Edible Ink - What is it?

Have you seen cakes with nice pictures on them? If so, then you have seen the results of what you can do with Edible ink. Monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for consumer safety, three of the major printer manufacturers currently produce edible ink in addition to their normal ink: HP, Epson, and Canon. There are also various online and offline stores that make their own. Edible ink consists mostly of food coloring.

Edible Ink Uses

With more and more people these days seeking to customize their cakes, edible ink uses has gone up considerably. Many bakeries now offer a service whereby you can put a photo onto a cake with the ink and edible printer paper (usually made up of rice or starch). Photos printed this way can also be used on a variety of other foods like cookies or cupcakes. The possibilities are still increasing.

Edible Ink Printing

The standards for making these inks are controlled by the FDA, so they are safe to eat. Any inkjet printer that is produced by HP, Canon, or Epson are capable of using these inks. The manufacturers of the inks will tell you which specific printers are compatible with their product. It should be noted though that if you decide to print with edible ink, do not use that printer for anything else. Normal printer ink is toxic and therefore not safe for consumption.