Icing Sheet Questions
:: Are the icing sheets (edible
paper/frosting sheets) EU approved ? (European Union Food Standards Agency)
:: What is the shelf life of the
icing sheets?
:: What do the icing sheet taste
like?
:: What type of icing should I have
on my cake?
:: Will the printed icing sheet
meld onto icing that has set for a day or more?
:: How do I remove the icing sheet
from the plastic backing sheet?
:: What do I do if the icing sheets
are dry & brittle?
:: After printing on the icing sheet,
can they be stored for use later?
Edible ink Cartridge Questions
:: Are the edible inks EU approved
? (European Union Food Standards Agency)
:: How many icing sheets can I
print with a set of edible cartridges?
Printer & Printhead Questions
:: What Printers are compatible
with anycake.com's range of edible ink cartridges?
:: Why do my prints with edible
ink have lines running through them?
:: How do I clean the print head?
Scanner Questions
:: What scanners are compatible?
:: What resolution (dpi) should
the images be scanned?
Software Questions
:: What software can be used
for printing edible images?
_________________________________________________________________
Icing Sheet Questions
Are the icing sheets (edible paper/frosting sheets) EU approved?
Yes
What is
the shelf life of the icing sheets?
The shelf life
of the icing sheets is 1 year, although they must be kept in
the zip lock bags.
What do the icing sheet taste like?
The icing sheets have no
noticeable taste.
What type of icing
should I have on my cake?
The printed icing sheet
can be applied to almost any kind of icing such as, sugar
paste icing, fondant, royal icing, or butter-cream.
Will the printed icing sheet meld
onto icing that has set for a day or more?
If the icing on the cake appears dry, apply a fine mist of water to the cake
before applying the printed icing sheet. This may be achieved by spraying a fine
mist of water on the cake, or by using a basting brush
(see 'Step 1' in demo page)
How do I remove the icing
sheet from the plastic backing sheet?
After
printing, leave the image out in normal room conditions for
about 5 - 15 minutes. Drying time and methods depend entirely
on the ambient humidity. In some cases the humidity may be so
high that the icing sheets will NOT easily release from the
paper after the normal drying period. In these conditions we
recommend the following methods for removal of the icing
sheet:
1. Use a blower type Hair dryer (or any
other hot air supply) on the reverse side of the backing sheet
on high hot for 30-40 seconds. After heating the backing
sheet, let it cool down before attempting to remove the icing
sheet. (the cooling process allows the icing sheet to
stiffen)This method is very reliable and should solve your
release problems.
2. Place in a warm dry oven
at a low temperature, for about 1-2 minutes, or lay the sheet
on a warm pan for a minute or two. As in the previous method,
let the backing sheet cool down before attempting to remove
the icing sheet.
3. Placing finished icing sheet
into a FREEZER will allow easy removal after about 10 to 15
seconds, providing the freezer is a DRY freezer and not a WET
freezer. You should remove the sheet immediately after taking
it out from the freezer (before it defrosts) & put it on
the cake.
To remove icing sheet from backing
sheet pull sheet over the sharp edge of a table top as shown
in the picture.
Remember
the only reason the icing sheets will not easily come off the
backing sheet, is that the icing sheet is still wet. THEY WILL
RELEASE WHEN THEY ARE DRY.
In high humidity areas, we
recommend taking the icing sheet from the ZipLock bag for
sometime prior to printing, which may also help the drying
process.
What do I do if the icing
sheets are dry & brittle?
If the icing sheets
are dry and brittle they have dried out too much. This is
usually caused by a faulty zip-lock bag, or failure to close
the zip lock bag after removing an icing sheet.
To
re-humidify the icing sheets they may be sprayed with a fine
mist of water, using an airbrush, or any other water misting
device. They will become moist again, and you may have to wait
a few minutes for them to dry back to a usable
condition.
You can also bring moisture back into the icing
sheets by holding them over a pot of steaming water for a few
seconds, or place them into a high humidity proofing area or
proof box if available for a short time.
Do not
place brittle icing sheets into a printer. They will break off
during printing and cause a paper jam in the
printer
After printing on the icing
sheet, can they be stored for use later?
Yes the
icing sheets can be stored for use at a later time. Leave the
printed icing sheet on the backing sheet and place it back in
a zip-lock bag. You may choose to dry the printed icing sheet
before or after storage.
Edible ink Cartridge Questions
Are the edible inks EU approved?
Yes.
How many
icing sheets can I print with a set of edible
cartridges?
25/09/09 - TO BE UPDATED.
Printer & Printhead Questions
What Printers are compatible with anycake.com's range of edible
ink cartridges?
Click on the following link for a list of printers that are compatible with our
range of edible ink cartridges:
Edible
ink cartridge printer compatibility
We currently recommend the
Canon
PIXMA IP3500 for A4 printing & the Canon
PIXMA
ix4000 for A3 printing.
Why do my prints with edible ink have lines running through
them?
The clogging or blocking of the nozzles within the print head are what we
refer to as "banding". Banding results in the presence of lines running across
the printed page. Normally the lines are a few millimetres wide and may be white
or not the correct colour.
Banding is a result of the edible ink drying in the print head and restricting
the flow of ink to the icing sheet. To eliminate banding on the print, the print
head should be cleaned.
How do I clean the print head?
In order to clean the print head follow the instructions below:
1. In Windows, open the control panel.
2. Select printers.
3. Right click on the Canon printer that is causing the problem.
4. From the dropdown menu select "Properties".
5. Click on the "Maintenance" tab.
6. Click on the option to clean the print head & follow the instructions.
The cleaning procedure may have to be carried out several times.
Scanner Questions
What scanners are compatible?
Basically any scanner that is compatible with you PC & operating system.
What resolution (dpi) should the images be scanned?
We would recommend 300dpi. Any larger will take up significant amounts of
your computers memory. Scanning at higher resolution (quality) will hardly be
noticed in the final print on icing sheets.
Software Questions
What software can be used for printing edible images?
You do not require any special software for printing on the icing sheets, however
we can supply KopyKake's FREE 'Desktop Decorator' software. The Desktop Decorator
software has templates for the various sizes of icing sheets available &
is very easy to use.
When printing our mail order 'cake tops' we use 'Adobe Photoshop Elements' for
scanning & editing images & 'Microsoft Word' for printing.