5 Free Cover Design Programs for CD and DVD Cases

Customize your CD and DVD cases with your own designs.

By
Mark Harris
Writer
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Mark Harris
Updated March 06, 2020

If you regularly burn digital music to CDs or DVDs, it’s good practice to index your compilations so you can easily find what you’re looking for. One of the best ways to do this is to use graphic design software for your compiled CDs and DVDs. You can use these programs to make customized case inserts and booklets that include song information. With some programs, you can also make designs for the discs themselves. This guide showcases free Windows software you can download to create your own customized designs.

A pile of optical discs.
The Real Tokyo Life / Getty Images

As CD and DVC burning has declined in popularity, free versions of cover design programs options are somewhat limited. Several of the programs listed here are no longer supported, although they are still available for download.

01
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Ronyasoft CD DVD Label Maker

What We Like

  • Labels for different size cases.

  • Thorough instructions and documentation.

What We Don't Like

  • Slight learning curve.

  • Limited options for customizing text.

Ronyasoft CD DVD Label Maker has a user-friendly interface with several templates to choose from. One interesting option listed in the templates section is to make paper cases. You can either choose paper sleeves or Origami paper cases—a great option if you want to give someone a CD or DVD that you've compiled. The program lets you import images using popular formats, including jpg, png, and BMP. Adding text is easy for listing the contents of your media. This is a simple program that produces impressive results.

Ronyasoft CD DVD Label Maker is compatible with Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.

02
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Thyante Software CDCoverCreator

What We Like

  • Lightweight and very fast.

  • Impressive web integration streamlines customization.

What We Don't Like

  • Imports limited to one image per label.

  • Limited options for editing images.

CDCoverCreator is a design and printing program specifically for CDs. It has a good range of options for creating data. If you intend on creating a data CD, then CDCoverCreator can automatically generate a list of files, negating the need to type them in by hand. A unique feature that isn’t normally included in cover design software is the album cover search option. If you have backed up your original purchased CD by either making an audio CD or by ripping it to a hard drive, then you can use this option to search the web for CD cover art to be included in your design. This is an excellent program to use for music, photos, or any other type of data.

CdCoverCreator is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, 2003, XP, and 2000.

03
of 05

Nero CoverDesigner

What We Like

  • Built-in templates to design professional looking labels in minutes.

  • Multiple uses beyond making CD labels.

What We Don't Like

  • Requires Nero 12 multimedia suite to take advantage of all features.

  • No longer available from its official source.

Use Nero CoverDesigner to design and print labels, inlays, and booklets for CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs. This fully functional freeware also creates business cards. CoverDesigner comes with a variety of templates, fonts, and decorative objects.

Nero has discontinued CoverDesigner, but it is still available to download on some sites, including CNET.

Nero CoverDesigner is compatible with Windows 10, 8, and 7.

04
of 05

Magix Xtreme Print Studio

What We Like

  • More text formatting options than other programs.

  • Automatically converts unsupported images to an appropriate format.

What We Don't Like

  • No design wizard and few built-in templates to get you started.

  • Must provide an email address to register.

Although the Magix Xtreme Print Studio is free, you need to register the software after seven days to continue to use it without charge. This is a flexible program that has a good selection of CD and DVD cover templates. Xtreme Print Studio can also be used to design and print labels, inlays, and booklets. You can add various shapes to your designs, import images, and add text, which makes Xtreme Print Studio a flexible and capable design program.

Magix has discontinued Xtreme Print Studio, but it is still available at some download sites.

Magix Xtreme Print Studio is compatible with Windows Vista, XP, and 2000.

05
of 05

Meritline EZ Label Xpress Lite

What We Like

  • Very user-friendly interface.

  • No installation required; just download it and start designing.

What We Don't Like

  • Extremely limited editing features.

  • The print preview feature isn't always accurate.

With its clear and simple interface, EZ Label Xpress Lite makes it easy to produce designs. You can create designs for CD and DVD cases, including the discs themselves. As with most programs of this type, you can import images, but there are no drawing tools to create your own designs within the software. That said, you can add text, which is a useful feature for listing music tracks. Overall, it's a good program for quickly printing out designs for your CD and DVD compilations.

Meritline has discontinued EZ Label Xpress Lite, but it's still available to download on some sites.

EZ Label Xpress Lite is compatible with Windows XP and 2000.