Making cover art for cd case?

So i am in a band and we are recording our demo CD very soon. I have some experience using photoshop so I am going to create the art for the cd. We are going to use a standard CD case but i was wondering the specific dimensions and pixels per inch to do a proper image. Also if i should use RGB mode or CMYK mode.





Also! I was thinking once the image is fully complete i could just take it to staples and get it printed a couple hundred times. ? Would that be the best way?





Thank you for all the help!!!Making cover art for cd case?
For most fast print application, such as running it off of your desktop printer, or taking it to a local copyshop, it does not matter whether you create in RGB or CMYK mode. The printer drivers will automatically convert the file to run on the printer.





Later, if your album goes HUGE, then, to make runs in the tens of thousands of copies or more, it will be run on printing presses. For this application, the file with have to be, either, created in CMYK or converted to that mode.





In your case, the only real advantage to one mode or the other is that the RGB file will be smaller.





As far as dimensions, you can't go wrong designing to the final dimensions, and working with a MINIMUM of 300 ppi. You CAN work in a larger size, if you want, but remember, the very fine detail you see in the larger image may disappear when it is reduced. Also keep in mind that if you work an image at twice the final size of the finished CD cover, when you reduce the dimensions, you will double the ppi.





Where you take it doesn't really matter all that much, unless you have a way of comparing the quality of one shop's work with another. Essentially, all of the quick print service bureaus use the same kinds of equipment.





It WILL probably be cheaper to have it done at a Staples, or FedEx/Kinko's type of shop rather than printing them at home to make around 500 copies. You can't quite get two cover sets, (front and back) on a single sheet of standard copy paper. A print shop can use larger inkjet plotters to run off several covers on single sheet, and trim them off to the proper dimensions.





Remember, those who get music demos are not all that concerned about the quality of the cover. (although a professional looking design can help attract attention) It is the music inside that determines if a record company wants to sign a band. When the company releases an album, it will have a cover THEY design with their artists.Making cover art for cd case?
i know how to answer your RGB question.





in photoshop, cd covers look really great if you grayscale the picture and then convert it back to RGB and play with the hue to get a duotone. duotones look really nice on CD covers. if that's not what your looking for, im sorry.