The CD cover is the front-face of a CD case. It identifies the disc content and also adds a personal touch to every CD. Attractive CD covers are marketable, as people tend to identify the inside content with the cover design. Personal collectors can make CD covers at home, or they can use professional CD cover design services.
You can simply log on to the Internet and search for CD covers on a search engine if you are looking to make a CD cover. You will see a long listing of good CD cover archives that have a large database of audio, DVD, and data CD covers. Some websites stock previously published covers, while others have stock cover designs that are ready-to-print. There are several reliable websites that also offer these CD covers for free.
A CD cover is a four-fold sheet that must clearly list the CD title, and also have credits and other information printed on it. Many people prefer to opt for an all-color design instead of having a black-and-white cover. The most popular CD design is called ‘4-over-1’ printing. This is especially popular for longer runs. In this design, the front cover is full-color artwork while the back cover is done in black and white. This saves money if the CD cover is being printed in bulk. If you are designing the CD cover at home you can opt for full-color on both sides.
When making a CD cover, make sure you leave sufficient margins when placing all the important elements. This way, even if the CD cover comes out a little larger than estimated, you can cut it easily without worrying about losing part of the title. Also, the purpose of a CD cover is to label the disc, so make sure the title is legible. The other important text elements like contents or track listings must also be printed in a clear font that is easy to read.
When designing CD covers at home, you can print them out on an inkjet printer. You should ideally edit your picture using graphical editing software, but keep the layout design work for DTP software.
If you are still unable to fathom how to make CD covers, you can also access several tutorial resources on the Internet.