Frequently Asked Questions

An extensive range of troubleshooting information can be found in our Blog - Edible Tips. For print head cleaning instructions or to download an Edible Insights booklet visit our Customer Support Articles. Still need help? Contact Us.

Edible printing involves using a dedicated 'edible', inkjet printer together with edible ink filled cartridges to print photo quality images on edible icing sheets, wafer paper or chocolate transfer sheets. The printed images can then be used to decorate cakes, cookies, lollipops, macaroons and chocolates. Personal photo', amazing patterns, corporate logos, the possibilities are endless. Imagine. Print. Create.

Edible Image Supplies edible ink is designed to be used with Canon inkjet printers. Note: the printer MUST be dedicated to edible printing ONLY and must NOT have been previously used for regular inkjet printing. We have both an A3 and A4 Printing System Packages available. Our current ink cartridges will work in any Canon printer, that accepts five ink cartridges only, in model numbers PGI670/CLI671 and PGI650/CLI671 ink cartridges.

Yes you will! You are using it for edible products so cleanliness is paramount. We recommend the following maintenance schedule: DAILY: Turn the printer on and off. WEEKLY: run a test print through the printer using plain paper. THIS IS A MUST! FORTNIGHTLY: run a standard clean via software, remove cartridges and clean any excess ink in the print head chambers with a lint free cloth and little warm water. 6 MONTHLY: clean the print head.The printer will indicate if a print head clean is required sooner than this. Click here for Customer Support Article: Print Head Cleaning Instructions.

Edible Image Supplies icing sheets are thin layers of icing that have been applied to a flexible plastic backing sheet that allows it to be fed through a printer. When printed on using Edible Image Supplies high quality edible ink, your image will be clear and vibrant. Our icing sheets have a slight vanilla taste and will blend with whatever surface they are applied to. They also peel away very easily from the backing sheet. Edible Image Supplies icing sheets are available in A3, A4 and pre-cut sizes. They can easily be cut into various sized rounds with our Icing Cutter Pro.

Ingredients

Starches (E1422, E1412), maltodextrin, glycerine, sugar, water, stabilizers (E414, E460i), dextrose, emulsifiers (E435, E471), food colour (E171), flavours (vanillin), preservative (E202, E330). Dairy, nut, gluten and egg FREE. Allergens: May contain traces of corn. Edible Image Supplies icing sheets are manufactured in Israel and packaged in Australia. A Kosher certificate can be provided on request.

Storage

Edible Image Supplies icing sheets should be stored in their foil zip-lock bag in a cool, dry place in accordance with their use by date. It is important to ensure they are always air tight to prevent drying out or absorbing moisture in humid conditions. They must be stored flat, with the backing sheet side down. Do not store in the refrigerator. Printed Edible Image Supplies icing sheets can be stored in in air-tight zip lock bag for up to 3 months, out of direct sunlight to avoid fading. Wait until the ink has completely dried before placing in a zip lock bag. Leave the backing sheet on until you are ready to apply your edible image. Edible Image Supplies icing sheets are supplied with a Use By date on the pack.

Application

Always handle your printed icing sheets with care, using clean dry hands. If you need to cut your edible image do so while it is still on the backing sheet. Edible Image Supplies icing sheets peel very easily from the backing sheet. For best results apply the icing sheet to a level surface. They can be applied to buttercream, fondant, royal icing and even ice cream. Before the topping has had time to form a crust (as in the case of buttercream) lower the icing sheet onto the topping starting at the middle and working outward, gently smooth using your hands or a small roller. If the butter cream has formed a crust then spray with a fine mist of water before application. Harder toppings such as fondant, royal icing and marzipan will require a fine spray mist of water, or similar before application. We do not recommend placing icing sheets directly onto whipped cream due to the high moisture content, which will be absorbed by the icing sheet and impact the quality of the image. If you wish to apply the edible image to whipped cream, apply to a thin layer of fondant or white chocolate first, to act as a barrier between the cream and the icing sheet.

Edible ink is a specifically formulated food grade colouring which can be used in conjunction with technology in a compatible ink-jet printer.

Edible Images Supplies edible ink cartridges are used in the printer in place of your regular ink cartridges. Edible ink can be used to print edible images onto icing sheets, wafer paper and chocolate transfer sheets. Note: the printer MUST be dedicated to edible printing ONLY and must NOT have been previously used for regular inkjet printing.

Edible Image Supplies Ink is manufactured in Italy, by food colouring experts, to the highest quality standards. Edible Image Supplies ink will print vibrant images in brilliant colour.

Note the ink is to be used for food decoration purposes only, in conjunction with compatible ink-jet printers.

Colours

Edible Image Supplies ink is available in black, magenta, cyan and yellow. Note the same black colour is used for both black and photo black. 

Ingredients

Edible Image Supplies ink is a formulation of water, humectant, preservative, acidifier and artificial colouring.

Download the edible ink detailed data sheet.

Gluten and egg FREE.

Allergens: May contain traces of milk, soy, sulphites and hazelnuts.

Storage

Edible Image Supplies edible ink should be stored out of direct sunlight. It must be stored and used between 18 and 25C.

Edible Image Supplies inks are supplied with a Use By date on the pack.

Yes, you can. KEEP the orange tabs that initially come with your cartridges.

Edible Image Supplies ink is available for purchase in refillable cartridges and refill bottles. All Edible Image Supplies cartridges are fitted with auto-reset chips which allow the cartridges to be refilled. Your printer will recognise when the level in the ink cartridge is low, then once you have refilled the cartridge it will recognise the same cartridge as full.

Edible Image Supplies recommends refilling the cartridge an average of, approximately, 4 times. Overtime the outlet port of the cartridge will wear out and the quality of your images will be impacted. A cartridge that has been refilled too many times will display the same symptoms as a blocked print head.

Refill Instructions

NEVER let an ink cartridge run completely dry before refiling. This will damage the cartridge and potentially the printhead. 

It is good practice if you are refilling to have two sets of cartridges. One set in use inside the printer and one set, full of ink on standby. When one cartridge inside the printer requires refilling, take out the whole set and replace it with all the full cartridges. Every time you refill a single cartridge the printer will automatically run a purge cycle, so this will minimise the use of ink lost to purge cycles when topping up individual cartridges each time they are low.

Wearing food safe gloves:

• remove the ink cartridge from the printer

• place the previously reserved orange tab onto the bottom of the ink cartridge

• turn the cartridge over and remove the coloured plug

• using an uptake needle and syringe extract the edible ink from the refill bottle

• slowly insert the ink into the cartridge, being very carefully not to apply too much pressure

• when full, put the coloured plug back into the cartridge

• wipe the cartridge with a lint free cloth ensuring it is completely clean

• place the cartridge into the printer

• restart the printer

• if the printer does not immediately recognise the refilled cartridge, turn it off and unplug it from the power for at least 10 minutes to reset the printer memory.

Edible Image Supplies cleaning solution cartridges contain the same ingredients as our edible ink, without the colour.

If you do not print edible images regularly, the cleaning solution cartridges can be placed in your printer and used for the daily power on and off, weekly test print and fortnightly clean.

Note: the weekly test print will be blank, the objective is to keep the liquid flowing through the print head to prevent blockages.

When you are ready to print edible images again, take out the cleaning solution cartridges, reseal them and replace with your edible ink cartridges.

Ingredients

Edible Image Supplies cleaning solution is a formulation of water, humectant, preservative and acidifier.

Download the cleaning solution detailed data sheet here.

Edible Image Supplies Wonder transfer sheets are thin, food safe, plastic sheets, which have been coated with a cacao-butter product. This allows them to be printed with edible ink and used to transfer printed images to chocolate, meringue or isomalt.

Application

• Print the desired image on the Wonder transfer sheet using printing preferences, media type ‘mirror image’ or 't shirt transfer'
• Print on the coated side and leave to dry after printing approx. 20mins, longer for darker colours.

Chocolate

• Spread the chocolate evenly over the printed Wonder sheet.
• Leave for 5 minutes at room temperature.
• Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until chocolate completely solidified.
• Carefully peel away the transfer sheet and the image will be transferred to the chocolate.
• Click here for Customer Support Article: How to use the Chocolate Transfer Sheets with Chocolate Moulds.

Meringue

• Pipe prepared meringue evenly over the printed Wonder sheet.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 2 hours 70-75°C
• Open the oven door to release any steam.
• Remove from oven and carefully peel away the transfer sheet from the meringue.

Isomalt

• Pour prepared isomaltevenly over the printed Wonder sheet.
• Leave for 20 minutes until solidified or cool to the touch
• Carefully peel away the transfer sheet from the isomalt.
• Storage
• Keep sealed in the zip lock bag. Protect from direct sunlight.
• Store in a cool place 17-25°C.
• Wondertransfer sheets are supplied with a Use by Date.

Ingredients

Modified starches (1422, 1412), white sugar, cocoa butter, stabilizers (414, E460i), emulsifier (435, 322), humectant (422), flavours, food colour (171)vanillin, lecithin. Titanium dioxidecontent: < 0.3%.

Edible Image Supplies wafer paper sheets are produced in the Netherlands from natural ingredients.
Wafer paper sheets can be printed with Edible Images Supplies high quality edible ink for clear and vibrant images and crafted into a range of cake decorations and toppers.
Printed wafer paper can be applied in the same way as edible icing sheets, by using a fine mist of water.
Wafer paper sheets do not have a backing sheet.
The thickness range of the wafer paper sheets is 0.3mm – 0.6mm.
Kosher certified.

Storage

Store in original packaging, in an airtight container, at an ambient temperature.
Keep dry and protect from direct sunlight.
Edible Image Supplies wafer paper is supplied with a Use by Date on the pack.

Ingredients

Potato starch 86%, water 11%, olive oil 3%.

Click here to download Artisan Accents Colour Guide.