Disc Image Studio: Do You Want to 'Draw' Something on a Disc?

Matrix精选 November 2, 2026 10 minute read

New Type of Merch: A Tutorial on Burning Visibly Recognizable Illustrations onto Optical Discs

10 minute read

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A while ago, due to certain circumstances, I came across such an interesting project on GitHub. It lets you use any disc burner and any optical disc to burn visibly recognizable patterns into the data area.

Veterans will instantly recall that the technology for “drawing” on optical discs actually appeared quite early:

• In 2002, Yamaha’s DiscT@2 technology allowed burning images onto the data side of CD-Rs, but it required a dedicated burner.
• In 2004, HP’s LightScribe and, in 2005, Yamaha and Fujifilm’s LabelFlash allowed engraving patterns onto the label side; honestly, they looked quite nice, but they required a dedicated burner paired with specially coated discs, were extremely expensive, and also required manually flipping the disc over to burn it a second time, costing a lot of extra time.

These three technologies quickly died out; dedicated discs and drives were discontinued one after another, and these devices are now quite expensive.

But this open-source project, Disc Image Studio, is extremely cool: all you need is an ordinary burner + ordinary blank CD, DVD, or single-layer BD-R. Through some algorithms, it converts image information into data and then writes it into the data area. Hold it under a desk lamp and look at the data side, and you can see the pattern.

Too elegant. I’m writing this article specifically to share with everyone the process of burning one image.

The General Principle

To make it easier for everyone to understand the later burning and calibration process, let me first briefly introduce the project’s principle.

When a drive burns data onto a disc, the laser leaves tiny pits (or discolored spots) on the disc surface. The two have different reflectivity, and the drive reads the light-dark changes as 0s and 1s. Obviously, on a macroscopic level, these pits can also exhibit optical properties. This is the principle behind drawing images in the data area.

During burning, the drive head travels along a spiral track from the center outward. Taking DVD as an example, the data area lies between an inner radius of 24 mm and an outer radius of 58 mm.

When the drive processes data, the data is divided into fixed-length sectors: one DVD sector is about 5.16 mm, with a fixed total of 2,297,888 across the whole disc, so the total length of the entire track is also fixed. The position of each sector on the disc surface—radius plus angle—is jointly determined by the inner and outer radii and the track pitch (the distance between adjacent turns), and this is the address table.

Based on the process demonstrated in the figure, Disc Image Studio ultimately generates a segment of data; burn it on and the pattern appears.

So in this method, the image is “printed ring by ring,” sampled and laid out continuously along the spiral. As long as the inner and outer radii in the address table match the disc’s true dimensions, each pixel will land where it should.

But this actually becomes the hardest step: although disc dimensions have international standards, discs were never meant for drawing, after all—the true inner and outer radii and sector counts differ slightly for every manufacturer and every model!

A disc surface with normal parameters.

The main purpose of writing this article is to teach everyone how to calculate and calibrate the true physical parameters of each disc model, so let’s first look at what happens when the parameters are inaccurate.

The address table is calculated based on the radius the software assumes. If the disc’s true inner and outer radii differ even slightly, the angle at which the same sector actually lands will differ slightly from what the software expects; the deviation keeps accumulating, and the further outward you go, the more wrong it gets.

Continuing with the standard pattern we showed in the first section, the parameters used when generating this data set were an inner radius of 24 mm and an outer radius of 58 mm. Now let’s simulate discs with actual inner radii of 24.002 mm and 24.05 mm respectively, and see what pattern gets printed:

Off by 0.002 mm: the pattern is already noticeably distorted, but the general layout is still recognizable.

Off by 0.05 mm: it becomes a spiral thread, and the original image can no longer be made out.

Estimating from the spiral geometry of a DVD, when the inner radius is off by 0.002 mm, the accumulated angular deviation at the outer rings is about 1.1 turns; when off by 0.05 mm, it is about 28 turns.

So next we enter our formal printing tutorial.

The Easiest Way

To be honest, without experience, the first calibration takes several days and ruins 10–30 discs.

So if you don’t plan to spend time on calibration and just want to burn a few for fun or to give to friends, the simplest approach is to buy models the author has already calibrated. The software has several built-in presets that have been actually tested; just select one when creating a new project:

• DVD: Verbatim DVD-R AZO (43533)
• CD: Ritek medical aqua-blue disc, Verbatim CD-R AZO (43438)
• Blu-ray: Ritek BD-R 10x, Verbatim BD-R (64099)

When buying discs, be sure to match the model and product number exactly! Different models and different batches of the same brand may not have the same parameters. Even if you make sure you bought the right one, it’s still recommended to burn a test image first to check the result.

Manual Calibration - Coarse Adjustment

If you’re determined to calibrate the discs you have yourself, then let’s begin!

Make and Burn the First Calibration Pattern

This image is only for observation; whether it looks good doesn’t matter—the main thing is that it’s easy to identify.

1. Close to the outer edge: place the pattern toward the outside. Deviation accumulates starting from the inner rings and is greatest at the outer rings, so it’s easier to see when placed outside;
2. Long in the radial direction: each black line extends a stretch from the outer area inward, making it easy to see the twisted curvature;
3. Spread out along the circumferential direction: a set of lines arranged along the outer edge of the disc makes it easy to see whether the spiral thread goes clockwise or counterclockwise, and to judge which way to adjust;
4. Clear black and white, fixed spacing: edges should be clear for easy viewing.

The example earlier used a set of short black horizontal bars extending inward from the outer area; I suggest you use it. Put this image into the project and burn one with the current parameters.

Choose a fixed burning speed, such as “Auto (lowest speed, recommended),” and try to use this same speed every time afterward without changing it. Theoretically speed doesn’t affect the result, but it’s better not to introduce new variables.

Observe the State on the Disc Surface

It’s most convenient to observe under a desk lamp.

• Nothing visible at all: the parameters are too far off; try changing the current parameters by ±0.5 and hope for luck. But in theory this situation shouldn’t happen.
• Very dense spiral threads visible, similar to the 0.05 mm difference demo above: read on.
• The pattern is basically recognizable, with only slight bending, similar to the 0.002 mm difference demo above: skip to Section 5 and use the smart-assisted calibration.

When Far Off: Guess the Direction First

When the spiral threads are so dense that the pattern can’t be seen, it feels quite powerless. At this point we have only one goal: make the spiral threads looser.

1. In the project settings, change the inner radius in one direction by an obvious amount, such as 0.1 or 0.05 mm; save, regenerate the image, and burn another one;
2. If the disc surface is a bit sparser than the previous one and the pattern starts to become visible, the direction is right;
3. If it’s denser, the direction is wrong; go the other way.

Once the direction is determined, halve the change each time: 0.025 → 0.01 → 0.005 → 0.002 → 0.001. Getting to three or four decimal places is enough; then jump to Section 5.

Put plainly, it’s just binary search!

Just change one parameter throughout; the subsequent fine calibration waits until Section 5. My personal habit is to only modify the inner radius.

A word from experience:

1. Remember to save after changing parameters, otherwise the burn will use the old parameters.
2. You need to photograph and record each set of parameters and the disc surface appearance, because by the time you’ve burned seven or eight discs, you won’t be able to tell which one is which.

When the spiral is no longer too dense and you can see it only goes around about eight or nine turns, you can move on to the next step.

“Fit” the spiral on the preview page

Open the Preview page on the left, confirm that “Design Projection” is selected at the top (the preview uses the composite image from the design page), then expand Measured Parameters and Preview Accuracy (Advanced) in the left panel.

For “Inner Radius, Outer Radius” here, enter your guessed real dimensions of the disc. The preview on the right will re-project according to this guess, showing “what it would look like if the disc really were this size.”

So now we need to fit in reverse, repeatedly changing the radius until the originally square shape in the preview basically matches the actual spiral shape, direction, and density.
(You can ignore the DVD’s third-order track pitch parameter; that’s covered in Section 5.)

Once it’s roughly aligned, continue fine-tuning in “halving” steps until the preview and the disc surface basically coincide.

Copy the numbers back into the project

As above, this step is easy to forget. The measured parameters in the preview only affect the preview; they do not change the burn. The burn always uses the project’s own parameters.

So once it matches:

1. Click Current Project Parameters → Edit… on the preview page;
2. Change the radius to the value you just matched;
3. Press Ctrl-S to save the project, then regenerate the image or burn again.

The spiral on this disc should now be noticeably sparser.

Be mentally prepared

When you’re new to this, burning through more than twenty discs is normal. Once you understand the relationship that “the preview corresponds to the disc surface,” 5 to 10 discs is usually enough.

General workflow

Assisted Calibration - Fine-Tuning

When the pattern has already appeared but is “slightly distorted,” and you find it hard to get the parameters right yourself, you can use the software’s built-in assisted calibration. You only need to take one photo, and it can use elegant algorithms to calculate.

This workflow is divided into 3 steps, as shown in the figure; the software has already separated them.

Step 1: Generate a calibration disc

Click New Target from Current Parameters to get a pattern consisting of nine concentric circles and crosshairs. Then burn it.

Step 2: Perspective and lens distortion correction

Take a photo under a desk lamp.

1. Click Import Disc Photo and select the disc type;
2. Drag the two sets of control points to the physical outer edge of the disc and the physical inner edge, that is, the boundaries you can feel with your hand;

3. Click Calculate Correction, and the software will correct perspective and lens distortion through calculation.

4. Once you confirm there are no problems, click Confirm Correction, Start Tracing.

Step 3: Trace the curve and back-calculate

1. Along a clear radial line, place points evenly from the inside outward; 16 or more points are recommended;
2. Click Back-Calculate Parameters, and the program will give several candidates;
3. Choose a candidate and look at the orange predicted line overlaid on the photo: it should match the entire line you traced fairly well. In particular, check whether there is an extra turn between two points;

4. Check “I have compared the entire curve; the shape and number of turns match,” then click Apply Calibration Parameters.

After that, this new set of parameters will be automatically saved to the project, and a “Parameters Updated” notice along with a cool effect will appear at the top of the project in the upper-left corner of the software interface. Remember to save the project, then repeat the above three steps again; it will probably be done in one or two rounds.

FAQ

Q1: In assisted calibration, there are only concentric circles and not a single line is visible:

A1: The parameters are too far off, causing the crosshairs to be distorted so much that they can’t be seen. Go back to Section 4 for coarse adjustment.

Q2: The burned disc surface is exactly the same:

A2: Most likely you didn’t save, or you’re still using the old image. Check the project parameters, export time, and file path.

Q3: Can I burn with software like ImgBurn or cdrecord?

A3: Yes. The exported ISO, WAV+CUE, and RAW are all common formats. Some software handles things differently, and ghosting may appear on the disc surface, but the calibration parameters are still accurate. It’s best to use the software’s built-in instant burn.

Q4: What is “Dither Intensity”?

A4: A parameter under “Tone” on the right side of the design page; you can think of it as the distribution intensity of black and white dots, similar to contrast.

Q5: Is there a difference between DVD-R and DVD+R?

A5: It has nothing to do with calibration. The built-in Verbatim 43533 in the software is DVD-R.

Q6: Do I have to use a specific optical drive?

A6: No. Any drive that can burn will do. Calibration is related to the disc, not the drive model.

Q7: Can 8 cm mini discs be used?

A7: Yes. During assisted calibration, remember to select “Mini Disc · 8 cm.”

Q8: Instant burn fails:

A8: If it has been waiting for a long time, the data has already been written, and an error is reported during the final cache cleanup stage, you can ignore it; this is a known bug. If it errors right at the beginning, check the drive connection, whether the disc is blank, and similar issues.

Final Words

Calibration takes a huge amount of time and effort. If you calibrate successfully, you’re welcome to share your valuable completed calibration parameters in an issue.

The disc surfaces burned in this article use some online illustrations; if there is any infringement, please contact us for modification.

Looks great, meow!

Related Reading:

• Burn your favorite images into a CD — Optical Drive Drawing Research: This is the blog of the original repository author; those who want to understand the specific mathematical principles can read it.

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