i'll be doing rolled fondant cupcakes with chinese characters on them. i was originally going to paint them on with food colouring, but because my handwriting is terrible i thought maybe a chinese hole punch (for paper) would produce a better result.
one like this?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230373358557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_832wt_958

has anyone done this successfully? would i have to break open the punch so that i can get to the actual cutting bit and just press it into the fondant? i'll be doing 160 or so...

What an interesting concept - i like it.
Have never done this - but i am thinking that if you roll your Fondant paper thin, dust it with icing sugar/confectioners sugar, let it sit for about 5 - 10 minutes to stiffen, then cut out the actual sizes you need, slide a paper thin piece through the hole punch, punch, then carefully remove - it should work.

No doubt after about two ot three you would have to empty the off cuts from the hole punch - i don't see why it wouldn't work.

Would love to see all 160 completed - i think it will be an amazing affect.

Bluehue.

Oh my 160. When I've done similar, I've had to let the fondant get a little crispy then punch it out. But then I discoverd how easy rice paper was to use in those. Because my insanity bloomed anew when punching fondant--very ticky process for moi. <shudder>

But still yet I think I'd cut a stencil with the punch and do it that way--I mean I think it's easier to cut several stencils like if one pooped out on yah and use dusts or used it as a template or something.

Shoot I think I"d just print the characters off on the computer and cut them out that way.

Punchy ramblings for yah.

ive tried it with a martha stewart hole punch with a certain design.after rolling out the fondant really thin and punching the design in,trying to get it out without tearing it or distorting it was hard.so i would think breaking it open would probably be better. i haven't had a chance to try it yet,but thats exactly what i thought of doing.just wasn't sure it would work if i broke it open,but i still would like to try.

This post is making me nervous now because it was sucha pain in the arse to punch out fondant...but it's so pretty.

Rice paper. Or whatever paper is edible--oh yeah, wafer paper--that was what I used! (duh Kate)

Oh gosh--that is so wonderfully geometric--I'd so make a stencil--easy peasy. I was picturing the wavy beautiful characters that ebb and flow and mean a certain certain thing printed a certain certain way--that is a very forgiving EZ one!

Thank you, Bluebuddy.

Here's some wafer paper snowflakes on an ancient cake~~

http://acmecakes.com/images/snowflakecake.jpg

And this next is just is just a cake popped out/slopped out from leftovers but
the leaves sprinkled on the bottom border are fondant --and I like jumbled the leaf colors together so the leaves came out 'changing' colors like fall leaves do. These were fun but the blood pressure is rising just thinking about it.

The leaves ingloriously placed on the sides of the cake are piped.

Paper punches work just fine on fondant. It could be done with gumpaste too...gumpaste (Nick Lodge recipe anyhow) doesn't seem as sticky as fondant and it behaves better.

But anyhow, I've done lots of shapes with scrapbook punches and it alll works. It doesn't get stuck in the machine like you're thinking of, as long as you've dusted it well with cornstarch. I've done snowflakes and skull and crossbones, which are pretty complicated shapes, and they all work.

When I did these (only 120) cookies. I made a stencil from the lid of a shortening can and used a spatula to smooth royal icing across the stencil. Viola!!! Talk about easy peasy. I stenciled RI on RI but I'm sure it would work with fondant. Good luck.

  http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1451938.html

o i just realised they have chinese character cookie cutters - so i guess that'd be less fiddly than using a hole punch.