Wednesday, December 21, 2011

CDwest.ca Holiday Hours

The entire CDwest.ca team would like to wish you a very happy Holiday Season as well as a fun (but safe) New Year celebration!

We’re excited about what 2012 has in store for us, and we look forward to growing and enhancing all aspects of what we do in order to serve you better. :-)

Holiday Hours

December 23 … closed at noon
December 24 … closed
December 25 … closed
December 26 … closed
December 27 … closed
December 28 … open
December 29 … open
December 30 … closed at noon
December 31 … closed
January 1 … closed
January 2 … closed
January 3 … open

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Cool New Custom Printed Buttons From CDwest.ca

There's more to CDwest than just CD Duplication ... here's a fun and really affordable new merch product from CDwest.ca ... custom printed buttons!

Get your logo, name, brand or image strutted all around town with these eye-catching buttons. Just think of all the places you can pin them such as hats and caps, pockets, back packs, lapels, cubicle dividers... and pretty much anything else that is fabric.

Available in a variety of sizes, these sturdy buttons come complete with pinned backs and full colour CMYK print. Minim order quantity is as low as just 100 pieces and they can be readied pretty darned quickly!

More excellent new merch items to be added to the website soon - so stay tuned!  :)

Friday, December 2, 2011

CD Duplication Special Offer For December

This month's VIP Special Offer for CD Duplication is one of our most ordered products... the eco-friendly CS100 CD Sleeve.

Place your order in December to take advantage of this special as we're taking 15% off our regular retail price.

All you have to do is sign-up to become a VIP Member (which is free and also happens to be very easy to do) and then this offer is yours to order!

Simply get a CD Duplication quote from our online web-quote system and take 15% off the net retail price. Sorry, but this discount is not applicable to tax, shipping costs or any other items that are extra or over and above the CS100 quotation. Oh, and one more thing... no rush orders please.

As always, our package prices include all set-ups - all the way down to the barcode and shrinkwrap if you so desire it. In addition, full colour on-disc print, content duplication, pre-press and one round of electronic proofs, are all included in the price.

If you should have any questions about our products or services... or this offer in particular... don't hesitate to get in touch. We're here to help!

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CDwest.ca provides factory direct CD Duplication and CD Replication services along with a wide range of eco-friendly print and packaging solutions from our plant in Surrey, BC Canada (a suburb of Vancouver).

Monday, November 7, 2011

VIP Special Offers for November 2011

Our monthly VIP Specials are so popular that we've recently begun offering more than just a CD duplication or CD manufacturing offer. So now, instead of just one offer we're providing three VIP Specials!

Not a VIP Member yet? To sign up is absolutely free and very easy to do.

November VIP Special - Place Your CD Order and Pick A Gift Card!

*Place your order for 100 or more packaged CDs and choose one of the following Gift Cards:
  • Tim Hortons
  • Petro Canada
  • The Keg
  • Long & McQuade
  • CDwest.ca 
*Limted to CDs packaged in standard Cases, Eco-Sleeves or Digipak as provided on our website's quote system. Full payment required at time of order. Cannot be combined with other CD offer. No rush orders.

Here's how the Gift Card values work:
  • 100 unit order = $10 gift card value
  • 300 unit order = $30 gift card value
  • 500 unit order = $50 gift card value
  • 1,000+ unit order = $100 gift card value
November VIP Special - $50 Off Graphic Design Package Pricing

Place your order in November and get a $50 discount for graphic design services based on our standard package prices for CDs in Cases, Eco-Sleeves and Digipak. 

November VIP Special - 20% Off Custom Printed Christmas Cards

Visit our commercial printing website and place an order for custom printed (dare I say 'personalized') Christmas Cards, use coupon code VIP-XMAS, and get 20% off your order. 

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CDwest.ca provides factory-direct CD duplication and CD manufacturing services with a full range of eco-friendly packaging options. From our offices and CD replication plant located in Surrey, BC (which is a suburb of Vancouver) we ship to clients throughout Canada each and every day.
 

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Graphic Design Is A Huge Part Of Your CD Duplication Project

Have you heard the old saying "Image is everything" or that "You've only got 15 seconds to make a good first impression"?

As superficial as that may sound, in many instances it is absolutely true. Everywhere we turn we're being bombarded with advertisements, slogans, and messages, so we have become very adept at tuning out what isn't meaningful to us or doesn't impress us.

So what does that have to do with your upcoming CD duplication project?

When a complete stranger first looks at your freshly manufactured product what will they see?  You notice I said "what will they see?" and not "what will they hear?" because it's your packaging and the graphic design that people see first... and judge first. For some people, if they are not suitably impressed with what they "see" they'll won't bother getting to the "hear" stage of it.

Who are these nasty pre-judging people? Don't they know that it's all about the music and that the graphic design and CD packaging is just window-dressing?

Well, from countless interviews, discussions and articles that I have been privvy to, a significant segment of these pre-judging people are the very industry professionals you should be trying to get on the good side of - such as booking agents, reviewers, program managers.

These industry pro's are inundated with submissions from artists or bands just like you, with everyone wanting a piece of their time and crossing their fingers for a favorable review or opportunity.
When it comes to this visual pre-judgement, the comment I've heard most often goes something like this, "I've been doing this long enough to know that an amateurish looking package or graphic design generally means amateurish music. There aren't enough hours in the day, so if there's no immediate wow-factor for me I move on to the next package."

In short, what these people are looking for is professionalism. Professional attitude, acting professional, professional performance, professional merchandise, professional look, etc. etc.

At the end of the day, impressing people with some visual wow-factor is going to get you a lot further ahead than saving a few bucks by doing the graphic design on your CD duplication project yourself. Do what you do best - and if that's not graphic design then don't be too shy or too proud to hand it off to someone who can make you look good!  :)

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CDwest.ca provides factory-direct CD manufacturing and duplication with a wide variety of the most popular eco-friendly print and packaging options. Professional graphic design services are also available. From our offices and replication facility in Surrey, BC (a suburb of Vancouver), we ship to clients throughout Canada and the United States daily.
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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Indie Musicians Should Think of QR Codes Instead of Barcodes

QR Codes are becoming increasingly popular for marketing purposes… you’ll be seeing their use skyrocket in 2012.

“QR Code” stands for “Quick Response Code” and was created back in 1994 by a subsidiary of Toyota to track vehicles during the manufacturing process.  It is very much like a barcode in that each unique code relates to unique data but QR Code popularity comes from how quickly and reliably it can be read, plus its large storage capacity.

In today’s marketing world QR Codes are now being used quite creatively to relate promotional information. All you need is a Smartphone with a code reader and you’re off to the races. Here’s an example:
You’re walking down a city sidewalk and see a sign outside a restaurant that features a QR Code. You scan the code using the QR Code reader on your Smart Phone and you get information about a special discount or promotion that the restaurant is offering (or whatever other information the restaurant might want to promote to you).

The way I look at it, using QR Codes is an excellent and exciting guerrilla marketing tool for independent musicians, film makers, promoters, etc.  Here’s why, using independent musicians as an example:

One of the toughest things for a musician is to get noticed and get his/her music heard. After all, they exist in a huge sea of other musicians and performers who are also striving to be seen and heard.  Through the creative use of QR Codes, you can drive people directly to you and your music. The Codes can be used on all of your promotional materials.

I love the idea of printing up t-shirts with a big Code on the front and the back with a slogan saying, “Listen to this!”. Hand the t-shirts out to friends, and as they walk around at school, or shopping, or at an event, they are going to capture a fair bit of interest. Of course people don’t know what it is the Code will lead them to, and that’s the point. It could be anything, and you want their curiosity to get the better of them!

For a lot of independent musicians, getting their CDs into retail stores (at least reasonably big stores) is pretty much a thing of the past, so wanting a barcode to be added during the CD duplication process has become outdated for most independents. There is still a prevailing sense that having a traditional barcode will make the package look more professional but, again, what’s the point in adding it if it’s not going to be used?

It makes far more sense to start using a QR Code on everything from posters, to t-shirts to CD duplication packaging and deliver content to existing fans and prospective new fans alike.


CDwest.ca provides factory-direct CD manufacturing and CD duplication services with a wide range of popular eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. From our office and facility in Surrey (a suburb of Vancouver) in the province of Britsh Columbia, we ship daily to clients throughout Canada.
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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Three VIP Specials for October

What's better than a great VIP Special offer?  How about THREE great VIP Special offers?

That's right, for October 2011 we've got not one… not two… but three offers. Even better than that, you don't have to pick and choose between them - you can pick all three if you so desire!

Questions or curious about anything you see or read here? Don't hesitate to contact us!

#1 October CD/DVD Special Offer:

The holiday season is coming up fast, and we've way for you to beat the 'holiday rush':

*Order 300 packaged CDs… but receive 500… and what the heck, we’ll throw in 100 free promotional posters and 100 free stickers too!

*Conditions: CD/DVD: Limited to discs packaged in standard Cases, Eco-Sleeves or Digipak as provided on our website quote system. Can not be combined with other CD/DVD offer. Posters: 11” x 17” printed CMYK (4/0), bleed to edge. Stickers: 2” x 2” stickers printed CMYK (4/0), bleed to edge, not intended for outdoor use. Full payment and all artwork must be submitted at time of order. No rush orders.

#2 October External Computer Hard Drive Special:

Speed and massive storage capacity are typically cited as the chief benefits of RAID storage management. Real-time redundant backup of data and fault tolerance make RAID a critical part of any enterprise, regardless of size. Commercial enterprises that fail to employ (or use) RAID or disk mirroring can face large costs in the event of single disc back-up failure.

  • Rocstor “ArcticRoc 2T” Pro Tower RAID System with 6tb capacity: $549.95 (plus tax and shipping)
  • Rocstor “ArcticRoc 4T” Pro Tower RAID System with 12tb capacity: $1,079.95 (plus tax and shipping)
#3 October Commercial Printing Special:

Even in this electronic age of e-mails, texting, widgets and apps, people still like to receive a more personal marketing 'touch'. Postcards are great because they are slim, economical, practical and can be personalized through variable printing.

Get 20% off custom printed promotional postcards from our commercial printing website: www.PrecisionPrinting.ca . Create a free account and place your order using coupon code: VIP20

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CDwest.ca provides factory-direct DVD CD manufacturing along with a full range of eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. From our offices and replication plant in Surrey, BC (a suburb of beautiful Vancouver) we ship daily to clients throughout Canada.
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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

We Welcome Colin Logan To Our Team

Precision Disc Manufacturing Corp. (the parent company of CDwest.ca) is pleased to announce the hiring of Colin Logan as a valued member of their DVD Product/Services Development Team and Customer Service Specialist.

With a wealth of knowledge and ability in the video/film and DVD manufacturing side of the industry, Colin has over 20 years of directly-related experience in Sales, Customer Service, Production and Post-Production.

In addition, having personally researched, applied and tested many techniques and workflows for creating DVD/Blu Ray compression and authoring that are on par with Hollywood’s stringent standards, he is heading up the new DVD and Blu Ray authoring services department for the company.

Colin’s list of credits include:
  • DVD Production Manager on two Bryan Adams DVDs and the Fischerspooner DVD.
  • Numerous ‘Extreme Sports’ DVDs and Blu Rays.
  • Over 500 DVD, 200 CD and 10 Blu Ray projects.
“We’re very happy to have Colin on-board with Precision Disc.” explains General Manager Mike Arnold, “He has a proven skill-set and provides our clientele with a customer service specialist that speaks from years of hands-on experience. The fact that he also treats each project as if it was his very own blood, sweat and funds says a lot about him as a person.”

Precision Disc Manufacturing Corp. provides factory-direct CD DVD manuafcturing services with eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. Located in Surrey, B.C. Canada, and celebrating their 10th year in business, Precision Disc continues to evolve and grow, providing a range of complimentary media products and services to their CD DVD manufacturing product line.

September VIP Special


People are back from their holidays, kids are back in school, so that means it's time for a September VIP Special from your friends at CDwest.ca! 

VIP Members: Place your order in September to take advantage of this month’s VIP Special:
  • Order 1,000 units – *Get $200 off
  • Order 500 units – *Get $100 off
  • Order 300 units – *Get $75 off
Not a VIP Member? It’s very easy to sign up and, best of all, it’s completely FREE to do so. Click here to check out the details.

*Limited to discs packaged in Standard Cases, Eco-Sleeves or Digipaks as provided on our website quote system. Get a webquote and apply the discount to the net price (does not apply to applicable taxes, shipping or items over and above the webquote price). Cannot be combined with other offer. No rush orders.

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Make CDwest.ca your choice for factory-direct CD manufacturing and CD duplication with eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. Located in Surrey, BC (a suburb of Vancouver), we are the only actual CD replication plant in Western Canada, and compliment that with our own in-house commercial printing division.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

VIP Special for June 2011


Place your order in June 2011 to take advantage of this month's VIP Special offer from CDwest.ca

Two FREE order add-ons instead of just one!

As a CDwest.ca VIP Member you already get access to one free order add-on or incentive when you place an order with us, but this month you get two.

Choose two of the following free add-ons:
  • (a) Up to *100 free posters
  • (b) Up to *$100 shipping credit
  • (c) Up to *100 extra packaged units
*Note: The quantity or amount of your free add-ons (ie: number of posters, amount of shipping credit, or number of extra packaged units) is determined by the quantity of units you have ordered. The ratio is based on 10%, but is capped at the quantity of 100, or amount of $100, as noted above.

So, as an example:
  • If you ordered 300 units your FREE add-ons would equate to 30 units for the posters or extra packaged units, and $30 for the shipping credit amount.
  • If you ordered 500 units your FREE add-ons would equate to 50 units for the posters or extra packaged units, and $50 for the shipping credit amount.
You must be a CDwest.ca VIP Member in order to qualify for this offer, but becoming a VIP is very easy to do, it's completely FREE, and you can choose to opt-out at any time. Learn more and sign up today.

Questions? Please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!

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CDwest.ca is your factory-direct partner for CD manufacturing and CD duplication with eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. Located in Surrey, BC (a suburb of Vancouver), CDwest.ca ships daily to clients throughout Western Canada.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Recording Studio Referral Program

In an effort to provide recording studios with an opportunity to explore a new revenue stream, CDwest.ca has recently launched a Recording Studio Referral Program where recording studios earn cash or credits-on-account for referrals that place CD manufacturing orders with us.

The program is designed to be simple and care-free so there's no obligation or contract to sign and the recording studios don't have to act as a middle-man between their clients and us. We work directly with the clients and the studios get rewarded for the referral - it's as easy as that!

As a member of the Program you will be given a unique referral identification number that you give to your client which they, in turn, provide to us on their CD manufacturing order forms.

Program members earn a 10% referral reward based on:
  • The regular retail price of our products and services (not applicable to special offers or discounted items). 
  • The net cost of the products/services only (not applicable to tax or shipping costs).
Here's an example of the commission based on our very popular style CS1000 Digipak:
  • 1000 units: Retail $1.49 per unit (referral reward: $149.00)
  • 500 units: Retail $2.31 per unit (referral reward: $115.50)
  • 300 units: Retail $2.99 per unit (referral reward: $89.70)
  • 100 units: Retail $3.99 per unit (referral reward: $39.90)
For additional details and information on the Recording Studio Referral Program please visit the website.

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Choose CDwest.ca for factory-direct CD manufacturing and duplication with eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. As the only actual CD DVD replicator in Western Canada, we ship products from our Surrey, B.C. (a suburb of Vancouver) offices and replication plant to clients throughout Canada every business day.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

March VIP Special - And Taking A Stand Against Cruelty To Animals



Place your CD manufacturing or CD duplication order this month (March 2011) to take advantage of our VIP Member Special:

Take 5% off the regular retail price of any standard CD manufacturing or CD duplication product ... PLUS ... we will make a donation on your behalf to the BC SPCA.

“The incident that occurred in Whistler, B.C. certainly brought much needed attention to the topic of animal welfare,” states Mike Arnold, CDwest.ca General Manager, “but when the spotlight of the media turns away to another story animal welfare issues do not suddenly stop. Due to this we’d like to do our part to help create awareness of ongoing animal welfare issues as well as donating to the BC SPCA to fund their crucial work.”

All donated funds help to pay for the care and protection of nearly 37,000 domestic, farm and wild animals the SPCA cares for each year in British Columbia. This includes funding of the BC SPCA’s cruelty investigations department which conducts nearly 6,000 cruelty investigations a year and is reliant on donations from the public to continue its work.

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CDwest.ca provides factory-direct CD manufacturing and CD duplication with eco-friendly print and packaging solutions. With offices and replication plant located in Surrey, BC (a suburb of Vancouver), CDwest.ca ships daily to clients throughout Canada.
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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

February VIP Special - CD Digipak

Place your order with CDwest.ca in February 2011 to take advantage of this month's VIP Special Offer: *10% off all standard CD Digipak packages.

This promotion is limited to Digipak products as provided on the web-quote system on our website. Get your quote and take 10% off the net price (the discount does not apply to tax, shipping or items over-and-above the Digipak web-quote price).

These standard package prices include all set-ups, pre-press, one round of .pdf proofs, assembly and wrap. Pricing is based on either (a) duplicated CDR media with colour inkjet print for quantities of 100 and 200 units, or (b) replicated CD media with offset CMYK disc print for quantities of 300 and greater.

Applicable tax and shipping are extra (Canadian tax not applicable for goods shipped directly into the U.S.). This VIP Special offer cannot be claimed in conjunction with other special, offer or discount. Package prices are offered 'as is' (no discounts or substitutions). No rush orders please.

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CDwest.ca provides factory-direct CD replication and CD duplication services along with eco-friendly print and packaging solutions to clients throughout Canada. Located in Surrey, B.C. (a suburb of Vancouver), CDwest.ca is a brand of Precision Disc Manufacturing Corp., the sole replication plant located in Western Canada.
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