Here I will attempt to show you how I care for, repair, and customize CD's.

   Care: You probably already know this, but always handle the CD by the edges only, you can also put a finger tip in the central hole for support. Fingers leave an oily film on the plastice surface which can negatively effect the playback performance. To clean a CD, use a clean soft cloth and some windex / window cleaner, use only one-directional wipes working from the center of the CD outwards toward the outer edge of the CD. You can remove any unwanted stickers, labels, etc. from the jewel case, by first scratching as much as you can off with your fingernail, and then removing the residue / glue with a soft cloth dampened with WD-40.

   You can make a CD index using Microsoft Word, list each entry as the group name (size 12, bold, and underlined with ==== size 10, reg.), then list the albums by the group in alphabetical order (space, size 10, bold 01. album "a..", 02. album "b..", etc.), followed by a listing of songs on each album (space, size 8, reg. "01. song a.., 02. song b.., etc.) this way, you won't have to search very hard for a particular album or song. You can also download free software at:

Cute PDF (dotcom) (requires PS2PDF  converter, free download!) that will allow you to convert your Word document to a .pdf document. This means that you you can view page by page, and print out a certain page by it's self, or a group of pages, without having to print the entire document.

   Repair: If your cd has been scratched, you may try to repair it by purchasing a repair kit, or by purchasing a bottle of plastic scratch repair, such as "scratch out" by Kit, available at most automotive parts suppliers. This product was designed for automotive headlamps, but works equally well on other plastic surfaces. Just dab a little on a damp soft cloth and buff out the scratches using one direction buffs, from the inside of the CD towards the outside edge of the CD. If it doesn't work, your only out $3.00 for the test. If it works , you've saved yourself the purchase price of a replacement CD.

   Customization: If your collection includes the "digipack" style of CD, you've probably noticed that the paper cover does not stand up well to repeated handling, kind of like the LP covers of yesteryear, the printed edges soon wear off due to oils from the skin, and handling. Also, on some digipacks the CD is encased in a cardboard slip cover; the wood fibers from these cardboard slipcovers will scratch a CD in no time! The solution? If you have access to a computor, a scanner, and a printer, you can create a custom Jewel case upgrade for your digipack CD's.( You may use a thick plain paper, but for best results, use a semi glossy photo grade paper.) Step 1. Scan the CD back panel, front panel, end panel (edge), and if your booklet will not fit into a jewel case, scan it to your harddrive as well. Touch these up (if required ). Step 2. Open up a CD jewel case software, such as Mediaface II by Fellowes / Neato (excellent software!). Select either "US CD Jewel Case Booklet (2 panels) (USJCBook.NTT)" or "US CD Jewel Case Tray Liners (3 panels) (USJC Tray.NTT)" as the style type. You simply right click on a panel, select which picture you want, and click o.k. Then you can click on the toolbar tab "picture", click on "fit to label", and click o.k. Repeat last step for each panel. Print your new CD booklet, front cover, and tray liner, and insert them into a jewel case. Your CD will now never wear out due to handling! And the cardboard slip cover will never again damage your CD collection. You should probably save the empty slip cover for posterity, or in case you should decide to sell the CD. If the CD in question is a double, triple, or box set item, you can follow the same steps, but the jewel cases are very hard to come by. I have purchased some on e-bay, used, but servicable. Now, one further explanation on CD booklets: if your booklet did not fit a jewel case, you have already scanned the booklet onto your hard drive, right? Useing the 2 panel CD booklet style type again, print the booklet cover on the right side, and the CD inside back of booklet on the left side (click "picture, fit to label") print, and observe the paper as it comes out of your printer. Make a note which side of the printer paper is "up", i.e. the left or right side. Take the printed paper, turn it over blank side up, making sure that the "top" of the printed side of the new page will face the same way as the last page. Select your new picture to print, i.e. "inside 1", "inside 2", etc. (select "picture, fit to label"), and print. you will now have a booklet page, printed on both sides. Repeat as necessary to reproduce the original booklet. when finished, trim pages, crease and fold each in the middle, align in order, top facing up (album cover) and, using a stapler that has been opened at the hinge, tack a staple at the center crease of booklet at either end, 1" from the edge. Gently pull booklet up and secure staples (bend prongs over by hand). Your new booklet should look very much like the original, only it will now fit a jewel case. The back CD cover, tray liner is basically the same as the front cover, the exception being the end panels, edges. When you select the picture (select "picture, fit to label"), make sure that the top of the letters on the end panels face the right. On a box set, the end panels may not be present to scan. in which case, I have made one from scratch. I used a different end panel (from another album / artist), and I blacked it out and saved it as "End panel Template 1" (.jpg), using Arcsoft Photo Studio 2000.  Then, I opened it back up , and using it as a background, I inserted letters in white for the band's name, saved it as "Band's Name.jpg", I then did the same with the album name and saved it as "Album name.jpg". I cropped both to just around the white letters. I also, made a similar file for the scanned album label "Label.jpg", and other info. such as scanned album number "Album info.jpg"  ( I got the album label and number info from the scanned back panel, I cropped the symbol and info, and saved them as above). Then I switched over to Microsoft Picture It! Photo Premium 9 I opened my "end panel template.jpg" and inserted the "album label.jpg" at the bottom, rotated it to face the right way, and resized it to fit, aligning the top to the right and I saved my progress. I then inserted the "album info.jpg" and resized it to fit, and rotated it to face the right way, placed it at the top of the end panel, and saved my progress.  I then inserted the group name, resized it and rotated it to fit the right way, and inserted the album name, resized it and rotated it to fit the right way, I then readjusted the group name and album name to have equal spaceing between them and the the album info / album label items and I saved the new end panel. (See Photo above; "Physical Graffiti End.jpg"). I hope that you have found this guide to be helpful, thank you for viewing it!