What are Digipacks?

Digipaks are a type of CD case usually made from cardboard and plastic which differs from normal CD cases which are usually made from plastic. Digipaks are usually only used for special editions of CD’s such as Linkin Park’s Reanimation and Red Hot Chilli Peppers Stadium Arcadium. Digipaks started in the 1980’s with artists such as Prince and U2 releasing albums in the forms of digipaks. Digipaks are generally much more durable than their jewel case counterparts. Mainly because if they are dropped they are less likely to break and they are also much less likely to get scratched from normal wear and tear. Despite being much more durable on the outside compared to jewel cases, they are still just as vulnerable on the inside as the CD tray is still made out of plastic meaning that it is much more likely to break compared to the outside. The teeth in the middle of the CD tray that hold the CD in place are especially fragile because there isn’t much structure or support keeping them intact. This type of CD cover is more environmentally friendly but despite this they still remain less common. This is because they cost more to manufacture in bulk and are much more likely to become damaged in a shop being made out of cardboard. Digipaks started to become very popular in the early 2000’s. When digipaks are opened they usually fold out into three sections. One section should contain the CD, another should contain the leaflet and the other should be a piece of artwork from the artist. Nowadays digipak makers are trying to find ways to make digipaks even more environmentally friendly. For example digipak makers are now making the plastic tray out of recycled bottles which means that there won’t be problems with the teeth being brittle. Another manufacturer has decided get rid of the whole plastic tray and replace it with a paper one made out of sugar cane and egg cartons.