I had the same thoughts. I found the current Canon Pixma series of printers that will print on discs to be the best solution.
I bought a Pixma MX922 multifunction for about $80 from Amazon along with a set of four full replacement ink cartridges (3rd party) for another ~$20.
For $100 I got a printer that has been excellent for printing both the discs themselves and - when using the right photo paper - the blu-ray case inserts and graphics/pages to cover my home made slipcase boxes.
I just finished last night with the production of 5 full sets of discs… with lots of experimentation over the last couple of months, and several attempts that required me to throw away printed materials I am just barely into the second replacement set of ink, so I would say my total out-of-pocket for the printer and ink is only about $90.
Can I see some pics of your disc sets?