Frequently asked questions

Pricing

Availability

Design

Shipping

Custom

Gift Certificates

Products

Mailing List

Quality

Returns

Uses

Miscellaneous

Q	Do you offer volume pricing discounts?
A	Yes. Please email us at orders or call 773.862.0291.

Q	The design I want is out of stock.
A	If you select a design or product that is "sold out" you can still place an order for it. We will notify you by email when the product comes in, and usually it only takes one to two weeks, in some cases even less. Backorders happen when a particular design sells faster than we anticipated.

Q	Who does the designs for 5inch?
A	All designs are done by the designers from our sister company, Segura Inc in Chicago. They include Carlos Segura, Tnop, Chris May, Dave Weik, Paul Maeda, Beatte Obermueller, Ryan Halverson, Ibrahem Hasan, Rex Advincula, Red Rabit, among others.

Q	Where can I find out the shipping prices?
A	Shipping is inexpensive at 5inch, since all shipping prices reflect our costs. Please use the order pages to determine exact shipping prices -- simply fill your shopping cart with the items you wish to buy, and proceed with checking out. After entering your credit card details, you will be given shipping options.
Q	Can I use FedEx for a PO box or APO address?
A	We're sorry, but FedEx will not deliver to PO Boxes or APO addresses, since the PO Box can't sign for the package. We verify each address ourselves to make sure that you haven't used a PO box. Please use a FedEx-able mailing address for when placing your order.
Q	How long will it take my USA order to arrive?
A	We pride ourselves on shipping all orders placed before 2:00 PM CT, Monday-Friday the same day! Please remember that we are closed on weekends, so orders placed on Fridays are shipped on Monday (the next business day). UPS 2nd Day Air shipping is now standard for most USA orders for a very low price.
Q	How long will it take for my international order to arrive?
A	CANADIAN orders usually arrive in 3-5 days. EUROPEAN orders take 3-6 days, and SOUTH AMERICAN, ASIAN, and AFRICAN orders can take 4-7 days.
Q	What shipping options are available?
A	We offer 4 shipping services through FedEx within the US: Ground, 3-Day Select, 2nd Day Air, and Next Day Air. We do not offer weekend delivery. Orders placed by 2:00 pm, EST will be shipped the same business day. Remember that an order placed after 2:00 pm will not be shipped until the next business day. For example, your Next Day Air delivery will arrive 2 business days after your order is placed. We currently offer international shipping only through your FedEx account. Please let us know your FedEx account number when placing your order.
Q	Sales Tax.
A	We ship from Illinois. All orders delivered to an Illinois address will be charged 9% sales tax.

Q	How can I get a custom disc for me?
A	If you want a custom design for you or your company, our sister company Segura Inc can supply you with an estimate. To see some examples we've done for other companies, visit the 5inch Custom Designs page.
Q	Can I have a custom CDR made from my own design?
A	Yes. We will send you (or you can download it from the site) a template in Adobe Illustrator (mac). Turn around time is approximately around two weeks. Shipping costs are additional (and it ranges on where you live and how fast you want the product). To see prices and more information, visit 5inch Custom Orders

Q	How do electronic gift certificates work?
A	When you order an electronic gift certificate for someone, we will send the recipient an email with the gift certificate. The recipient can then click on the gift certificate in the email to be taken to the 5inch website. When the recipient places an order, the order total will be automatically subtracted from the gift certificate total. View a sample email
Q	How do physical gift certificates work?
A	When you order a physical gift certificate, we will send it to you in the mail. Each gift certificate has a unique number printed on the front. During checkout on the website, the gift certificate recipient will be asked to enter the gift certificate number. After entering the number, the recipient's order total will be automatically subtracted from the gift certificate total.
Q	What if my order total is more than the total of the gift certificate?
A	If the recipient's order total exceeds the total of the gift certificate, he or she will have to pay for the remainder of the order total with a credit card.
Q	What if my order total is less than the total of the gift certificate?
A	If the recipient's order total is less than the total of the gift certificate, the gift certificate will retain any unused balance and can be used for future orders.
Q	Are the gift certificates refundable?
A	No, all gift certificates are non-refundable.
Q	Do gift certificates expire?
A	No.
Q	How do I order gift certificates?
A	Click the Gift Certificates link at the bottom of any page. You will have your choice of electronic (email-only) certificates or physical (via mail) certificates. Simply add the gift certificate(s) to your shopping cart like any other product.

Q	Why does my burned CD not play on my player?
A	Many disc failures are caused by mishandled discs. To ensure the best recording and playback quality, keep your discs dust, fingerprint and scratch-free before and after recording. Be sure that you verify that the playback devices you intend to use are compatible with CD-R media. For best results, burn audio CD's at 4x, even if your burner supports faster burns. Always confirm that your burn speed is compatible with your media. DVD players and some car CD players, especially multi-disc changers will not play CD-R discs. Some burners/writers do not like certain brands of media. This is a fact. There is industry standards for CDR media manufacturing but unfortunately there is NO industry standards for CD Burner/writer manufacturing. A good example is we have a customer who has a SONY writer which writes on any CDR media but not SONY brand.
Q	80 minute media issues.
A	80 minute media has a track pitch (the space between the "grooves" of the spiral recording track) which is more narrow than the track pitch of 74 minute media. Because of this, 80 minute media has a lower recorder and player compatibility rating. Some recorders and players simply will not handle 80 minute media. We therefore STRONGLY recommend that you test a small quantity of this media for compatibility with your type of recorder and players prior to ordering a large quantity of it. We only recommend ordering 80 minute media if you absolutely cannot use 74 minute media. The difference in hardware compatibility (between the two different types of media) is dramatic.
Q	Media rejects.
A	Certain types of playback devices reject almost every brand of CD-R media. These devices include DVD players, and some car CD players (especially multi-disc changers). We suggest that before placing an order for CD-R media, if you intend to record discs for playback on these types of devices, you first verify that they accept CD-R discs. This will save you the hassle and expense of purchasing CD-R media in bulk if your intended players can't use it.
Q	How to burn "black" CDR's
A	Our "black" CDR must be burned with the black side down. The "silver" side is actually the top.
Q	DVD Recordable Discs Overview
A	Both write-once and re-writable DVD discs have been developed and all are now available on the market. There are four different formats all with a capacity of 4.7GB per side: (1) DVD-R (write-once) (2) DVD-RAM (re-writable) (3) DVD-RW (re-writable) and (4) DVD+RW (re-writable). The first three formats are official DVD Forum formats but the last has been developed by members of the DVD Forum but has not been officially adopted. Both recorders and discs for these formats are now available and include PC drives, video recorders and camcorders. More hardware will be available soon and prices are expected to continue to fall. Compatibility is an issue as not all formats will play on existing DVD players and DVD-ROM drives.
Q	DVD-R (Write-Once)
A	DVD-R, like the CD-R, offers write-once recording and has a capacity of 4.7GB per side. There are two types of DVD-R disc ver 2.0 both with a capacity of 4.7GB. (1) General purpose discs are intended for use by consumers but do not allow any data to be written to the lead-in area. This means that, for example, CSS copy protection cannot be used, but provision is made for adding CPRM copy protection. (2) Authoring use discs which are intended to be used by authoring studios to test titles and also as media for glass mastering. The two diferent types require two different recorders and media. One recorder can only write one type of media. DVD-R is compatible with DVD-ROM, DVD-Video and DVD-Audio so that recorded DVD-R discs can be read on any suitable DVD hardware, depending on the format of the data contained on the DVD-R. However discs cannot use CSS copy protection. Also DVD-9 discs cannot be written to DVD-R. DVD-R discs allow incremental writing (cf CD-R multisession writing). Two types of incremental writing are defined: (1) Type 1 allows DVD-R discs to be read by an ISO 9660 system, and uses the UDF Bridge file system. (2) Type 2 is for drag and drop file transfer and uses UDF without ISO 9660. For both types each section of data written to the disc is a Bordered Area and is followed by the Border Out and Border In which precedes the next Bordered Area (if any). Each Bordered Area begins with the UDF file system and ends with the Virtual Allocation Table (VAT). DVD-R discs and recorders are available and prices have been dropping to consumer price levels. Combination drives are now available which write DVD-RW, CD-R and CD-RW discs as well as DVD-R.
Q	DVD-RAM & DVD-RW (Re-Writable)
A	DVD-RAM and DVD-RW are re-writable disc formats both with a capacity of 4.7GB per side. DVD-RAM DVD-RAM discs use land/groove recording and Zoned CLV (ZCLV) method instead of CLV, where the angular velocity continuously changes.  Within each zone the data is written/read using the CAV method, the angular velocity changing from zone to zone to maintain a constant average linear velocity.  The data is written on both land and groove, the address information being moulded into the disc as pits. The current specification (version 2.1) is for 4.7GB or 9.4GB (double sided) capacity media (12 cm) which offer over 100,000 recording cycles and a 30-year life or more. Copy protection has been added with CPRM. DVD-RW DVD-RW discs use groove recording offering a 4.7GB capacity per side and does not need a cartridge. It offers advantages over tape in life (videotape life is only 15 to 20 years) and the ability to edit home movies. DVD-RW discs are designed to be compatible with existing players and drives. Discs are recordable over 1,000 times and they have the same optical properties as a DVD-9 disc. DVD-RW discs can be used for videotape replacement, video authoring and desktop PC backup. Consumer applications include video recording and home authoring.  DVD-RW discs also offer CPRM copy protection and can include BCA serialisation.
Q	DVD+RW
A	Another re-writable format, DVD+RW, was developed and proposed by Hewlett-Packard, Philips, and Sony with the support of Verbatim, Ricoh and Yamaha. Philips and Sony are also members of the DVD Forum but believe that DVD+RW is more compatible with existing DVD-ROM drives than DVD-RAM. DVD+RW discs have a capacity of 3GB and do not need a cartridge. Features of DVD+RW are claimed to be: (1) Compatible with DVD-ROM drives (2) No need for cartridge/caddy (3) 4.7GB capacity (4) Choice of CAV for high performance data storage applications and CLV for video recording (5) Backed by industry leaders in CD-RW DVD+RW is now available but is not supported by the DVD Forum.
Q	What does DVD mean?
A	The keyword is "versatile." Digital Versatile discs provide superb video, audio and data storage and access -- all on one disc.
Q	Can I play CDs on my DVD player?
A	Most DVD hardware will play audio CDs and CD-ROMs. The physical dimensions are identical to compact discs. But you should check with your DVD brand's dealer to confirm compatibility with CDs.
Q	DVD format definitions.
A	DVD VIDEO For viewing movies and other visual entertainment. The total capacity is 17 gigabytes if two layers on both sides of the disk are utilized. DVD-ROM Its basic technology is the same as DVD Video, but it also includes computer-friendly file formats. It is used to store data. This product should supplant conventional CD-ROMs in the near future. DVD-R Its capacity is 4.7 gigabytes. Originally designed for professional authoring, a version for general consumer use is now under development. As with CD-R, users can write only once to this disk. DVD-RAM This makes DVD a virtual hard disk, with a random read-write access. Originally a 2.6-gigabyte drive, its capacity has increased to 4.7-gigabyte-per-side. It can be re-written more than 100,000 times. DVD-RW Similar to DVD-RAM except that its technology features a sequential read-write access more like a phonograph than a hard disk. Its read-write capacity is 4.7 gigabytes per side. It can be re-written up to about 1,000 times. DVD AUDIO The latest audio format more than doubles the fidelity of a standard CD. It is expected to become the most popular audio disk.
Q	What's the storage capacity of DVD?
A	A 4.7 gig DVD can store 120 minutes of video on one layer of the disc.
Q	Apple's iDVD issues
A	The iDVD authoring program shipped with Apple's SuperDrive equipped Power Macs, iMacs and eMacs do not support any external drives due to a "external device block" related to an MPEG licensing issue.

Q	Privacy
A	We will not resell or distribute your information to anyone. Your information will be used solely to provide you with quality customer service and occasional announcements about 5inch.com and its sister company, T26. If you would like to be removed from the list, please contact us at 5inch. Visit Segura Inc and CarType If you'd like to get on the mailing lists.

Q	What is the quality of your blank media?
A	We take care to sell only the best quality products to you. We use a variety of manufacturers but Taiyo Yuden is the Japanese manufacturer for SONY and is the leader of the CDR industry. They provided the reference CDR disc for the "Orange Book" - industry standards for CDR media. We cannot provide refunds or exchanges on any blank media.

Q	Wearables returns.
A	Returns will be accepted on wearables if the product is defective. Exchanges for a different size of the same product will also be accepted if the customer pays for the additional shipping costs. and the product has not been worn or damaged.
Q	Disc returns.
A	There are no returns on any media.

Q	Recommended uses.
A	There are a variety of uses for blank CDR's. The most common is backing up your data, like animation, print, sound, photo disc, video and web. You can create your own audio CD's or simply use them as a delivery vehicle of files to your clients, friends and family.
Q	How much can I store on a CD?
A	650 mb CD's equals 74 minutes of digital audio, which is the equvalent of 450 floppy disks. 700 mb CD's equal 80 minutes of digital audio. 50 mb CD's equals to 21 minutes of digital audio.
Q	Do the 3" and card cd's work on any player and burner?
A	You need to use a "tray" loader burner and player (which hold the cd in place). The "slot" loader players and burners can not hold the disc in place.
Q	How Safe is High-Speed CD-Audio Recording?
A	In CD recording, there is news aplenty, and it's all good. With today's 12X recorders, you can record a full audio disc in about six minutes. Compare that to the 78 minutes that it takes to record the same disc at 1X, and you can see why recorder manufacturers are scrambling to keep up in the "X" race. But bad news may loom as well, because some people question whether advanced recording speeds might have an adverse effect on the underlying data, the longevity of the disc, and its playability across multiple brands of CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives and consumer audio and DVD players. Today, our audio discs must play on more than an audio player. CD-ROM drives, CD recorders, DVD-ROM drives, CD-Audio players and changers, portable audio players, car audio players and changers, and DVD-ROM video devices all must be able to play back the data without a hitch, or else we consider the disc to be "bad." Whether a disc sounds good, its longevity, and its playback compatibility over a wide range of CD-capable devices is largely dependent on error rates. All discs have errors on them. Luckily, most of these errors are corrected in playback. Physical error rates like Block Error Rate (BLER) can measure the quality of a disc. The final quality assurance in an audio disc is, of course, the listener's own ear. As drive speeds rise--12X being the current state of the art--some wonder whether these faster recording speeds can accurately duplicate the source material without introducing artifacts that will spoil the listening experience. On the one hand, you can say that bits are bits and if they match, then there should be no difference in sound quality. On the other hand, some might argue that higher speeds might mean higher error rates overall, and the higher the error rate of a disc, the more likely it is that playback will reflect the errors, or that the longevity or interoperability of the CD will be compromised. Do higher recording speeds result in more disc errors? They might, all things considered. Remember that disc error rates are dependent on the physical condition of the disc, and that physical condition is based on many factors--one of the most important of them being pit geometry. But the fact remains: if you're interested in audio recording, and you want to know your sound is safe, you'd be well-advised to acquire at least some basic sense of what to expect from the discs you record, and what it means when a good disc goes bad. You'll also have a clearer understanding of whether your disc-burning disappointments likely stem from faulty source discs or are endemic to the recording products or elements of the process, up to and including the speed at which you record sound. by Robert A. Starrett (May 2000) visit http://www.cdpage.com for more info
Q	Multisession CDR precautions
A	Apple's Disc Burner can not create multisession discs. It produces discs formatted in the hybrid HFS+/ISO 9660 format that both Macs and PCscan read, in the ISO format (used for writing MP3 files to disc), and in the Red Book audio-CD format. Disc Burner can write to these doscs once and only once. With the help of James Sentman's $17 CD Session Burner (www.sentman.com/burner). a MAC running OS X 10.1.4 or later, and a Disc Burner compatible CD burner, you can create multisession CDs in HFS+ format. Each session will appear as a separate volume on your MAC's desktop. PCs can't read discs produced by CD Session Burner. Roxio's $90 Toast Titanium (www.roxio.com), can create a variety of multisession discs, including those in HFS+, HFS+/ISO 9660, and ISO 9660. On a MAC, sessions on discs formatted as HFS+ or HFS+/ISO appear as separate volumes. A multisession disc formatted as ISO 9660 appears as a single volume containing folders that represent each session. Both HFS+/ISO 9660 and ISO 9660 multisession discs appear as a single volume on a PC. (source - MacWorld - 10/2)

Q	Placing an order.
A	You may place your order online using our secure server which uses SSL technology to encrypt your order and safeguard your information. If your browser does not support SSL (Secure Socket Layers) or if you prefer to purchase by another means, call us at 773.862.0291, Monday through Friday 9 am - 5 pm CT.
Q	Credit Cards.
A	We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Q	Debit Cards.
A	Sorry, we cannot accept payment using debit cards.
Q	Credit Card fraud.
A	We vigorously work with law enforcement authorities to investigate and prosecute the fraudulent use of credit cards. If someone uses a stolen (or otherwise fraudulent) credit card at this site, they are STEALING. We verify all addresses with VISA, MasterCard, and American Express.