fredrik
I like to have the labels on the spine if possible. I usually write on the spine with a CD pen. I use record collector so even if I can't see the labels its only one small (IKEA Benno) shelf to search.

Howard

ah, call me a loony then.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
The only disagvantage of the CD (either sonically or as an object) is the microscopic size of the print in any notes, which have to be paired down to the size of the jewel case.

Dear Fredrik,

Be thankful you don't own my copy of the OED - with its micrographically reduced pages a magnifying glass is obligatory.

regards, Tam

Dear Tam,

It is alright. On times I struggle to read the track numbers. It must be comical to watch me count them down!

Fredrik

"I have no problem with CD cases - once I've got the wrapper off."

This is where it starts for me too. perhaps I`m just too exited to get listen, but these wraps are frustrating, asmall rip strip would be a blessing.

The centre "wheel" attatchment fractures into small peices on me 1 in 10 cases!

The science of modern materials has an answer!

How about the US style ones which have the sticker wrapped over the top too. Invariably impossible to get off in one go and witout leaving the sticky residue either. What Bastards.

Too right! nothing worse than having to fight your way through 3 layers of plastic (including the annoying sticker seal accross the top).

Another pet hate is the super sticky discount and nice price stickers that are impossible to remove cleanly.

Fortunately the old double cd cases have been scrapped.