Research; Digi Packs

A digipak is a type of CD case, which consists of a plastic CD tray glued inside a folding cardboard cover. Whilst it used to refer to the patented digipak packaging, it has since become a trademark used to mean any cardboard-based CD package.They were once considered a more environmentally-friendly alternative to jewel boxes. However, they are less common than jewel cases due to the higher manufacturing costs and lower resistance to wear and tear. Digipacks can flip open like a book, or it can have three parts, so that one portion of the packaging opens to the right and one to the left, with the CD in the center portion. Usually, the portion of the digipack that hold the CD is made of plastic like a traditional jewel case CD - the plastic part is simply attached to the paper background.

Digipacks have many advantages but also many disadvantages;

• They look nice, and labels like to use them for aesthetic reasons. The three section digipack sleeves opens up more design options because there is more room.
• However, they're more expensive than traditional liner notes and jewel cases.
• Digipacks don't crack like jewel cases do, but they will rip and the paper will begin to peel apart and separate.
• The trays in digipacks break more often then in jewel cases. Since the outer portion is made of paper there is less protection so the teeth that hold the CD in place crack and fall out easily.
• When the teeth of the tray do break in a digipack, the CD falls out of the bottom of the digipack, because unlike jewel cases, there is nothing to hold it in.
• Digipacks can be more environmentally friendly because they can be made of recycled paper.