5 Free Cover Design Programs for CD and DVD Cases

Customize your CD and DVD cases with your own designs

by Mark Harris
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.
Updated November 12, 2019

If you regularly burn digital music to CDs or DVDs, it’s good practice to index your compilations in some way to 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. Use it 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 software on the web for creating your own customized designs that you can print out and use for your compilations.

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

Burning CDs and DVDs has declined in popularity. As a result, the free cover software options are limited. Several of the programs listed here are no longer supported, although they are available for download. Check the computer requirements of each to be sure they will run on your computer.​​

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

  • Bit of a learning curve.

  • Limited options for customizing text.

The Ronyasoft CD DVD Label Maker program 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 a DVD that you have compiled, using material that doesn’t infringe on the copyright, of course. The program lets you import images using popular formats such as 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 all in by hand. A unique feature that isn’t normally included in cover design software is an internet album cover search option. If you have backed up your original purchased CD by either making an audio CD or by ripping it to, then you can use this option to search for CD cover art on the internet, which can 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
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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

  • Need 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 at some download sites.

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

04
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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 supply 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 at no 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
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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 the music tracks. Overall, a good program for quickly printing out designs for your CD and DVD compilations.

Meritline has discontinued EZ Label Xpress Lite, but it is still available at some download sites.

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