Inexpensive Edible Image Printer And Airbrush????
Decorating By Niquie Updated 28 May 2009 , 2:54am by JulyMama
I bought an epson on ebay for under $60 then bought the frosting sheets and ink from kopykake. If you go to kopykake's website they have of list of which printers they have cartridges for. Ebay also has a wide range of airbrushes and compressors. Just be sure you get a compressor with a moisture filter and has a guage so you can control the psi. If you do a search there is a lengthy thread on airbrushes.
I don't know about airbrushes because i'm still trying to find one, but you can buy an epson printer for about $60-$100(i have model NX400) and all you need is edible ink & frosting sheets.
Niquie, I have both and I am cheap. I purchased my printer direct from epson. It is a brand new model just discontinued. It was on there clearance section. I got the printer a Epson stylus C-88 for $44.00 and free shipping. then I purchase my in cartridges from kopykake. They are a little expensive but I refill them and use a chip resetter to reset the ink cartridge.
The Air brush is a small compressor and brush set for cake decorating.
On E-bay. I paid $75.00
hope this helps Triple D
Hi. I just bought an Epson NX400 for 89.99+tax just yesterday.
This printer is compatible with inks if you purchase them from Kopykake (KK) (www.kopykake.com)
It's actually the printer that they use in their "Kwikscan" system, which is just the printer, inks and some frosting sheets that they put together for you. The rep @ KK said it's cheaper buying separately the way I did.
If you get a printer, either get a Canon or Epson. KK has a list of compatible printers for the inks that they sell, which I would suggest looking at before buying and picking from the list. Before the Epson, I bought a Canon PIXMA printer for $39.97 from Walmart!!! Unfortunately it wasn't compatible with edible ink cartridges.
Hope this helps. Give a holler if you want more info. & I'll try to help.
Honestly, the printer is the least expensive part of the whole setup. The ink cartridges and icing sheets are where it starts to add up. I also have an Epson NX400, that I think was about $50-$60. Target puts them on sale often, and you can buy them on Amazon as well.
As for airbrushes, you get what you pay for. There's one (a GD100, I believe) that is supposedly inexpensive and reliable. However, if you're just starting out, I'd wait on the airbrush to make sure it's something you *really* need. I bought mine (a Paasche) pretty early on, and while I dont regret it, I SHOULD have ordered my Agbay first. (Which I now own, and couldnt IMAGINE living without) My airbrush is my most under used piece of equipment. I need to find time to take a class, but until then, it's sitting on the shelf only to be used for the occassional cake.
It's actually the printer that they use in their "Kwikscan" system, which is just the printer, inks and some frosting sheets that they put together for you. The rep @ KK said it's cheaper buying separately the way I did.
Yes! you will save about $300 buying them separately....do not buy the Kwikscan system! All they do is put a few buttons and a banner in the box & hike the price up. Plus, if you buy the printer yourself, the regular ink cartridges comes with it...you will need those to clean the print/ink heads, unless you want to waste all your edible ink.
It's actually the printer that they use in their "Kwikscan" system, which is just the printer, inks and some frosting sheets that they put together for you. The rep @ KK said it's cheaper buying separately the way I did.
Yes! you will save about $300 buying them separately....do not buy the Kwikscan system! All they do is put a few buttons and a banner in the box & hike the price up. Plus, if you buy the printer yourself, the regular ink cartridges comes with it...you will need those to clean the print/ink heads, unless you want to waste all your edible ink.
This is a very good piece of information. I unfortunately learned this the hard way after blowing through $90 worth of edible ink that I was actually supposed to be cleaning the printer with the regular ink cartridges. I agree that you can get an inexpensive printer anywhere, but it is the edible ink and frosting sheets that will really add up for you. I bought an Epson and I love it, but for as often as I use it I could have just had my local cake shop make the images for me and save myself a lot of trouble.
I bought an Epson and I love it, but for as often as I use it I could have just had my local cake shop make the images for me and save myself a lot of trouble.
I try to find ways to use mine, I'm making a camera cake and i'm using the customers picture on the display screen...instead of having a blank screen, like i see most ppl do. I think it's GENIUS!!! 
I bought an Epson and I love it, but for as often as I use it I could have just had my local cake shop make the images for me and save myself a lot of trouble.
I try to find ways to use mine, I'm making a camera cake and i'm using the customers picture on the display screen...instead of having a blank screen, like i see most ppl do. I think it's GENIUS!!!
Love that idea!!! Very smart thinking!!!
Ashley
Would it be a bad idea to purchase a refurbished one?
Ashley
I don't know, but here's a good thread about EIP:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-617044.html
Awesome idea, cupcakesnbuttercream!!
I have a question. Hopefully I'm not "hijacking the thread". I hope this will help Ashley as well.
I'm curious about cleaning the printer heads with regular ink. Aren't you supposed to keep your edible image printer totally free of regular ink? Maybe i just don't properly understand what is meant by cleaning the heads...
I thought you weren't supposed to use regular ink in them at all which is why I wasted an entire set of cartridges trying to clean mine so it would print right. Then I called Kopykake and the guy there told me that the regular ink cartridges have alcohol in them which cleans the printer heads when you use them in the cleaning mode and the edible ink cartridges don't have that so basically I was just shooting a bunch of ink into my already clogged printer. They told me I could do it so I guessed that it was ok 
Any comments on purchasing one that has been refurbished or is recertified? I found one that is recertified for $39.99, which is super cheap but I'm not so sure about it. It is one of the brands that was listed for use on the other printer thread that was posted earlier. The site says that recertified printers are items that have been returned to an authorized factory repair facility for testing, inspecting, and repair by certified technicians. Does this mean that they are used printers? I guess I'm just a dummy right now!!! I don't want a used one, because of all the obvious reasons one wouldn't want to use edible images from a used printer, so what are your takes on this? Thanks.
Ashley
I'm still working through that other thread, but it has been mentioned that someone at Kopykake told them you could use edible/inedible inks in the same printer, which I KNOW isn't true.
Cupcake 900, I can also see where it wouldn't make any sense to run edible ink to unclog the edible ink. SO confusing.
Niquie, I believe refurbished printers are used printers. On the other thread they advised not buying a refurbished printer. Also, lots of people have said you can get a new one for about $60. To me, it would be worth the extra $20 to get a new one so I wouldn't have to worry.
Niquie, I have both and I am cheap. I purchased my printer direct from epson. It is a brand new model just discontinued. It was on there clearance section. I got the printer a Epson stylus C-88 for $44.00 and free shipping. then I purchase my in cartridges from kopykake. They are a little expensive but I refill them and use a chip resetter to reset the ink cartridge.
The Air brush is a small compressor and brush set for cake decorating.
On E-bay. I paid $75.00
hope this helps Triple D
How do you refill and with what? What is a chipsetter?
Thanks
Ok so I have a question within a question. I have a copier that I do not use anymore since my kids bought a new one. Can I now use edible ink and use it or is it to late since it was used with regular ink?
ok i guess my question was answered before I read the whole thread. Thanks
Awesome idea, cupcakesnbuttercream!!
I have a question. Hopefully I'm not "hijacking the thread". I hope this will help Ashley as well.
I'm curious about cleaning the printer heads with regular ink. Aren't you supposed to keep your edible image printer totally free of regular ink? Maybe i just don't properly understand what is meant by cleaning the heads...
This is an a quote from handymama, it's on pg 11 of the thread i posted earlier: Tech support at Kopykake told me to use regular cartridges to clean the heads (I had used up most of my set of edible ink trying to get the thing to print well). When I expressed concern about contamination he said that switching back and forth is fine because no ink is stored in the Epson heads. In fact, he said NOT to use the EI ink for head cleaning because it doesn't have the solvents needed to do the job, and just wastes ink. I bought Epson cartridges, put them in, and after 3-4 cleanings it's almost perfect. I'll let it set overnight and do another nozzle check, but I'm confident that it's almost there. Once the heads are clean I'll put the EI cartridges back in. Since I always do a test run on paper before printing on icing sheets or wafer paper, that will wash out any Epson ink residue. I'm delighted and hopeful that I'll finally be able to use this printer as intended. So, to answer your question the official Kopykake stance is that the printer you're looking at should be just fine--something I never would have said a few days ago.
Thank you, cupcakesnbuttercream. I also found information on page 9. I feel much better about it now.
Ashley - any luck finding a printer? Target has the NX400 on sale right now for $69.99. That also seems to be the lowest price on Ebay for the same printer.
Learnincakes and I are wondering what a chip resetter is.
Thank you, cupcakesnbuttercream. I also found information on page 9. I feel much better about it now.
Ashley - any luck finding a printer? Target has the NX400 on sale right now for $69.99. That also seems to be the lowest price on Ebay for the same printer.
I saw that one, and the NX100 for $49.99. I know you all think I'm being super cheap, but I am just starting out, so I have to be super cheap since this is money that is being taken away from my family bank account. I don't mind cheap stuff, as long as it works, LOL!!! I am trying to decide on the 2. I know $20.00 may not be a big deal to some of you, but I start thinking about how many diapers I can get for my newborn with that extra 20 that I am thinking about spending. Not to mention I have to spend even more purchasing image sheets and ink also. Thanks for all the help, and if anyone else has anything else to add, please do so.
Ashley
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