How to make a jewel case insert for your CD
Burn by Zaweba makes a CD front insert and a back insert with spines for a jewel case, as an A4 PDF with crop marks, track list included.
After burning an audio CD, accept the offer of labels and covers, or open Tools > Labels and covers at any time. Burn by Zaweba makes both parts of a jewel case insert: a front insert for the lid and a back insert with spines for behind the tray. They come as an A4 PDF with crop marks, with your CD's track list filled in.
A home-made CD in a blank case looks unfinished and is hard to find on a shelf. Two printed cards fix both problems.
The two parts of a jewel case insert
A standard jewel case takes two pieces of card. The front insert is a square that slides under the clips in the lid, like an album cover. The back insert sits under the clear tray that holds the disc, and its two edges fold up to form the spines, so the title can be read when the case stands among others.
Burn makes both, laid out on A4 with crop marks showing where to cut and where the spines fold.
Filling in the details
When you make covers straight after an audio CD, the track list comes from the disc you just burned. The names are the same ones you set on the Audio CD page, whether they came from your music files' tags or you typed them in as CD-Text. If the names need tidying, the best moment is before burning, so the disc's CD-Text and the printed list agree.
The same tool makes a round disc label at 118 mm with a 41 mm hub, and a DVD case cover, if you want a matching set.
Fitting the insert neatly
Print at actual size, not shrunk to fit, or the cards will be too small to sit snugly. Cut along the crop marks with a craft knife and a ruler. For the back insert, score the spine lines lightly with the back of the knife before folding, so the fold is crisp and straight. Slightly heavier paper than everyday office paper holds its shape better in the case.
Then open the case, slide the front insert under the lid clips, unclip the tray, lay the back insert in with the spines folded up, and clip the tray back.
Keep the PDF with your music files or your backup set. If a case cracks or an insert gets worn, you can print a fresh one in a minute without remaking anything, and a matching set of cases on a shelf is much easier to browse than a stack of plain ones.
Going further with Labels by Zaweba
If you'd like to design the insert yourself, with your own photo or a different layout, and Labels by Zaweba is installed, choose Open in Labels by Zaweba. Burn writes .ozl designs, a round 118 mm label and a 120 mm insert, to Documents\Burn covers. It opens the disc label in Labels, and the front insert design sits beside it ready to open next.
A finished case with a proper insert makes a home-made CD a much nicer present, and easier to spot in the car's door pocket. All of it is free and works offline with Burn by Zaweba.
