Edible ink education and training gives you an advantage over those who do not have the education and training when it comes to the variety and the uses of edible ink. Learn about the variety of edible ink offerings available in the market.

With education in this field, you can discover the best ways to use cake ink and the various ways you can print by hand or with a printer. See what products work best with each type of ink. To get education in edible ink usage and to receive training on techniques for application you might want to consider the following options:

1. Educate yourself on printers that use edible ink for cakes.

2. Utilize online resources to educate yourself on edible ink and product usage.

3. Get edible ink education and training by directly contacting manufacturers and distributors.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Gain education on the techniques used for working with an edible ink printer

Learn about the best edible ink cartridges for your edible ink printer by educating yourself on tips and techniques and hints from experts in the decoration field.

I recommend: Sugarcraft not only tells you which printers work best with edible ink, but it offers detailed tips and hints for the most popular and cost-effective printers to use. It also offers suggestions for using edible ink with frozen cakes and covers how to work with edible ink in a very dry climate. Inkredible offers tips for troubleshooting when you work with edible ink in printers. It covers topics from poor color quality to streaking issues.

Use online product offerings for ideas on using frosting ink that is edible

Design picture cakes easily with printer ink cartridges and learn many creative uses for edible ink by reading articles offered online. Take your creativity to a whole new level as you experiment with the different edible ink usages from cake printers to lollipop decorators.

I recommend: Incredible Edibles offers a variety of products that use edible ink. It even carries edible ink pens and paint sets that use edible ink. Go to PrintCountry to learn about different types of printers that print with edible ink. It talks about what printers work well and also gives warnings on things to watch out for.

Go beyond picture cakes with your edible ink by consulting with a supplier on other applications

Often an edible ink supplier is the best contact for product usage and updates. A supplier knows what it offers and what might be coming to the shelves in the upcoming months. Learn how to use edible ink in many situations by consulting with a supplier.

I recommend: Tasty FotoArt Edible Photos and Supplies, making edible ink since 1987, specializes in edible inks and prides itself in its experience. Its customer support center is toll free and its experts will assist you in product usage. Kopykake educates you on the proper inks for your particular printer. It encourages questions, which its support team answers by telephone or email.

These days customers can find bakeries in their local supermarkets, so compete with them by using products like frosting ink. Offer services that the supermarket chains are not equipped to do. By using edible ink cartridges and an edible ink printer, your bakery can reproduce any photograph or logo onto a cake to provide customized bakery products.

Don't think of cake ink as if it can only be used on cakes. An edible ink cartridge can be used on cakes, but it may also be used to create personalized cupcakes, cookies and chocolates. Adding edible ink printers to your bakery will enhance creativity once you realize what you can do. Think of all the personalized products that you can offer to your customers:

1. Sheet cakes with photos or company logos

2. Personalized cookies for baby showers, birthdays and wedding anniversaries

3. Edible chocolate business cards

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Decide whether to use a self-contained system or your computer and edible ink printer

A self contained system includes a scanner with edible ink and paper. It does not require a computer so for some users that is the main selling point of a self contained system. Photos can be cropped and sized right from the scanner.

I recommend: If you already have a computer, you can just buy an edible cake printer and hook it up to your existing computer. Check out Tasty FotoArt Edible Photos and Supplies for a cake printer. Kwikscan IV is a self-contained edible photo cake decorating system set up by Kopykake for larger volume bakeries and cake decorators. You can purchase this system from Walkers Online Sales and Kopykake Enterprises.

Consider buying large format cake printers

A large format printer is the only type of printer that will allow your bakery to produce sheet cakes with 11'x17' photos. Being able to produce larger sheet cakes may prove to be a boon to your business, especially to your corporate clients.

I recommend: You can buy large format printers that can be used with edible cake ink from PhotoFrost Decorating Systems and Icing Magic.

Locate an edible ink supplier

If you plan on adding photo cakes to your repertoire of services, you'll need to buy edible ink for cakes and other supplies. Some suppliers only stock one brand of ink, so that is something to consider when purchasing your edible ink printer.

I recommend: Sugarcraft and BakingShop.com sell Canon and Epson edible inks as well as other supplies you will need such as edible paper and icing sheets.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take photos of the picture cakes that you have made. Showing your past accomplishments is the best ways to show prospective clients what you can do for them.

If you have a company event coming up for which you will need a customized cake, consider using edible ink to make it really stand out. Whether you decorate it yourself or commission a bakery to do so, it is helpful to know the ideas behind edible ink. This kind of ink would allow you to place your company logo on the cake by simply printing out a picture of it. Get to know this type of technology better by learning the key terms behind edible ink.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Edible ink

An edible ink cartridge holds ink that is deemed by the FDA as safe to eat. It gets its color from simple food coloring, and is used on cakes, cookies and other desserts.

I recommend: Find information about edible ink at printcountry.com.

Edible paper

Edible paper is meant to be used with edible ink. It is okay to eat along with the ink because it is made of starch, such as rice. If you print out a picture on edible paper and place it on a frosted cake, the moisture from the frosting will cause the paper to dissolve into the cake.

I recommend: Learn all about edible paper at wiseGEEK.

Edible pen

If you do not have a printer, or perhaps run out of edible ink, you can use edible pens as backup. Edible pens are simply writing instruments filled with edible ink, and often come in sets of ten colors.

I recommend: Printer Ink Mills describes edible pens in an article about edible ink.

Frosting sheet

A frosting sheet is a type of edible paper, and is used by many different companies that make edible printer ink. You can place the frosting sheet into your printer, and when you place the printed sheet onto the cake, it will dissolve into the frosting to display only the image.

I recommend: Pastry Chef Central explains how frosting sheets work.

Compatible printer

This term means you can use a regular printer to print out edible ink, but you need to clean it well of regular toxic ink first. Once it is clean, it is considered to be an edible ink-compatible printer.

I recommend: Birthday Cake Central discusses how to make sure a printer is compatible with edible ink.

Dedicated printer

Though you can clean a regular printer and safely use edible ink on it, some people prefer to buy a dedicated printer. This is a printer that has never been used with regular ink. It can be specifically made for edible ink, or it can just be a brand new printer. Those making a business out of edible ink often prefer this type of printer.

I recommend: ArtDesignGifts.com discusses the difference between having a dedicated printer and switching between edible ink and regular ink on a printer.

Edible ink enables your food service business or bakery to customize products for your company. From photo cakes to cupcakes featuring your company logo, edible ink is quickly becoming the norm in pastry decorating.

When you begin to look for cake printers, you must remember that the costs you incur don't stop once you buy the printer. Consider the following edible ink pricing and costs guidelines to help you prepare your budget:

1. Start your pricing list off with the cost of purchasing cake printers.

2. Plan for the recurring cost of purchasing edible ink.

3. Include the cost of purchasing edible paper for cakes into your regular budget.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider the cost of cake printers

When you are looking at cake printers, keep in mind that the price you pay is dependent upon the size of the paper you will need to print on. The smaller the paper size, the less expensive the printer. However, upgrading to a wide sized printer is usually a justifiable expense for any business. Not only will this enable you to print an entire cake on one sheet, it will also minimize decorating time on the cake.

I recommend: The Wizard's Baker sells edible ink printers. You can expect to pay between $300 and $400 for printers to make picture cakes. Photo Frost offers cake printers and icing printers starting at around $350.

Include the cost of the edible ink

Edible ink is a recurring expense. This means that you must set your budget up to absorb the cost of regular edible ink purchases. The price you pay for edible ink depends upon the printer model you have.

I recommend: Wasserstrom sells cake ink. Prices start at under $10 for bottles of frosting ink. For edible ink printer refills, you can expect to pay at least $30. Baking Shop sells edible ink cartridges starting at around $25. Kopykake offers ink pens with edible ink for under $10 per set.

Remember to include the cost of edible paper for cakes

Edible paper for cakes is another recurring expense. When you order the paper, you should order 10 percent more than you think you will need. For example, if you are decorating 100 cakes one week, you should order at least 110 sheets of edible paper. Generally, larger sheets of edible paper are more expensive than smaller sheets, especially if the number of sheets per pack is the same.

I recommend: Tasty Foto Art sells edible paper starting at around $20 for 25 standard size sheets. You can also find edible paper for cakes at Cook's Dream. Prices start at around $30 per package for standard sheets. Cupcake templates and multi-packs are available.