What kind of packaging for family DVDs?

May 31, 2018 10:28 AM

I'm burning some DVDs of family movies that will be bundled in sets of 2 discs. Then I'm mailing them to family. Do you think people would prefer to get the cds in those paper CD envelopes, or in plastic cases?

I can see pluses and minuses for both sides, and I have plenty of both on hand. So I'm wondering what other people think. But I can't poll the recipients. What do you think?

posted by bleep to Grab Bag (5 answers total)

I think either one would be more convenient for some and less for others.

But if you want it to feel like a artifact people are meant to keep for a while probably a plastic case will do that better, while the paper sleeves, imo, feel more disposable
posted by aubilenon at 10:37 AM on May 31, 2018

I actually did something like this for my family, and used these plastic cases. People liked being able to put them on a bookshelf. (FYI, if I had been going for an envelope or sleeve, then tyvek is better for long term dvd preservation over paper.)
posted by gudrun at 10:44 AM on May 31, 2018

If these are meant to be keepsakes, I would go a little more all-out. Get some 4x6 photo albums (e.g.), put some family pictures in them and then attach the CD envelopes to the back cover (or one to the front cover and one to the back). These will look nice on a bookshelf and won't get lost. If you go to the dollar store you can probably find some cheaper albums that hold fewer photos (and will thus be less trouble to prepare).
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:51 AM on May 31, 2018

I'd go for cases, although I'd be aware of a few things (it's been a few years since I've bought DVD clamshells): the cheap ones are really amazingly awful, and most of them are fairly brittle. If you're doing this for family, and you'd like them to be able to keep these for a while, I'd splash out and buy nicer cases; the ones gudrun linked to look pretty good. You'll also want to be careful mailing them, since while the case will offer some protection, you want both the DVD and the case to arrive looking respectable.

And, on preview, If only I had a penguin... has a really good idea.
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 10:53 AM on May 31, 2018

Keeper DVDs should always be in plastic book-style cases. Your intended audience for these discs still remembers how the endless disposable AOL discs of the late 90s arrived in paper sleeves, and will treat anything packaged likewise accordingly.

If you were prepping a DVD-R for long-term archival storage, I'd say use Tyvek sleeves, which are proven to be the least damaging over time. But for a family keepsake, the plastic store-bought-style cases (called Amaray cases, even if they're not actually made by Amaray) should work fine for the life of the media.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:56 AM on May 31, 2018