I also print loads of things on soft gloss -it is perfect for printing so if it doesn't go through your printer, it might be a printer fault. I've used it through 4 different ones with no problems. Perhaps if you are trying it through a printer with no ink, it won't do anything much. Get some ink and try again. The soft gloss hasn't cracked in any of my printers, though I do get some cracking with photo papers if I need to fold them.
Once you get into CD crafting, a whole new world will open for you. Janet