I've never worked with edible images before, so if this is a dumb question, please forgive me.
I have a cake due this week-end for a lingere shower that the design is so detailed and complex that I believe the easiest way would be to have an edible image done. Hopefully my local Wal-Mart can do this for me. Am I correct that this is done on rice paper?
My question is: How do I adhere the image to a cake that will be covered in BC?
All help/suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Did my first edible image Friday night. Easy Peasy. While rice paper can be used, the images you get printed from party supply stores or Wal-Mart are printed on thin sheets of frosting with a paper backing.

First, I used scissors to trim the sheet as close as possible to the actual image. Then I frosted my cake with buttercream, smoothed it with a Viva paper towel, and then applied the image before the frosting crusted. I lightly smoothed it with a paper towel as well.

It really couldn't have been easier. I'll definitely do it again.

Good luck!

Thank you so much, Kim.
Another dumb question ~ do you take it off the paper backing? If so, how?
Sorry for all the questions, but thanks so much for your help!!

My first instructor taught us (before the wonder of cake printers ) to paint on wafer paper and apply that to the cake. You just paint with a water color brush using food color paste thinned with extract. After you paint, spraying the wafer paper with a quick shot of Pan helps to seal it all. Then you can cut the wafer and smooth it on to the cake.

One use I had for this is when I made a cake for my sister that was covered with cow spots. Instead of painting a design, I painted the wafer straight black with thicker coloring, then Pam-med, then cut the cow spot shapes from the wafer to lay on the cake. Worked great because the spots had a nice finish and no one had to eat a big blop of black frosting (unless they WANTED to eat the wafer )

Just another alternative, though kind of old school.

Yes you remove the paper backing befor you place it on the cake. Go to kopy Kake.com and they will give you the directions to use on edible images. Hope this helps

Thanks everyone!!

Yes you need to peel off the backing as this is not edible, the instructions normally comes with the edible photo, but incase it doesn't all u do is freeze it for a few mins, not more than 5mins, and this will stiffen the edible icing enuff for you to peel it off from the backing, don't be in a hurry so as not to rip it, it shld come off easily if not pop it back in the freezer for a few more mins.
Hope it turns out ok.. all the best

because i made this mistake with my first edible image....

place the image on top of white buttercream! if the buttercream is colored it will show through underneath.

Great information. Thanks so much!