14 DAY TRIAL // Disc covers are very easy to print nowadays. All you need is the right software to do it with. Truth be told, how many softwares have you tried by now? Have you found the right one? To be frank with you, I have found a simple to use and pretty efficient program.
UnderCoverXP is a product of XP_Eric. The developer released the program for free, so that any user in need of creating covers for any type of disc can use it. The software is at the beginning and the version analyzed today is 1.2.
The interface is pretty funny and you can deduct from the way it is drawn. The skins are special and they consist in pictures of Anime girls. There are only two now, but they can be added externally. All you have to do is create it, send it to the developer and he will post them on the website.
This version comes with a few changes, one of them being the externally added skins. The templates are also a new feature in the program (the automatic slim DVD cover code is changed to handle wider spine boxes like TV series).
On opening the application, you will notice that you can add two different covers, one to the left and one to the right. Suffice to click in the picture window and you can add the desired pictures. Thus you can see both the front and the back covers of your disc. The three buttons at the bottom of the application window are Print Left, Print Both and Print Right.
Above the loaded pictures, the user has the option of choosing the type of disc: CD, CD Front + Inside, DVD Box, DVD Box Half Size, DVD Box Slimline 9mm, DVD Box Slimline 7mm, CD Inlay, or some other types of covers. Thus you can create covers for VHS, or Playstation Back.
This option is available for both left and right images, so you can load the pictures and print them for different formats.
If you go in the Options > Options you can make some adjustments for the software. When the program is launched, there will appear a splash screen first and then the application is loaded. You can disable the splash screen from this menu. The user can also enable the Batch Mode. By default, the program will automatically correct the orientation when loading the covers and automatically detect the format of the loaded images. The covers are corrected if positioned outside the printable area.
The software supports the JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP image formats. The Format Editor allows the user to configure the settings for each type of the cover. Some of you may not find the desired cover type among the default ones. The developer has foreseen this aspect and the software supports adding new cover formats.
Just give the name to the new format, choose an Internal type (DVD, Slimline DVD, Photo, Playstation, etc.). The image can be cropped into a label and the user can define the whole size. The position of the image can be adjusted either automatically or manually. The size of the image can also be adjusted (height and width) and the new settings will be applied to both positions.
The developer has thought about the fact that the users will be from all over the world so there are two measurement units. You can use either the metric system (millimeters) or the imperial system (inches). The Paper Tray options will become active only when choosing one of the cover formats provided by the software (Canon PIXMA CD-R tray B/C).
On the main application window there are two options the users may find useful. You can tick the boxes for printing the images on a single page or for drawing the cut or fold lines.
The Good
The software is free and the application is extremely easy to use. You have almost everything you need and its flexibility makes it even better. The rotation option is useful if you have to turn the images around.
The Bad
There is no Help menu, although I did not feel the need for one. The software's website is still under construction.
The Truth
The software is at the beginning. I am waiting to see what future versions will bring.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
