There are many different DVD CD blank media surfaces:

Shiny Silver - reflective, Matte finish - dull finish, Inkjet printable - can be printed on with printers, Thermal printable - thermal printer printable, Hub printable - printable all the way to the hub of the disc, LightScribe - printable with LightScribe burner

Selecting the right CD DVD blank media can be hard, if you really don't need all the other features shiny silver is the way to go.  Thermal printer offers great printing quality but the cost of the printer is way too high.  Inkjet and LightScribe are the best alternative to print your own pictures on design onto a DVD-R blank disc or DVD-RW blank disc.