So I really want to buy a printer that will be compatible with edible ink and I have no idea which one to buy. I have seen some on Ebay (a couple Epson's and one Canon) and also have seen some on some other sites. Which one is the best to get for the most reasonable price? What should I be looking for & where is the best place to buy one? Also, can I buy a regular printer & just take out the regular ink & replace it with edible ink?

I don't know anything about canons as I have an epson and love it. Edible ink cartridges are only made for certain models of printers. You can check with icingimages and kopykake to see which ones they support. You can't use a printer that has been used with regular ink.

Hi SugarMama!
Here we go!!!! Yes, you can purchase your own printer and use it for edible use only. But the printer must be new. The disadvantage to doing that is you loose the warranty service an edible imaging company gives you. We really stand behind our printers, I cant speak for others.

Canon vs Epson. People love and people hate both!! Alot depends on how they used them and whose products they use. It can even depend on the climate that they are in. I have been doing this for almost 11 years now. We sell, service and use these all the printers I am going to reference. If you need a printer that prints up to 11x17, than the Epson Workforce 1100 is the way to go. The Canon wide formats are too finicky and cause more problems then it is worth. Now, I only recommend this printer and all the printers I am speaking of with the Gold Label series ink. The ink does make the most difference in edible printing. The Gold Label series cartridges are refillable right in the printer so you have no contamination and little to no mess if you follow the instructions that come with it. If you only need to print up to 8.5x13.75" than I would go with either the Canon MP 560 or the Canon ip3600. Both are equally as good, but one has a scanner built in and the ip3600 is just a printer. Again, I recommend the Gold Label series inks to go with it otherwise you may have problems.

Now Icing Sheets vary as well. We sell three brands. The first is our house brand. It is similar to KK and it is the thinnest brand. It can be finicky in that humidity and dryness can effect it. But many people love the thinness. But with thin comes cracking and or sticking to backing all of which can be overcome. The second that we carry is the Lucks. The Lucks is the same as what you see on the edible images in the grocery store. This is the middle of the road brand and can also be effected by climate but is less problematic than the house brand. The final brand, the Icing Images Premium brand is my choice! It is the thickest of the three but still merges well. It is not affected as much by the weather so it peals easily under all conditionis. It tastes the best and prints edge to edge on the width and only leaves a 1/2" lead edge. Its a very easy to use icing sheet!

I hope this is helpful to you!

I bought an HP Printer (much less expensive) and ordered on line the HP edible "ink" cartridges. It works great and I saved money!

I've owned a couple of both and I prefer Epson. It seems to have fewer issues with clogged heads and lasts longer.

what ever printer you decide to get make sure to print a small picture at least once a week on regular paper, this is a must otherwise the heads will block.

Clogging really has to do with the brand of ink and how often you use your printer. With our Canon Gold Label ink, we have been carrying it for over a year and we do not stock printheads. Havent had to yet which is pretty amazing. Now the previous generations of Canons that took the NON gold label inks that were sponged, there was clogging. But now...very few. The problems some of our customers do have, from letting it sit, we havent had to replace printheads for. Pretty amazing! I think it has to do with the spongeless technology and the quality of the inks. But either way, its been awesome!!!

Thanks for your input for which printers are good to get. I ended up getting the canon mp560. I'm looking forward to getting everything set up! I do have another question for you. Actually two questions. First, are there any stores/websites that carry the icing images line of products in Canada? Second, do I need to have special software to print my images? I would imagine I would need some, specifically for the various sizes of circles, etc. Does icing images sell any? I peeked on your website but I don't recall seeing any.

I also saw that you guys sell SugarVeil. That stuff looks fun! Is it fairly easy to work with?

Thanks for your help!

Yu can download edible artist free, just do a google search.

Another quick question... If I am printing out say the 2 inch circles for cupcakes (for example), does the whole sheet I print out have to be the same image, or can I have multiple images for on one sheet? I still have to play around & see what it will do...

Thanks again!

At this point it has to be the same. We are updating our software so that we will be able to use multiple images. I am also working on another idea that will work as well.

Please help, I have the Epson CX8400, which I bought two years ago. Problem is I used it twice and haven't used it in over 18 months, I know it has to be clogged, so what do I need to do at this point to get it up and working?? Please

Which would you recommend? Since the printhead does not come out, does that mean it is completrely riuned and can't be used even for regular printing?

red velvet:
I am sorry, but usually, not always, when a printer sits that long with ink in it, it clogs, and clogs hard. I am not saying that it cannot be unclogged, but the money you will spend trying, and the odds are against you. It is just better to cut your losses when it sits that long. If it was a Canon, there is a much stronger possiblitity because you can remove the printhead and clean it. I dont mean to sound pessamistic, but in my experience, it is not worth spending money on the fresh cartrdiges in hopes that you might be able to get the clog out. If it were me, I would spend my money on a new printer and new cartridges for it. BUTTTTT before you do, make sure you are going to commit to using it. If you dont use it at least once per week, it is just not worth it. Yes, there is a chance you may get the clog out, but the odds are against you and it would be wrong for me to say, go get new cartridges and try this and that it might work. It all has to do with the chance that you probably will not be able to get the clog out. Sorry

SugarMaMa: Well, the software we are working with is suppose to be done by ICES. I am not holding my breath honestly, so I found a software that I am playing with that does!!! It is just a printing program. I will try to finish my testings next week and let you know. If you dont hear from me, PM, or check my forum, I will be sure to post it there!!!

If you spent that much in the last month, you really should consider getting the new printer. You can figure the image costs $2 to print, conservatively, so if you are printing that much, you really do need to seriously consider a new printer. Just be sure to use the printer when you get it!

Debbie, I'm excited to know if that software will work out! Crossing my fingers that it does... I have some fun ideas I want to try out but don't want to print 9 million sheets to do it! I'll check in again in a couple days or PM you to see what you found! Thanks!

I know it works, I just have to finish up the instructions with it.