Since Audio CD duplication is a fairly common procedure (many of us do it regularly on our home PCs), it is easy to believe that Audio CD replication and duplication mean the same thing. In reality however, the two are as different as milk and buttermilk!

Both Audio CD replication and duplication are two ways of making a copy of the information you have on a CD. However, depending on the procedure you use, the end product also differs somewhat. Duplication gives you a CD-R whereas replication gives you a CD-ROM.

Audio CD duplication is a fairly simple process and most of us have done it many times already. To put it very simplistically, you can ‘burn’ a new CD after you buy a new CD-R and use CD burning software on it to create a copy. A duplicator essentially passes a laser beam over the new disk. In the course of this simple process, all the data from the source disc is extracted and imprinted on the target disc.

Audio CD replication, on the other hand, is a more complicated task, not one that is accomplished at home with simple devices. There are no CD-R discs. The client master is tested for any corruption of data before replication begins. Then, the master copy is inserted into a machine which makes an exact mould of the master. This is the stamper. This stamper is fixed into an Injection Molding Machine which will create a transparent plastic that has grooves which correspond to the grooves on the stamper. This plastic is in the shape of a CD, but is not a CD – yet! It undergoes a sputtering process which produces a reflective layer on the CD. After this, a protective layer is placed over the CD and the CD is placed under scanners where every piece of data is placed on it.

As you can see, the quality of a replicated disc almost entirely depends on the quality of the glass master and the accuracy of the processes that come afterwards. To ensure high quality, monitors and checks are put in place so that the replicated CD is in no way compromised.

Understanding this essential difference in the two processes helps you determine which process is best suited for the work you have in hand. Due to the inherent processes involved, Audio CD replication has certain advantages over Audio CD Duplication.

Some of the advantages are:

• The cost per unit is lesser than duplication if the number of units is sufficiently large.
• Replicated discs can be made using offset printing or screen printing.
• Replication facilities offer complex services because of the high volume and may have the potential to assemble the replicated discs into different kinds of cases and sleeves automatically.

However, the longer and more complex procedure involved in the replication process means that you will need at least 7-12 business days for completing one batch (the exact number of days varies with the number of units you need). Also, to make the project economically viable, many companies accept projects with a stipulated minimum number of units.