# Do CD-Rs have a 'write' side?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cd-rs-have-a-write-side/55379>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 21, 2001, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cd-rs-have-a-write-side/55379 "2001-02-21T22:27:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![keno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f9ae1b/32.png) [@keno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keno)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2001, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cd-rs-have-a-write-side/55379/1 "2001-02-21T22:27:44Z")

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I just received a CD-writer, with a pack of blank CDs for writing. Both sides of the CD-Rs look the same, i.e., doesn’t appear to be a right side for writing. Is this correct? If so, what’s the nature of the manufacturing process that it makes sense to “give away” two sides of recordable medium, when only one side is needed?

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2001, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cd-rs-have-a-write-side/55379/2 "2001-02-21T23:13:41Z")

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For unknown reasons, some CD-R drives ship with one or more ultra-cheepie CD-R blank media which don’t even have anything printed on the label side. Nevertheless you can’t record on both sides, and you’ll be lucky to see much success burning either side. Do yourself a favor and pick up a stack of 50 Verbatim, Sony, Memorex, or other comparable name brand CDs.

(The recordable side of your unbranded generic CDs is probably bluish in tint and the other side plain silver).