CD

The now ubiquitous CD enables the publication of considerable volumes of data (typically 650–700MB) in a highly portable form, whilst its derivative, the digital versatile disc (DVD), can store several gigabytes of information.

Both are cheap, readily accessible, widely supported and suitable for information in a variety of formats ranging from simple word processed files through to portable document format (PDF) files and interactive electronic technical publications (IETPs).

By including suitable viewing media (Adobe Acrobat Reader, a Web browser or a specialised IETP viewer), the requirement for a CD/DVD recipient to have a particular software application is eliminated.