LightScribe media was invented by Hewlett-Packard and is an optical disc that uses specially coated media to produce laser-etched labels with text or graphics, as opposed to stick-on labels and printable discs.
The LightScribe method uses the laser similar to the way that data is burned to the disc; a greyscale image of the label is etched to the top side of the disc. The discs come in many colors and the original monotone. After burning the data flip the disc over, insert it into a lightscribe burner and the etch away.
The surface of a LightScribe disc is coated with a reactive dye that changes color when it absorbs 780nm infrared laser light. Once complete the optical media etch should last for life if stored properly in casing.