Compact Disc Formats
Compact discs exist in a multitude of formats derived from a combination of four underlining standards defined by a specific book color:
 | Red Book standard defines audio applications on compact disc |
| Yellow Book defines CD-ROM |
| Green Book defines CD-Interactive (CD-I) |
| Orange Book define CD-Recordable (CD-R) |
Each of the standards defines its own format while the combination of standards gives rise to others. This is the reason such peculiar technologies as Bridge Disc, Mixed-Mode, and CD-I Ready exist. The process of preparing formats to be recorded to disc is called pre-mastering.
Some of the unusual formats are difficult to manage, let alone duplicate, without insight into the structure of a compact disc. Most jobs, however, simply require CD-ROM (Mode 1), a process only slightly more involved than diskette duplication. When considering your CD project, remember, you may either choose to do your own pre-mastering or let us help you.