SmileOnMyMac has been making DiscLabel for quite some years now. Throughout that period, the application evolved from a simple disc labelling program to what seems like a powerhouse of disc labelling. With DiscLabel 5.x you can add automatically flowing text on a disc label, get access to an open source clipart library, add image and layer effects, and basically do most things you can also do in Photoshop or Illustrator --but only on CD/DVD related media.

DiscLabel gained the ability to output to paper labels, HP’s DVD Tattoos, LightScribe and now also the Dymo DiscPainter. Its interface grew to accommodate the ability to label jewelboxes as well. But the question remains: do professional designers use applications like DiscLabel, or do they still grab their copy of Illustrator or Photoshop to create the design? And if they do, is there a use for DiscLabel at all?

I asked these questions to SmileOnMyMac founder Philip Goward, and to Bryan Bedell at Jewelboxing..

But let me first start by taking a tour of DiscLabel a bit. DiscLabel 5.x has gained a few tricks such as the free Clipart library, a further fine-tuning of Image and Layer Effects (based on the Quartz Extreme collection) and additional printing media.

At first, the Clipart library seemed like a great toy, but it relies fully on Spotlight, and if your Spotlight installation isn’t exactly as it’s supposed to be, it will not work. Mine wasn’t, not even after two fresh installations from the original Leopard discs. I got into a communication about this with SmileOnMyMac’s support engineers and while they couldn’t exactly pinpoint why my Spotlight system didn’t work as it is supposed to, they did help me with the thinking process.

Clipart Library

The whole ordeal resulted in me checking out the permissions on Spotlight’s hidden files and lo and behold, the whole thing worked like a charm. Whereas before, Spotlight was slow as molasses, it is now a speed demon --even on a Power Mac G5. Before I could not make the calculation feature to work (in the menu bar), afterwards it worked and I could finally figure out that 1 + 1 really is 2, even to Spotlight.

The good news was that DiscLabel’s spotlight based Clipart search --you can’t get to the library any other way-- finally worked as well. I must say the quality of this open source, free library is pretty good. But I also realise that professional designers will thank for the honour and will create their own art.

Creating art can be done with the built-in access to iPhoto and using images from within that library. Unfortunately, I keep most of my images in Aperture and DiscLabel 5.x doesn’t know the first thing about Aperture. That’s a pity. The filters and effects in DiscLabel 5.x are certainly worth looking at, but f you’re used to working in Photoshop, there’s no compelling need to switch.

There are reasons to use DiscLabel 5.x, though. The first one is: you’re an amateur, an iLife user, but you want to make a good impression when burning discs of the family photos. DiscLabel is hard to beat if you’re in that group. Even if you’re an absolute zero in the creativity or inspiration department, DiscLabel’s Random Design Factory can make a label that looks pretty esoteric or just plain nice. Core to what you want to do: you can import iTunes playlists dynamically, i.e. they update automatically.

Philip Goward's Views

The second reason is: you’re OK with designing, but it’s not your core business so to speak. You could be a photographer or a musician having to burn and label proof discs. In that case, DiscLabel will support you with endless layers and a trick box that you’ll learn in half an afternoon’s time.

The third reason is that you are a professional designer. I asked Philip Goward about the DiscLabel market. “DiscLabel is used by the full range of Mac users from Newbies, Switchers through to Professional Designers,” said Philip Goward. “Designers usually use multiple tools for different purposes. Some may only use a tool for a single feature. We know of several designers who design their labels in PhotoShop, but still use DiscLabel to print their design as DiscLabel handles all the alignment issues for them. Others use DiscLabel for the entire design.”

I don’t find that surprising at all. Although version 5.2.1 does have a problem with the Dymo DiscPainter alignment --it’s not perfect --knowing SmileOnMyMac’s update policy, I am sure this will be fixed very soon. All the other media, however, do align perfectly. And for the impatient: you can tamper with the file that takes care of the alignment, as it is a simple plist file (text file that lists properties).

Of course, I didn’t just ask Philip Goward about the market. I also asked him what he thought was the most wanted feature: “More clarity in the printing process. In DiscLabel there are so many options for printing, that customers could do with a way to streamline and simplify that,” he replied.

And I asked about why SmileOnMyMac had chosen for the adapting interface from stage to stage. Goward: “Part of the power of DiscLabel is that you design your CDs, Jewel, and DVD cases completely independently of the printer or labels you are using. So, in the Edit mode you are making a completely abstract CD design. Printing is separated out because it’s all about taking that design and applying it to your paper or print-on-CD’s or LightScribe.”

You like DiscLabel or you don’t. A lot of people do, while a group finds the application too expensive. Whatever you think about it, it’s clear the concept has been thought about carefully. According to Philip Goward, the present focus of the development team is to evolve the user interface of DiscLabel in the same direction as Apple’s iLife applications, so an iLife user will always feel comfortable with DiscLabel.