DVD Disc Label - Template

I have created a DVD Label template in Adobe Illustrator. Unlike the template constructed in Photoshop entirely with simple guides added by entering the position value into the gui the Illustrator template will be more involved.

First a centre point needs to be created. This will be achieved by adding straight guides to the vertical and horizontal mid point. The canvass for this 210 mm hight and width, so the mid point will be 105 mm. The guides are added by clicking on the ruler and dragging to an approximate mid point. Once released the exact position can be set in the path control panel. This creates cross-hairs at the very centre of the canvas.

Next I select the the ellipse tool, and while pressing alt I click on the very centre of the cross-hairs. Pressing alt while clicking forces the shape to be centred at the position of the click, where we want the circle to be centred. Clicking rather than dragging brings up the menu to create the shape, I input 8.7 mm height and width for the inner part of the hub.

This process is followed for the edge of the hub where the stacking ring is, this time the diameter is 16.7 mm. The mirror band is ignored as the disc label is normally printed over. A decision will need to be made about whether the label will go all the way to the inner part of the hub or just to the outer. The next ring is the outer edge of the label, which is 117.5 mm in diameter. The last is the 4 mm bleed edge, which is 125.5 mm across.

Now all the shapes are in place on each ring I click to select the ring, then right click on the ring and select make guide. This turns the shapes into guides that can but used to create the label design, they can be used simply as edges but also to make clipping masks and other useful processes.