Open CD Cover I: Cardboard CD/DVD Case

A card CD case for home or industrial production. By Zero-waste Design.
Creative Commons ShareAlike-Atrribution license 2.5 applies.

A template is provided to aid construction and artwork design.

Step 1: Cut, Score and Fold the Template

Once you've added your own artwork, print onto A3 card, preferably 280 gsm. Here I just printed the template onto paper to demonstrate construction. Score all folds carefully with a blunt instrument. A double scored line for folds that will have to go back 180 degrees on themselves is recommended.

Step 2: Glue Down Tabs

As per the template, glue the tabs back on themselves. These are just spacers to make space edpth-wise for the Cd when it is slid in. They also hold it in place to a certain extent.

Step 3: Gluing Too.

You then have to glue the backs of the tabs that you just glued down. Turn the whole piece over and fold back the end with the tabs. They are fixed in the centre of the net, making a parellelogram-shaped loop. Press down thoroughly and allow to dry.

Step 4: Gluing Again

Finally, glue the other end back on itself as shown. This feature adds stiffness and means that you only have to print on one side of the card.

Step 5: Leave to Dry

This is where Kreyszig comes in handy. I used it as a weight and leave it on top of the constructed CD cover so the glue dries nice and tight. I would leave it for several hours or overnight.

Step 6: The End

This is what you get. From the front, closed, it looks like the first picture.

Second picture:
When you open the front like a book, the back changes shape to reveal the CD inserted in the slot. I write the tracklistings on the right-hand panel which appears on the back of the cover when closed, and next to the CD when open, as shown here.

The third picture shows how the CD slides in and out.

The fourth picture shows a variation I did for a double CD compilation - I made an extra slot and changed the glueing pattern accordingly in step 4 to accomodate another CD beneath the first.

Comments

[fyddg]

Cool

[IGTB]

You can open a pdf file in The Gimp too. Great project here. I plan on using these to cut my costs down on a limited mailing project for some promotional CD's and this case will offer a brochure / CD Promo Case All in One. Thanks IGTB

[Mr.Grinch]

what is this???? I see a cardboard box with a CD in it, does it hold CD's, give them covers??? this is interesting, but i need to know what it does...

[daveanton]

i really think the Pictures Shown do not do Justice. It's basically a Cardboard CD Case; but when you slide the CD out, it morphs into an unusual 3-dimensional CD CASE which you can peruse for Track Listings , Credits, etc just like you would read any other CD case...ecept this one is cooler and definitely different. And when you're trying to get a Radio Station or the Like to notice your CD, this HELPS!! Hope I didn't sound over-simplistic, but I myself wasn't exactly sure what id did at first, either.

[GrinnDaddy]

Congrats! This Instructable was featured on grinn.net as one of our favorite Instructables on making your own CD sleeves.

[Ben.land101]

i am not trying to be mean but what the heck is that???

[royshearer]

Its a design for a CD case/cover (i never know which word to use)
Step 6 shows some photos of it being used.

Specifically, the cover shown was for a limited edition mix I did.

There are more (perhaps more descriptive) pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/royshearer/tags/cdcase/

[Mr.Grinch]

ooooh, okay, i haven't been online in a while, but okay.

[LinuxH4x0r]

You can edit pdf in fedora core (linux). Interesting Instructable. THE BOX SAID "VISTA OR BETTER" SO I INSTALLED LINUX!!!

[whiteoakart]

Great Stuff!

[sumguysr]

foxit reader is freeware that allows basic pdf editing

[spinach_dip]

Is Nice, but i have a question, how can i print this in real size (with a normal printer)?

[capricorn]

Nice ^_

My only doubt is taht being it a pdf you cannot work on it to put some art, like a drwing or a foto, let aside text

wouldn't you happen to have taht in another format?

[NonPermissiveEnvironment]

Why not print screen and use paint or PS or whatever you like?

[3Vfedb9vG8]

If you used Ubuntu Linux, then you could easily open it up for editing. Maybe I can convert it to .doc format for you... Hold on I have to go to my other computer.

[3Vfedb9vG8]

Oops sorry. Turns out you can only MAKE .pdfs you can't edit them.

[Sysreq]

If you have adobe photoshop, you can open a pdf file up and then add your own images. just a thought

[royshearer]

Yeah that pdf is really just a guide. I recommend you just trace the outlines to a new file and then add your artwork.

[royshearer]

Yeah, I think its that renowned Glasgow afternoon light!

[bluelion]

My Kreyszig is much darker than yours or is this a side-effect of your lighting (seventh edition here too, it's right in front of my in my bookshelf)