To create a CD-ROM from your Web site and distribute it is a four-step process. A CD-ROM is computer information that is stored on a compact disk, including games, software installations, and Web sites. This is different than music CDs due to the formatting of the information (not the medium). The development process involves creating the digital bytes that go on the CD, choosing the replication company, designing the graphics that are to be printed, and having the CD-ROM replicated.
Why would a company want its Web site placed on a CD-ROM? A CD-ROM is an easy way to distribute a company’s Web site. Companies can give the CDs away at trade shows and use them to give demonstrations of the Web site where they cannot attain an Internet connection. CD-ROMs are also a way to archive Web site information. For example, Windows NT magazine sells CD-ROMs of its archived magazines. Another use is to ship a catalog of all your products to potential customers -- leveraging the Web site you have already developed.
Just to be clear on our definitions, CD-ROM is a read-only medium (ROM stands for Read-Only Memory). A CD-R is a compact disk that you can write on with a CD burner. If you have one or two CDs to produce, you can usually use CD-Rs and your CD burner. However, if you are sending CDs to thousands of customers, using CD-ROMs if preferred, since CD-Rs usually cost six to ten times what CD-ROMs cost. You have to use a replication house to burn the CD-ROM, but the replication house can also silkscreen and package the CD.
The price of replication and printing a CD-ROM has fallen below a dollar, if ordered in bulk. Companies are starting to hand out more CD-ROMs at trade shows to prospective customers. In fact, they are sometimes less expensive than the traditional, printed direct-marketing brochure. America Online, for example, has been effective in mailing CDs for some time, and has even begun putting them in cereal boxes.
Why would a company want its Web site placed on a CD-ROM? A CD-ROM is an easy way to distribute a company’s Web site. Companies can give the CDs away at trade shows and use them to give demonstrations of the Web site where they cannot attain an Internet connection. CD-ROMs are also a way to archive Web site information. For example, Windows NT magazine sells CD-ROMs of its archived magazines. Another use is to ship a catalog of all your products to potential customers -- leveraging the Web site you have already developed.
Creating the Bytes
First you need to translate the Web site into a CD-ROM-acceptable format. This is not as simple as putting the same HTML pages on the Web site directly onto the CD. It won’t work because CDs are read by browsers using the file system protocol and Web sites are read using the hypertext transfer protocol, known as http. Though both protocols are file-centric, there are some distinctions:
The file protocol references files with forward slashes and the http protocol with backslashes.
http can resolve virtual directories and the root of the Web site, and the file system protocol knows the root of the hard drive. This means that the every reference to http://www.mysite.com will not work on a CD-ROM.
CD-ROMs are also different because they cannot be changed once they are created. So a mistake, such as a broken link or a missing graphic, cannot be corrected. This is unlike a Web site that is in a constant state of flux. Therefore, it is important that all the files that are supposed to be on the CD-ROM are present and that they are linked properly.
CD-ROMs cannot execute CGI scripts, read from a database, or write to a database (without more software installed on the client). As a result, all dynamic Web pages on the Web site need to be converted to static pages before they can be written to the CD. If the Web pages contain query strings, their file names will need to be changed, and all pages with links to them will need to use the new file name.
However, there are programs available that manipulate the pages on your Web site to create a CD-ROM. One of them is XBuilder from Sign Me Up Marketing http://www.xbuilder.net . XBuilder traverses your Web site, changing slashes and removing virtual references as it checks for missing images and broken links. XBuilder also changes all dynamic pages to static pages and adjusts all links.
Running the CD-ROM
Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0 all can detect when a CD has been placed in the CD drive and execute a program based on the instructions on the CD. The executable is automatically run when you place the disk in the CD-ROM drive. Place an autorun.inf file in the root of the CD-ROM to achieve this.
The autorun.inf is a text file containing instructions that the operating system is looking to read immediately after the CD is placed in the drive. The autorun.inf file has a specific format and should be tested before your CD-ROM is sent to replication. This file cannot be tested unless it has been placed on a CD. This means that you will need to have a CD burner to create one CD to test at your office.The XBuilder SDK includes an example autorun.inf that looks like this:
Also included is an executable called shelexec.exe that executes programs within the shell. Shelexec.exe is shipped with each operating system. However, by shipping the shelexec.exe with the CD-ROM, we do not need to worry about where the operating system was installed. Shelexec.exe executes \default.htm, meaning the default browser for that operating system will load and \default.htm will open. You only need to make sure that the page you want opened is called default.htm. If the page has a different name, then change the autorun.inf to specify that name.
When your customers insert the CD-ROM into their machines, the browser opens and
the first page is displayed.
Choosing a CD Replication Company
Choosing a replication company is much like choosing a commercial printer. You need to do some research (the Internet is one of the best ways), call the companies, and solicit bids. Prices may vary significantly, so secure lots of bids. Also, the service that is provided varies as well. The following are some questions to ask when calling:
How is the imageimprinted on the CD-ROM? Some use a silkscreen process while others use stickers. Silkscreening is the professional approach.
How long will it take to produce the CD-ROM once the bytes and the graphic design is submitted? Does this fit within your time frame?
Will the company accept the graphic design in the format your designer uses?
If you print more CD-ROMs, will it cost more? Sometimes printing 200 can cost the same as printing 1200, depending on the replication company’s pricing structure.
What types of packaging options are offered? The industry is changing all the time. Can the company perform all the printing and packaging that you need?
In what form should the final bytes for the CD be shipped?
Once you have the bids, you can choose the best company for the job. You will need to chose the company before you start designing the graphics.
Designing the Graphics
Deciding what will be printed on the CD-ROM will affect what type of packaging will be used.
Most companies that replicate CD-ROMs will silkscreen the front of the CD and print the insertions for the jewel case. As with most printing, the number of colors you have in the silkscreen design will affect the price of the printing. Also note that the background of the CD-ROM is silver and mirrorlike, unlike the white paper more regularly used in printing. So, for example, if you need your two-color company logo to appear on a white background, you may need to pay for three colors. Different replication companies will count the number of colors differently when quoting you a price. They might count or discount the background color. However, be careful about cutting costs and printing your logo with the silver/mirror surface as the background. The logo designer might not have taken this design feature into account. Darker logos might be lost in the reflection of the CD-ROM.
You will also need to consider how the CD-ROM will be distributed. There are several ways to package a CD-ROM. You can purchase a jewel case much like music CDs’ packaging, a paper sleeve, or a paper sleeve with a window. If you decide to use a jewel case, you will have to design the paper insert that needs to be printed. Most of the replication companies will print the paper, insert it into the jewel case, and put each CD-ROM into the jewel case. However, this is more expensive than just getting a paper sleeve. If you decid to do a fancy silkscreen on the CD-ROM, you should consider using a window sleeve that would show off the silkscreen.
Once you have various companies’ quotes for different types of packaging, silkscreens, and replications, you will need to make a choice. Contact the company you choose and find out what type of file format the silkscreen design should be in. Different companies accept different file formats, and some will work with you to create the graphics and design. It is recommended that you work with the same person that designed your other materials so there is a consistent look and feel across all your materials.
Replicating the CD-ROM
In order to make the CD-ROM you will have to send the bytes and the graphic design to your selected replication company.
The recommended way to ship the bytes to the company is to use a CD burner and burn a CD-R. Once you have the CD-R burned, you can test by putting it into a variety of machines, making sure the autorun.inf is working on a variety of operating systems. You can also use zip disks if you have a small CD-ROM, however, zip disks only hold a maximum of 250 megabytes and a CD-ROM can hold a maximum of 650 bytes. Again, contact the company you have chosen to replicate your CD-ROMs and ask how they want the information delivered.
Summary
Getting a Web site onto a CD-ROM for distribution is a simple process that involves coordination between you and the replication company and gathering all the pieces involved. There are four basic steps to having the Web site transferred to a format that will work on the CD-ROM. You can try to do this by hand, however, tools like XBuilder can simplify the process. Choose the replication company based on time constraints, budget, and the ability to deliver a professional end product. Create the graphics needed to silkscreen the CD-ROM and any other packaging materials. The final step is to get the bytes to the replication company.
About the Author
As a former Microsoft design engineer, and the director of development for FreeShop, Berry's expertise includes software design, development, marketing and online business. The web site he created as a hobby to assist in distributing information to Active Server Page developers became his first product, 15 Seconds. The recent sale of 15 Seconds to Internet.com allowed Berry time to develop his latest product, XBuilder, and Kulshan.com, a community web-site for his hometown, Bellingham, Washington.
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