I had the idea to actually burn "shapes" into a CD. You can look at a
CD-R and see the area of the photoresist that has been altered, but
this is usually an overall random sampling of ones and zeros. But if
you topographically altered the pattern so the ones and zeros made a
coherent image, you would have shape burning. I am looking on
information on creating CD images to burn, the "standard" if you will
so I can determine how to map this to an image. Infomation on
feasability too.

I too had this idea a while back, but I never had the time or the
programming skills to implement it.

Someone else did, however.

http://www.lightscribe.com/

Not QUITE what you had in mind, but still in the same general ballpark.

when a cd has scratches or divets on it, it creates a void between the
encoding on the disk.  so, this "burning" may actually do that. since
it would be spacing out the coding on the cd.  or, the scratched cd
may just skip because the data isnt there...so, i may be wrong...

So I have tried to put stuff on the back of the CD, but that just
fails due to cdrecorder testing of what its burning, and not being
able to test something that it cant see.

 I also tried doing a disk image of just a third of the image
continuous zeros and the rest ones so as to make to concentric circles
on the CD. The "zero" third was still exposed and looked visibly no
different than the "ones" thirds.

Hello allenrice,

          There are some new Burners that come with software that does
exactly what your talking about.  Nero 6 Ultra Edition has this, you
can actully drag a picture onto the program and the program with etch
it into the CD. If you search on google "cd burning etching" or "cd
etching program" you will get the results you are looking for. ;)

             `gEniUsB0y`

Note that The nero software requires you to have a special burner with
lightscribe technolgoy -- AND -- special lightscribe CDs.

It does not work with any old burner and blank cd.