I got my hands on DYMO's DiscPrinter, and I'm totally loving it. The DYMO DiscPainter is an extremely compact printer that creates impressive images on DVDs and CDs. It's a dedicated disc printer so if you spend a lot of time burning DVDs and don't have time to create individual labels, this is the printer to own.

The DiscPainter weighs less than three pounds, and won't take up any space on your desk. It connects to your computer via USB, and includes easy-to-use software you'll need to install before taking on a project. I think I spent most of my time playing with the program which really gives you a handful of options to create the perfect custom CD.

In the software you'll find a series of tabs off to the left of a disc-shaped canvas. These tabs are paint, canvas, symbols, photo, grid, text, and print. What each does is pretty self-explanatory, but in my opinion, the three main tabs pertaining to the design process were "Paint," "Canvas," and "Photo" because this is where you determine what your disc's background will be. The other tabs (symbols, text) add the final touches to your overall design.

I chose to use personal photos to decorate my discs, but if you want something a lot edgier, you can choose from over 300 templates found in the canvas database. While the artwork included is rather hip, I think most people will end up using their own photos to personalize their discs.

Adding photos is extremely easy, and you can either add one or several if you choose the collage mode. When creating a collage, you'll have the option to further customize your arrangement by changing the number of photos you want to use, their orientation, and even the style. If you're feeling extra creative, you can also combine photos and art canvasses, which I thought was a neat option. And that's it, once you're done creating your custom design, you're ready to start printing.

Now this is where things can get tricky because you'll need to have the right type of discs. DYMO recommends glossy or water-resistant inkjet-printable discs for best results, and you also want to make sure they're hub-printable so your design prints closer to the center hole. One thing that really impressed me is that design covers the entire disc, which makes them look really professional.

The printer itself comes with three CDs, so you'll need to go out and buy a spool of inkjet-printable discs to get started. I found some really good deals at Microcenter, so you might want to check them out.

Each cartridge has enough ink to print up to 100 discs, but I'm sure this number depends on the printing quality and ink density setting you use. There are three print quality settings: draft, normal and best. The highest quality setting prints a disc at 1200 dpi in three minutes, while normal prints are done at 600 dpi.

The printer uses RadialPrint technology which prints the image on a disc starting at the center and then it moves outward. It's really neat to watch the discs being printed.

I'll have to say that the image quality could be better, but the end result is impressive nonetheless. I created some discs for friends and family, and they loved them, and keep asking me for more.

I did have some problems with the printer when I printed more than one disc. Not sure why, but it stalled a few times, and I had to restart it in order to print more discs. Overall, I've had a great experience with this little printer, and if they're weren't so expensive (they're selling for $279.95), I'd probably get one for everyone on my Christmas list.

You can see more hands-on photos here.