Edible Ink Has Dried Out......

Decorating By KateLS Updated 10 Feb 2012 , 1:41pm by pmarks0

KateLS Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KateLS Posted 9 Feb 2012 , 4:43am
post #1 of 7

...on my edible ink printer. Have any of you had this problem? Did you solve it? Will I just have to buy more?

Thanks!

~Kate

6 replies
icingimages Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
icingimages Posted 9 Feb 2012 , 9:12pm
post #2 of 7

I have some questions so I can help.
First, are the cartridges dried out, or is it the printhead?
Why do you think they are dry, did you do a nozzle check?
What brand of inks? How long has your printer sat unused and how old is your printer?
Sorry for all the questions, but they help me to figure out what I can suggest for you!

KateLS Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
KateLS Posted 9 Feb 2012 , 10:32pm
post #3 of 7

Thank you....I think I've discovered what's going on. I talked to a guy from Kopy Kake... (Where I bought them originally)

I had a couple of strikes against me....

-The cartridges are 1 1/2 years old.
-I haven't used the printer in a year.

So the print head is clogged and my cartridges sort of work when I add water to them, but it just jams the head right back up.

So yes, I have on my bookmark to buy some more cartridges from you guys, this time. =)

I just need to talk my husband into it. =) Guess this will be my Valentine's gift instead of that wall mirror I wanted. =)

But question......why is shipping so expensive? I was originally just going to buy icing sheets, but they were almost $12.00 shipping. But now that I need ink, it makes it a bit more worth it, since with the ink and the icing sheets, the shipping doesn't go up.

icingimages Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
icingimages Posted 9 Feb 2012 , 11:28pm
post #4 of 7

You may have a real challenge on your hands. I would take your printhead out and soak it in a bowl of hot water. Keep a paper towel underneath the printhead while it soaks.
Hopefully it will be ok when you get the new cartridges.

I know shipping has become so expensive. Gas has gone up so much and it is has really effected the rates. What you will notice is the base price of shipping is set just to ship but as you add more product it doesn't cost too much more. There was yet another rate hike. I wish there was more we could do. We use to use the post office but their rates have gone up too and we found that they loose things an damage them too much. Feeds has accountability and our customers get their products in a timely manner and for the most part it is undamaged

pmarks0 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
pmarks0 Posted 10 Feb 2012 , 3:31am
post #5 of 7

Debbie,

Not to hijack this thread, but I bought a printer for edible image printing last year when it was dirt cheap but haven't even unpacked it. I haven't bought inks yet, and I find that I only need an images printed every few months. I have bought the edible inks yet, just because there have been other financial expenditures needed. My question is, can one buy the inks, print with them and then remove them to store safely so they (or the print head) don't dry out and just put them back into the printer when needed? Just a thought...

Thanks,

icingimages Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
icingimages Posted 10 Feb 2012 , 1:15pm
post #6 of 7

Printing images is a great investment if....you are going to print regularly. Otherwise, there is no guarantee as to what will happen. Sometimes it is fine, other times it is not. We do not recommend that you buy a printer if you are not going to be using it at least once every 1-2 weeks. While people attempt to store the inks, it doesnt always work. If you are not going to use your printer regularly, you are better off purchasing the prints from someone otherwise you will hate edible printing. That being said, many people do not always listen! I dont always listen so, if you are going to store it, a lot depends on what brand cartridges you are going to be using. We have found that letting the ink stay in the printer and printing on regular paper at least every one to two weeks is the best way to go. The ink costs about the same as regular ink, however they can be refilled and that prevents clogging. If you want to remove the ink, then you will have to clean the printhead and put that in an airtight bag, however, you can never truly be sure as to whether or not you cleaned all the ink out and so you do not know whether or not you will come back to a clog. If you are using sponged cartridges, then the sponge can harden over time. You really do not know what you are coming back to when it is time to print. So, I hope I answered your question.

On a better note, if you want to use your printer, find any area bakery or a few local cake decorators who do not have a machine and print for them!

pmarks0 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
pmarks0 Posted 10 Feb 2012 , 1:41pm
post #7 of 7

Thanks Debbie, I thought of offering printing services to other decorators.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%