Question: Why do you discourage putting labels on CD-Rs?

Answer: The two main problems with labels on CDs are:

You may imbalance the disc which can cause tracking errors or drive problems.

The adhesive may contain chemical solvents which may become absorbed into the dye layer of the CD-R.

Note: If you will be using any adhesive labels or stickers, some precautions should be taken:

Labels must be perfectly adhered to the disc surface. Any bubbling or creasing will imbalance the disc which can cause tracking errors or noisy spin-ups. Never attempt to remove an adhered label. This can damage the protective layer or the reflective layer, causing permanent damage to the disc. In addition, as with writing pens, ensure your label's adhesive does not contain any chemical solvents that can become absorbed into the dye layer.