Edible image printers and supplies for cake decorators

A short pointer guide to where Cake! Network members buy their edible-image printers, ink, and sheets in Australia. It covers the two A4 printing systems Edible Image Supplies sells, the suppliers who will print sheets to your file if you do not want your own printer, and where to refill the consumables once you are running.

Buying your own printer: the two EIS A4 systems

Edible Image Supplies sells a complete A4 edible printing system in two versions. Both pair an A4 edible-ink printer with food-grade ink and the consumables you print on; the difference is which sheet medium comes in the box.

• A4 system with icing sheets. The everyday choice. Prints onto icing (wafer-style) sheets that go straight onto buttercream, fondant, or a fondant-backed surface. See the A4 system with icing sheets.
• A4 system with chocolate transfer sheets. For printing onto chocolate transfer sheets, so the image sets into a chocolate surface rather than sitting on icing. See the A4 system with chocolate transfer sheets.

If you mostly decorate with buttercream and fondant, the icing-sheet system is the one to start with. Reach for the chocolate transfer version when chocolate work is the bulk of what you make. Check each product page for the current price, the printer model, and exactly what is in the box, since EIS updates the bundles from time to time.

If you would rather order printed sheets

Several Cake! Network suppliers will print to your supplied image and post you the finished sheet, rather than selling you a printer of your own.

Member savings are shown as published; the exact discount and how to claim it are on each supplier's partner page. Prices are set by the supplier and can change.

If you would rather buy a different starter kit

Cakers Warehouse also sells its own Edible Image Printer Starter Kit at A$600, with Cake! Members receiving 10% off most items online. Cakers stocks the broader ink range alongside the kit, with Canon 650/651, 670/671, 675, and 680/1 cartridge sets, plus 100ml refill bottles.

Visit Cakers Warehouse.

If you already have a printer and need supplies

Statewide Food Distributors in Western Australia carries a dedicated Edible Printing Supplies category covering icing sheets, edible inks and cartridges, and wafer paper. Brands stocked include Lemon Tree, Primus Wafer Paper, Bake Print, and Over The Top. The 680/681 Canon cartridge sets (the same model the EIS A4 system uses) and 100ml refill bottles are stocked alongside icing sheets in singles and trade packs. Cake! Members receive 5% off wholesale prices.

Visit Statewide Food Distributors.

My Dream Cake (above) also stocks edible-ink cartridges, refills, and icing sheets via the Tasty Images range, in addition to its print-as-a-service offering.

Working tips for using edible images well

Three things that come up often enough to be worth knowing before you print your first sheet.

Back the image with fondant before you put it on buttercream.

Direct-to-buttercream application is more prone to colour bleed and to the image lifting; a fondant carrier gives the image a stable surface.

• Roll a thin layer of fondant to the same shape as the image.
• Use a thin smear of vegetable shortening (Copha is the one most Australian decorators reach for) as the adhesive between fondant and image.
• Place the fondant-backed image onto the buttercream.

Store sheets sealed until you use them.

Commercial-fridge humidity is the enemy of an applied edible image; condensation gets between the image and the surface and adhesion lifts.

• Keep the printed sheet in its original packaging or a lidded container until you are ready.
• Apply the image as one of the last steps before service.
• Move the cake to fridge or display promptly after application.

For anything bigger than A4, use a service.

The EIS A4 system maxes out at A4 sheets.

• Cake Decorating Central : A$33 inc GST per A3 sheet.
• My Dream Cake : A$40 per A3 sheet via Tasty Images.