The Lightscribe technology is widely used with all latest drive releases. As with the BenQ 1625, the DW-1655 also supports the LightScribe feature, enabling the end user to customize the external appearance of his burned media. As we've seen from previous drive reviews, the use of the LightScribe drives is quite easy and almost similar from one to the next. Having said that, lets have a look at what is LightScribe and how it works...

-What is LightScribe?

The LightScribe technology, is an integrated system that with the combination of three key elements, manages to produce "precise" as it is said, CD and DVD labels. These three elements are the Lightscribe enabled drive, the specially dye coated discs, and the specific supported software. Note that the use of specific coated media is required and cannot be done with ordinary printable media.

-How it works?

In layman's terms, the LS enabled drive, uses a laser that emits light energy onto the thin dye coated disc (the label side of the media) changing chemically the dye coating, that activates visible points on the disc. As the disc spins inside the drive, the light beam marks specific points on the dye, following the pattern given to the drives mechanism, by the LightScribe software mentioned before. This results in a precision image on the label side of the disc.

- DW-1655 LightScribe Drive

The LightScribe feature can be characterised as quite easy in use, carried out through a simple wizard menu that is inter grated into the latest Nero releases, as well as in the bundled NERO OEM suite included in the retail package.

As soon as we press the LightScribe button, located on the top right of the Nero Burning ROM main screen, the wizard prompts us to indicate the image which we want to "print" on the media. We can scale the image, use fonts, etc., common tools available with all labeling software. Then we choose the preferred print quality (print time is dependent on the quality level, which ranges from draft to best) and we are ready to start.

An alternate option is to use Nero Smart Start, where the wizard guides you to the desired outcome.

Note here that in order to print on LS enabled media, we must put it in the tray upside down. This may seem a bit strange, but that's the way it must be done.

Last step, we start printing on the media. The Printing process highly depends on quality and differs from drive to drive.

The LS writing test was completed in approx. 27mins.

The result is shown below, and we can see all logos clearly printed on the LS effective media as well as light to dark gradations...