Vinyl pressing UK | One off vinyl pressing | Vinyl guides

Vinyl record pressing UK manufactured

12" vinyl pressing

12 inch vinyl pressing sleeve 3mm spine
vinyl 12 inch sleeve
12 inch vinyl gatefold sleeve Eliwagar
12 inch picture disc vinyl pressing in PVC sleeve Crazy Frog
12 inch gatefold vinyl pressing The Strokes vinyl pressing
12 inch vinyl sleeve Morrissey Refusal
12 inch vinyl pressing white inner
12 inch colour vinyl pressing in sleeve Skream

12" vinyl features & add-ons

Standard turnaround

On a standard turnaround we aim to have test-pressings ready within 4 weeks. Once approved, main pressing takes a further 4 weeks.

Express turnaround

Express turnaround means test-pressings ready in approx 2.5 weeks, and on approval, main pressing ready in a further 2.5 weeks.

Super Express turnaround

Test-pressings ready within 7 to 10 days, and on approval, main pressings ready in another 7 to 10 days.

Heavyweight & colour pressing

Upgrade to heavyweight (180 gram) vinyl or have a colour pressing. Heavyweight and colour pressing can also be combined. View available vinyl colours.

Inner sleeves + inserts

All prices include white inner paper sleeves. Add-ons available black & poly lined inners or custom printed inners sleeves. Printed 2 sided inserts also available.

Heavy cards + gloss or matt

All outer sleeve packaging is printed on heavyweight art board and with the option of gloss or matt finish included. Uncoated and reverse board print available.

Digital download cards

We can print and insert download cards with unique, one time use codes. This lets customers download a digital version of the album.

Abbey Road lacquer cut

All vinyls master lacquers are cut at Abbey Road Studios. This ensures your music sounds the best it possibly can when pressed to vinyl records.

Free UK delivery

Free overnight and tracked UK delivery is included with all orders. We also deliver world-wide with fast and reliable courier services.

12 inch vinyl templates

Right click to download templates and view our step-by-step design guide on preparing artworks.
Having trouble with design? Our in-house design team can provide a professional design service at a great price.

Quote for vinyl pressing

7" vinyl pressing

7 inch vinyl pressing white paper inner
7 inch fire engine red with printed sleeve
full colour 7 inch sleeve with red record vinyl
Printed 7 inch sleeve with lilac colour vinyl Bloom
7 inch sleeve matt lamination The Clique
white glitter 7 inch colour vinyl in sleeve Zella Day
7 inch colour vinyl pressing strawberry red with gatefold sleeve Doom
7 inch white vinyl with full colour printed sleeve
pastel pink 7 inch vinyl pressing in printed sleeve
7 inch green colour vinyl and sleeve Tenderstem
7 inch carrot orange colour vinyl and sleeve Zella Day
carrot orange colour vinyl 7 inch printed sleeve with no spine Zella Day
gatefold 7 inch sleeve with record and printed inner
one off vinyl pressing uk
7 inch vinyl with full colour printed gatefold sleeve
7 inch vinyl with full colour printed gatefold sleeve and printed inner
7 inch vinyl pressing uk
Printed 7 inch sleeve with vinyl and full colour labels
7 inch full colour printed sleeve with 7 inch record
7 inch sleeve with gloss lamination The Dirty Robbers
7 inch vinyl with printed sleeve and spot gloss lamination Dracula Legs
7 inch printed sleeve with gloss lamination and black paper inner

7" vinyl features & add-ons

Standard turnaround

On a standard turnaround we aim to have test-pressings ready in 4 weeks. Once approved, The main pressing takes a further 4 weeks.

Express turnaround

Express turnaround means test-pressings ready in approx 2.5 weeks, and on approval, main pressing ready in a further 2.5 weeks.

Super Express turnaround

Test-pressings ready within 7 to 10 days, and on approval, main pressings ready in another 7 to 10 days.

Colour & picture pressing

We offer a huge range of colours for 7" vinyl. View available vinyl colours. 7" picture disc pressing avaiable too.

Inner sleeves + inserts

All prices include white inner paper sleeves. Add-ons available black & poly lined inners or custom printed inners sleeves. Printed 2 sided inserts also available.

Heavy cards + gloss or matt

All outer sleeve packaging is printed on heavyweight art board and with the option of gloss or matt finish included. Uncoated and reverse board print available.

Digital download cards

We can print and insert download cards with unique, one time use codes. This lets customers download a digital version of the album.

Abbey Road lacquer cut

All vinyls master lacquers are cut at Abbey Road Studios. This ensures your music sounds the best it possibly can when pressed to vinyl records.

Free UK delivery

Free overnight and tracked UK delivery is included with all orders. We also deliver world-wide with fast and reliable courier services.

7 inch vinyl templates

Right click to download templates and view our step-by-step design guide on preparing artworks.

Having trouble with design? Our in-house design team can provide a professional design service at a great price.

Quote for vinyl pressing

One off vinyl cuts - 12" & 7"

Disc Wizards offer one or a handful of one off cuts of your music onto vinyl record. Each record is individually hand cut,and is supplied with a printed centre label sticker, in white paper inners and white or black outer card sleeves.

20 mins of audio each side

We can cut upto 20 mins on each side of the record. That's a total of 40 mins of audio over both sides cut at 33 rpm.

White or black inner & outer sleeves

Each record is individually packed into paper inner sleeves, and plain white or black outer card sleeves.

Printed centre labels

All one-off cuts are supplied with printed centre labels with custom printed graphics. Just supply the artwork design.

Clear & white vinyl options

Black vinyls are included in the costs. However for an additional fee we can cut the music on clear or white colour vinyl.

12" one off cut prices

1 x 12"

vinyl record cut
£ 80
00 each
  •  

2 x 12"

vinyl record cut
£ 70
00 each
  •  

3 x 12"

vinyl record cut
£ 66
50 each
  •  

4 x 12"

vinyl record cut
£ 62
50 each
  •  

5 x 12"

vinyl record cut
£ 59
50 each
  •  

10 x 12"

vinyl record cut
£ 54
00 each
  •  

7" one off cut prices

1 x 7"

vinyl record cut
£ 55
00 each
  •  

2 x 7"

vinyl record cut
£ 41
50 each
  •  

3 x 7"

vinyl record cut
£ 37
00 each
  •  

4 x 7"

vinyl record cut
£ 33
00 each
  •  

5 x 7"

vinyl record cut
£ 29
50 each
  •  

10 x 7"

vinyl record cut
£ 23
50 each
  •  

4m 30s per side

7" vinyl can hold 4 mins 30 secs each side at 45 rpm. That's 9 mins of audio in all.

White or black sleeves

7" cuts are supplied with paper inner sleeves, and plain white or black outer card sleeves.

Printed centre labels

Printed centre labels with print are included in the costs. Artwork to be supplied on our tempaltes.

Clear & white vinyl options

Black vinyl as standard. White and clear vinyl cuts also available.

One off vinyl order form

Summary

£ ex vat
£ inc vat



Your details


Vinyl pressing UK - Guides, How to's & help tutorials

Fast turnarounds to suit your deadlines

The standard turnaround suits most requirements. Or select a faster turnaround and have the records ready sooner.

Standard
turnaround

Test-pressings: 4 weeks

Main-pressings: 4 weeks

Express
turnaround

Test-pressings: 2.5 weeks

Main-pressings: 2.5 weeks

Super express turnaround

Test-pressings: 6 to 10 days

Main-pressings: 6 to 10 days

Turnarounds are based on standard black vinyl orders. Heavy-weight, colour and picture pressings can take longer. Before placing the order, talk to us about your dates and deadlines to ensure the vinyl are ready in time.

How much audio can fit on a vinyl record?

7" vinyl

33 rpm:
Optimal: 5 mins per side
Maximum: 7 mins per side

(We don't recommend 33 rpm for 7" vinyl)

45 rpm:
Optimal: 4 mins per side
Maximum: 5 mins per side

10" vinyl

33 rpm:
Optimal: 9 mins per side
Maximum: 14 mins per side

45 rpm:
Optimal: 8 mins per side
Maximum: 11 mins per side

12" vinyl

33 rpm:
Optimal: 20 mins per side
Maximum: 24 mins per side

45 rpm:
Optimal: 12 mins per side
Maximum: 15 mins per side

Side lengths & cutting speed

The above times should be used as a guide. Bass heavy music means wider grooves, and shorter side lengths, and the converse for music not so heavy on the low frequencies. 

Audio supplied at maximum side lengths means we may need to cut the audio at a lower volume level in order for all the audio to fit on the side. This could result in the vinyl being up to 6db lower in volume compared to a cut at optimal lengths. This audio level reduction depends on the frequency range of the music. 

Bass heavy music means deeper and wider grooves, which result in either shorter audio lengths per side, or lower audio levels for longer sides to fit.

In comparison, solo classical guitar frequency range is likely to have less bass than dance music, and as a result, a side of 25mins of classical guitar will not be reduced too much in level compared to optimal.

33 rpm versus 45 rpm

Whilst audio cut at 33rpm produces a great sound on 12” and 10” records, 45rpm cuts result in even better audio fidelity.

For 7” we strongly advise against 33rpm cuts as they tend to result in a degraded audio quality.

How to prepare your audio files

Supply continuous audio files

Prepare a single continuous stereo audio file of your tracks in the correct order for each side of the record. These files should include appropriate gaps between the track (normally about 3 to 4 seconds). 

We will not alter this audio in any way, and the lacquer will be cut directly from the supplied continuous files. 

Along with the audio files, provide a list of Visual Track Marker points (known as VTMs for short). These are the points at which the lacquer and records will be marked to indicate the start of a track, and make it easier for the listener to skip to the start of a particular song on the record.  

For example, if your Side A continuous file consists of 4 tracks with the following lengths; 1.30min / 4 sec gap / 2.45 / 4 sec gap / 3.30 / 4 sec gap / 2.30, then the VTM list should read as follows:

VTM: 0.00 / 1.30 / 4.19 / 7.53
Provide individual tracks

We can accept individual song files and tracks. We’ll set up and create the continuous audio files and VTM points.

The new audio files will be emailed back to check and approve. There is a cost of £35+vat for the service.

Audio mixing tips for vinyl records

A well mixed track following good mixing practices should also translate well to vinyl, there are however some key points to check for before sending your audio for vinyl manufacture.



View our full guide on preparing your mixes for vinyl manufacture.

Control high frequencies

Too much audio overload in the high frequency range can cause a harsh sounding distortion on the records.
 
Ensure cymbals, hats and special effects are not overly loud in mixes.

Bass & low frequencies

Basslines, kick drums and other low frequency sounds should ideally be supplied mono on vinyl mixes. 
 
Roll off any frequencies below 20Hz.

Remove sibilance

Sibilance in your mixes can cause a nasty distortion on the records.

Apply a ‘de-esser’ to vocals to remove excessive sibilance.

Stereo panning

Keep low frequency instruments ‘centre-panned’ on mixes. Keep other frequencies mostly centre for cleaner tracking on the lacquer cut.
 
Try to avoid any extreme or sudden panning.

Compression & loudness

Mastering compression should be used lightly ensuring mixes have a natural sounding dynamic range.
 
Mixes should be supplied at -1db peak with an average RMS level of about -12db for each side. 

Track ordering

The outer edges of a vinyl record has better high frequency which gradually reduces as the needle moves inwards.
Keep high energy tracks at the starts of each side, and ballads towards the ends.
Vinyl records have a different frequency response and their own sound nuances when compared a digital version of the same music.
Expecting the vinyl to sound the same as the digital counterparts will lead to disappointment.

Why make test-pressings?

Test-pressings are the first records made from the pressing plates and offer the first opportunity to evaluate the quality of the audio before the main pressing takes place.

Most test-pressings are approved first time, however a test-pressing could contain a jump or loud pop, which requires fixing before the main pressing takes place.

What if I choose not to have test-pressings?

Test-pressings are recommended to ensure that the vinyl are free from any excessive pops, skips and other unwanted noise. Due to time constraints, some customers choose not to have any test-pressings, and opt straight for the main manufacture.

We do check a random pressed record as they are coming off the press to check for any obvious issues. However, incase something is not picked up in our checks, then any rework is additionally billable.

Test-pressings are supplied with a white label and packed into a white inner.

Centre labels, inners sleeves & outer vinyl cases

Centre vinyl record labels

The vinyl centre label, also known as a record label, is the printed information found on the centre of a record. There is one label for each side of the record.
Vinyl record labels contain information on the artist and album, song titles, playback speed and copyright disclaimers.
Labels are printed in colour onto special ‘blue-backed record paper’. Rather than being stuck or glued to the record, a vinyl ‘puck’ is sandwiched between the side A and B labels, and the labels are pressed into the vinyl record at the time when the record is pressed.
Labels for 7 inch records are 8.25cm in diameter, and those for 12 and 10 inch records have a diameter of approx. 10cm.

Inner sleeve packaging

Records are normally packed into protective inner sleeves soon after they come off the presses.
White paper inner sleeves are used as standard. However, variations include black paper inners, white or black poly lined inners, and custom printed inner sleeves.
Black inners are the same as white, except black in colour. Poly lined inners are similar to paper inners with the addition of plastic lining inside the inner. Poly inners are available in black or white.
Finally, we offer the option to pack records in custom printed inner sleeves. This can be printed in full colour with any design or artwork provided.

Outer vinyl packaging

Outer vinyl packaging can be two sided printed sleeves, or four sided printed gatefold wallets.
Outer packaging is printed on a heavy duty artboard and includes a gloss or matt finish. Gatefold wallets can be supplied with one pocket opening, or two pockets for a double album vinyl release.
Printed sleeves and vinyl gatefold packaging is available for all record sizes, 7, 10 and 12 inch records. Additional options include spot pantone colours, foil blocking, spot lamination and embossing.
Picture vinyl are often packed into clear plastic PVC wallets rather than printed card outers.

All master lacquers cut at Abbey Road Studios

Your music cut by award winning engineers

All our master lacquers are cut Abbey Road studios by award winning engineers to ensure your music sounds it’s absolute best when pressed to vinyl.

Our lacquers are cut on VMS80 Neuman lathes and the Abbey Road engineers will make tweaks and adjustments to your music to ensure the music sounds it’s very best and totally awesome once cut to vinyl.

100% test-pressing approval rate

We are proud to say all our masters cut at Abbey Road have had a 100% first test-pressing approval rate till now.

This fantastic reliably ensures your deadlines are met and your finished vinyl records are delivered as soon as possible and bang on time.

Attend your lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios

You can attend and watch and witness your music being cut onto the vinyl lacquer master live and in person. Speak to us for more information.

Heavyweight vinyl, colour vinyl & picture vinyl pressing

Heavyweight vinyl pressing

Disc wizards offer heavyweight vinyl pressings.
Our standard 12″ vinyl are pressed at approx 140 gram weight per record.
For an additional fee, we offer heavyweight vinyls pressed at 180 gram a record.
The weight of the record doesnot affect the sound quality, however some people prefer the feel of a heayyweight pressing.
Heavyweight is only available on 12″ pressings. 7″ and 10″ records are pressed at 40 grams and 110 grams respectively.

Colour vinyl pressing

Have your vinyl pressed in a wide choice of colours.
Whilst black vinyl is the most common option for pressings, we can offer clear, white and over 100 additional colours to choose from.
Combine two or more colours to create a marbling or swirl effect. The swirl pattern is created randomly ensuring each vinyl pressing is a unique piece of art.
There is an additional fee for colour pressings, which can be found on the quote form.
View our wide range of available vinyl pressing colour options.

Picture vinyl pressing

Create a piece of art on your vinyl to compliment your music.
Picture vinyls offer the options to embed colour prints on both sides of the record.
Picture vinyls are available for 12″, 10″ and 7″ sizes with each record manually hand-made and pressed.
Picture vinyl are often packed into clear plastic PVC wallets rather than printed card outers to showcase the artwork.
Use our quote form to generate a quick price.

Add digital download codes to your vinyl release!

Printed download cards are inserted in every vinyl record. This lets customers download and listen to high quality digital versions of your music whilst away from their record players.
Each card is printed with a unique, one time use code.
Downloads are hosted on our dedicated download platform at MyTuneCode.com.
Download codes can be included when creating an instant vinyl quote.

How are vinyl records made?

Stage 1

Lacquer cutting

Lacquer cutting is the most important part of the vinyl manufacture process. This is where the audio is cut into a master lacquer.

Stage 2

Galvanics

Galvanics is the process of making metal plates, or impressions, of the cut lacquer. First a positive is made, followed by a negative from the positive.

Stage 3

Pressing plates

From the negatives, a set of pressing plates are created which are then loaded into the presses and used to create vinyl records.

Stage 4

Test-pressings

A handful of test-pressings are made to ensure the  record sounds good and contains no skips or loud pops. If there are issues, then it’s back to stage 3 and new plates are created.

Stage 5

Main-pressings

Once test-pressings are approved, then the main pressing can begin. This can be black heavy-weight, colour vinyl or picture discs depending on the order details.

Stage 6

Packaging

After the vinyl have had sufficient cooling time, they are packaged into paper inners and outer card sleeves, along with any printed inserts, download codes, CDs, and shrinkwrapped.