Plastic Sleeves for CD's

[T. D.]

I've converted all of my jazz CDs, which generally have minimal booklets, to "Jazz Loft"-style sleeves. The 4:1 claim is accurate for these when tightly compressed, probably fractionally higher.
I'm only beginning to switch classical CDs. As a worst case so far, the Weinberg SQ discs on cpo, which have massive booklets, look to fall well short of a 3:1 ratio.

[J]

The nightmare scenario, I suppose, is making the conversion (which in my case would amount to about 3400 CD's), dumping the old jewel boxes (which keeping around would defeat one's whole purpose), and then down the road for whatever reason radically regretting the decision.  Wonder if that ever happens.  In practical terms, there's no turning back with this once decided and followed through on, right?  But then that's no different from many life decisions much more momentous. 

Besides the space saving primary motivation, and congruent with
it, goes my wish to have my CD's hidden away in the drawers I've reserved for them once the switch is accomplished.
I decided long ago I dislike the aesthetics of jewel box display, so uniform in their appearance when all in a row (unlike books, with their differing heights, thicknesses, spine lettering, and jacket/cover designs).  Even notwithstanding the occasional box set variation, the whole ensemble just looks so monochrome and manufactured, whereas books stand out as more individually unique when lined up beside one another, and far more attractive together because of that.

My idea now is to get a thousand of the jazz-loft style sleeves, do a partial conversion in my case (keeping the old jewel boxes for a time) and see what I think. Doing just 50 or some other small number would seem too few to make a judgment.

[T. D.]

I blithely ignore such considerations.
I'm soon to turn 63, and truth be told, in the long (or not so long...) run my collection will almost certainly wind up in a dumpster. It's becoming increasingly difficult and effort-intensive to monetize a significant volume of CDs. Few if any local public libraries accept them. Currently liquidating my father's possessions before he goes to a care home, and wound up happily giving his CDs (aside from those I cherry-picked) away.

[J]

I blithely ignore such considerations.
I'm soon to turn 63, and truth be told, in the long (or not so long...) run my collection will almost certainly wind up in a dumpster. It's becoming increasingly difficult and effort-intensive to monetize a significant volume of CDs. Few if any local public libraries accept them. Currently liquidating my father's possessions before he goes to a care home, and wound up happily giving his CDs (aside from those I cherry-picked) away.

I'm hardly younger, and remember in the years before my own father's passing (1999) him frequently musing what might become of his few thousand LP collection when he was gone, and me saying of course I would keep and cherish it, if only as a family heirloom since by then both of us played only CD's.  As it so happened though, when I was faced with closing down house after he died, and needing to disperse a large number of his possessions, those LP's went quickly to the first collector who offered to take the whole kaboodle for no more than a song, - and what a relief it was they were gone.

I suspect my own collection faces a similar fate, and the plastic sleeve conversion will make it considerably more efficient for my daughters to carry through when that time comes.

Everything in a dumpster, however, is still too harsh for me to ponder.

[arpeggio]

The Space Savings Sleeves appear to be as good as the DiscSox   

[greg]

I gotta figure out how to package my upcoming albums...

going to go with digipak (a very specific type), but I wish there existed a CD case-sized steelbook that were cheaper/easier to print. They are by far the most superior form of casing.

Jewel cases look like trash and digipaks are made of cardboard so they are susceptible to all sorts of cosmetic damage. Steelbooks are neither, plus they provide more protection for the CD itself which others do not.

Such a shame.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

One thought:  are those plastic cases recyclable?  And what about those new sleeves?  Has anyone checked into these things?

PD

[prémont]

Brian and others here who have a 2-deep shelving system:  Do you find it hard to access the CDs behind?  Are you more likely NOT to listen to things that are in the back row due to the hassle of getting to them?  Or forget what you have back there?  Just curious.

PD

i use a similar 2-deep shelving system, and it's difficult indeed to reach the CDs in the back row and difficult to recall exactly where they are. Generally I use jewel cases for 4 or 2 CDs, thereby saving 50% space, but the drawback is, that there is no room for the booklets, which must be kept on other shelves. For that reason I only keep the most vital part of the booklets.

[J]

Question about the jazz-loft style sleeves:

Are their dimensions identical to a standard jewel box (apart from them being thinner, of course)?

Could I lay one on top of a jewel  box and their edges correspond perfectly?

[T. D.]

Question about the jazz-loft style sleeves:

Are their dimensions identical to a standard jewel box (apart from them being thinner, of course)?

Could I lay one on top of a jewel  box and their edges correspond perfectly?

Not quite. Jewel box about 14.1cm wide x 12.4cm high, sleeves about 13.8cm wide x 13.2cm high.
I don't claim these measurements are precise, but definitely no exact correspondence.
Sleeve measured with disc, (thin) booklet and tray card inserted. In my experience, the right side with disc and tray card inserted winds up wider than the left side, though an empty sleeve is symmetric.

[J]

After a lot of vacillating, an impending move has finally compelled me to make the transition from jewel boxes to the "space saving sleeve" product, which I've now completed for one thousand discs.  Love the results so far, but one micro-decision I've made has me now just a bit concerned, - which is that for 2 & 3 disc sets I've chosen to put the CD's together and touching one another on top of the back notes, and wondering if stored that way for a long period they might be damaged from the contact?

Any thoughts on this from anyone, or suggestions of an alternative beyond keeping the 2 and 3 disc sets in the original packaging? 

[dhibbard]

I have the same system and threw away most of the jewel cases..  the 2cd sets I put one CD in the booklet (not in the staples section) and the other CD somewhere else in the booklet.   I tend to keep the 3CD jewel cases... as I don't have maybe a handful of them... too much trouble.   I store them in the plastic CD boxes I found on amazon.  works great.

[Atriod]

I like the protection jewel cases and super jewel cases offer, plus being able to read the spines to find something quickly.

If anyone in the New England area is selling a Boltz or Billy Bags CD rack message me! I am in need of more expansion

[vers la flamme]

I had to do this to move all my stuff from my old place in Georgia to a tiny apartment in New York. Took forever, and I was sad to ditch all the jewel cases, but it worked.

[Spotted Horses]

I ditched the jewel cases and simply put the CD within the pages of the booklet. Then I line them up in plastic totes. The CDs are ripped, the booklets are scanned, so I never expect to look at them again, but in this form they are compact enough that I am willing to keep them stacked in the garage in case the unthinkable happens.

[J]

I ditched the jewel cases and simply put the CD within the pages of the booklet. Then I line them up in plastic totes. The CDs are ripped, the booklets are scanned, so I never expect to look at them again, but in this form they are compact enough that I am willing to keep them stacked in the garage in case the unthinkable happens.

Your way is the cheapest option, certainly.

By the time my project is complete I expect the plastic sleeve expense to be nearing $1000.

[J]

Anyone have a use for thousands of unwanted CD jewel boxes?

[Karl Henning]

I have the same system and threw away most of the jewel cases..  the 2cd sets I put one CD in the booklet (not in the staples section) and the other CD somewhere else in the booklet.  I tend to keep the 3CD jewel cases... as I don't have maybe a handful of them... too much trouble.  I store them in the plastic CD boxes I found on amazon.  works great.

Good solution!

[Karl Henning]

I ditched the jewel cases and simply put the CD within the pages of the booklet. Then I line them up in plastic totes. The CDs are ripped, the booklets are scanned, so I never expect to look at them again, but in this form they are compact enough that I am willing to keep them stacked in the garage in case the unthinkable happens.

YHM.

[Spotted Horses]

YHM.

YHM?