Edible Ink for Your Bakery Cakes

Increase your bakery's profits by selling picture cakes made from edible ink
By Patricia Flinsch-Rodriguez, Freelance writer Self-Employed 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

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.
Try:  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.
Try:  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.
Try:  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.

• 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.