Digipak Vs Jewel case

I had some confusion when creating my Digipak, at first I thought it was just a standard jewel case but after some research I discovered it was slightly different.  Made from cardboard with hints of plastic, digipaks are a slightly different way to package a CD than just placing it in a jewel case.

Looking at the jewel case, they are made entirely out of plastic with paper inserts.  The benefits of these are their sturdiness, they are designed to protect the CD in all modes of transport.  they are also a perfect size and can easily be stored away.  Although the downside of using a jewel case is that although they are strong, the plastic is very brittle and would rather break than bend.  they are also very easy to scratch and scuff and some complain they are to big and bulky for a single CD cover.

Looking towards the Digipak many enjoy the range of customisable layout that can be achieved.  They also are very hard to break, as they are made of card they won't simple crack.  Digipaks are also environmentally friendly, as they use mostly card this can all be recycled, unlike the jewel case that is made entirely out of plastic.  the downsides of Digipaks is that they offer less protection to the CD, as they don't click shut they can easily open and allow the CD to become damaged.  Also as they are made from card they can be easily destroyed with the addition of water, many have discovered that their digipak has doubled with size as it has come into contact with water.

There are ups and downs with both forms of packaging, many feel the jewel case is more mainstream while others feel the digipak is for independent artists and special editions.