Totally agree!

Stickers are NOT part of the box...they're 'stuck on' to it. Therefore they should be removed prior to scanning IMO.

They're also damned ugly! I hate them!

I guess because it's always better than no scan at all.

Also, the screeners aren't to know what's a sticker and what is printed on the insert/box unless they are told.

I personally like to leave the stickers on my boxes, but that being said, would not leave those example stickers on!

Stickers that have something to do with the movie or release, I usually keep. Ads get skipped on the dvr, ignored online and removed from my farking dvd covers!
Of course if I do keep my stickers I don't submit scans, unless the stickers are on the shrinkwrap which I can remove (the wrap with stickers), scan, then put back on.

Quoting 8ballMax:

Quote:
I've never had a problem removing those unsightly stickers from my slip case covers. I take a sheet of paper and slide it back and forth along an edge of the sticker until it gets underneath the sticker far enough to where I can a hold of it and slowly peel it off. Slip case covers should never be scanned and contributed with those gawd-awful stickers. I had one case that had 4 stupid stickers on it and most of the info on the stickers was already included on the actual printed slip case cover .

Great tip about how to remove a sticker. Some are really tough. 

Quoting MrVideo:

Quote:
That kinda leads to the next question.  How do scans get approved with stickers?

They get approved because the rules don't require anybody to remove them...and rightly so, in my opinion as I have quite a few releases where the sticker just wouldn't come off.  In my opinion, a good scan, that includes the sticker, is better than no scan at all.

Quoting 8ballMax:

Quote:
I've never had a problem removing those unsightly stickers from my slip case covers. I take a sheet of paper and slide it back and forth along an edge of the sticker until it gets underneath the sticker far enough to where I can a hold of it and slowly peel it off. Slip case covers should never be scanned and contributed with those gawd-awful stickers. I had one case that had 4 stupid stickers on it and most of the info on the stickers was already included on the actual printed slip case cover .

I'll have to try that method.  Thanks for posting it. 

Quoting TheMovieman:

Quote:
Great tip about how to remove a sticker. Some are really tough. 

Ditto.  Never thought of doing that.  Will give it a try next time.

I despise stickers, and because I'm particularly anal about it, have been able to remove them almost entirely from my collection, no matter the type or location: Slip cover, cover art, or disc. A high percentage of the time, there is little trace that a sticker was ever present.

It can be a chore, but by employing a variety of materials and techniques and being patient, I've been able to remove all manner of rental stickers -- even the high security ones bonded to the disc.

I've figured out how to do this all on my own, and I did experience a steep learning curve, along with some ugly failures. But now if I see a desirable title at a favorable price, I'll grab it almost without regard to the presence of stickers. Almost.

Of course I first check to see if I can get a brand new copy for nearly the same price, and if I can, go that route.

Useful stuff to have:

A Hair Dryer
A clamp to hold it
Several solvents, mild to more aggressive
A tooth pick / wooden skewer
Variety of hemostats / tweezers
Tape
Small, stiff art or utility brushes

Before you start, survey what you're up against.

Holding cover art up against the light you might find that the label is covering a former unskilled removal attempt.

Examine discs with labels CAREFULLY. Simple disc labels and particularly security labels are often actually holding discs together that are already cracked (hub ring) and that will become completely unplayable no matter how skillfully the label is removed.

Sometimes you're dealing with stacked labels, and depending on what you have, this can make things easier or harder.

With practice, you'll learn that different labels are held in place by different adhesives, and that different adhesives require different solvents. One big surprise is when you encounter a water based (envelope style) adhesive which won't respond to any of your petroleum distillate solvents.

Consider the artwork.

Some artwork is coated with varnish which offers the art underneath the label some protection. Some artwork is printed on very slick supercalendered paper, that can also result in easier removal.

Of course the location of the label on the artwork also makes a difference. Unprinted areas are different than working with a label on a heavy ink solid.

About solvents: You're not going to be working with anything nasty like "Goof-Off". The tamer the better to start. My favorite is leather waterproofing solution. It's designed to go on garments WITHOUT altering the color, and that's a great place to start.

You can always try something more aggressive later, but not if you've already stripped the ink from the page.  Disc art is more stable (generally), so if the waterproofing stuff doesn't work (on small hub labels), I can step up to a penetrating oil. Liquid Wrench is my favorite for that. The old formulation was almost clear, but the new is not and will stain paper, so you can't use it there.

More on cover art:  Start by working from the BACK. I saturate the paper behind the label and then let it sit for a bit, so that it seeps thru to the adhesive.

Then I heat the paper, also from the back and begin the peel off process. Sometimes flexing the paper will cause a corner of the label to lift off, and if so then great! Otherwise you have to come up with something to lift it off the page and pull from that point, with as constant, slow and steady motion as you can. I often use a fingernail, but there are risks with anything you use.

One thing you don't want to do in this process is mash the label down on the paper any harder into place than it is already. This happens as a completely natural function of grasping the label with your fingers, because as you pull away you have a natural tendency to "fulcrum" against the cover itself.

If anyone is interested in hearing more, I'll happily share what I know about the high security disc labels, as well ways to hide / repair damage (removal of ink) from artwork that sometimes happens despite your best efforts.