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If you're looking at getting into edible printing, you may be wondering which machine is best for you and your business needs. You may also have questions about what makes certain printers suitable for edible printing and which bundle of edible papers and inks you need to get started. There are several makes and models available on the market and with our 20+ years combined experience of edible printing onto edible paper mediums such as icing sheets, wafer paper, wafer card, chocolate and meringue transfer sheets, the team at Edible Print Supplies are a leader in the edible printing industry. We have seen and tested various makes and models of printers that have come to market for quality and compatibility with edible inks and papers.
Whether you have experience in edible printing or are looking into trying out edible printing for the first time, we have put together a helpful guide with our edible printer recommendations to help you choose the best model for you!
Edible Printer Features
So what makes a printer suitable for edible printing specifically? Not all printers are capable of printing quality edible images, the following features are essential for an edible printer to ensure they are safe, maintainable and compatible with edible papers:
- Print Quality - with varying print quality capabilities of different makes and models on the market, it is important to choose an edible printer which has a good print resolution to ensure you can achieve the best quality edible images for professional looking products.
- Rear Feed Tray - edible papers such as icing sheets, wafer paper and transfer sheets are more delicate than regular paper and having a rear feed tray prevents any issues with the papers breaking or jamming the printer when being fed from the cassette tray.
- Removable/Cleanable Printhead - edible ink in contact with the printer and print head can crystallise and cause blockages, it's important your chosen printer is easily maintained and the print head can be removed to clean any blockages occurred. This will ensure your printer runs smoothly and prevent damage.
- Brand New - possibly the most important feature, your chosen printer must be brand new and never used with regular inks. As regular ink can be left within the printer and print head, this can be harmful to health if ingested should a regular printer be then used with edible inks.
Edible Print Supplies only sell Canon Edible Printer Models which we have found to be the best edible printers on the market due to reliability, reputation, price and the fact that only Canon printers satisfy all the above important features for edible printing.
EPS Edible Printer Models
EPS supply three models of Canon PIXMA Edible Ink Printers with various features and price points. All of these printers are available with a choice of cartridge type and a range of edible printers and come with everything you need in one kit to get started. The following models are currently stocked by edible print supplies:-
- Canon PIXMA TS705a Edible Printer - this is our most popular choice of edible printer, particularly with beginners and those printed edible images to use on their own cakes, chocolates, drinks and more. It's our best priced edible printer so is an excellent choice for your business and is available as a starter kit with a sample of all of our edible paper types, ideal for those wanting to experiment with different mediums.
- Canon PIXMA iX6850 Edible Printer - another popular model, particular for those staring an edible printing business or requiring edible prints in high volumes, for example larger scale bakeries. This is also our recommended printer model for those wanting to use pre-cut icing sheets predominantly as it is more accurate in its alignment. the iX6850 is available with both icing sheets and wafer paper depending on the type of edible paper you use. Both kits come with both A4 and A3 edible papers.
- Canon PIXMA TS6350 Edible Printer - a popular choice for those wanting to copy and print physical photographs onto icing sheets for adding to cakes, biscuits and more. Another high quality printer which is compatible with all our edible paper types.
We have range of options of Canon inkjet printers for edible printing for you to choose from, regardless of your edible printing needs. You can browse our range of edible printers here.
Which Printer Kit is Right for Me?
Now you're all clued up on what important features are needed for your edible printer and have browsed our models on offer, you may still have questions about which edible printer model will meet your edible printing needs. There are a few considerations that need to be made to decide on the best edible printer model for you. You may want to consider the following:-
- Size - how many edible images will you be printing at one time?
- What type of edible printing will you be doing and for what use? eg. cake toppers, printed chocolate, cocktail toppers etc.
- What type of cartridges do you need?
- Do you need a scanner/copier feature?
- What kind of price range are you looking for?
Size - A3 or A4?
Whether you choose an A4 (standard size) or A3 (wide format) edible printer is a personal decision and depends on your edible printing requirements. Most domestic and first-time users start edible printing with an A4 Edible Printer such as the Canon TS705A and commercial bakery/confectioners tend to choose the A3 Edible Printer which prints on both A3 and A4 icing sheets and wafer paper. The only A3 edible printer currently available is the Canon IX6850 model. All of our edible printers are available as a complete edible printing package including edible ink, icing sheets, wafer paper and refillable cartridges.
A3/A4 Canon iX6850 Edible Image Printer Kit - with Icing Sheets
What will you be Using your Edible Printer For?
All three of the Canon edible printer models supplied by Edible Print Supplies are compatible with all types of edible paper and ink. You do not need a specific printer for printing chocolate transfers for example, making them an excellent versatile option for those who use edible prints for a range of different products and uses.
We have however, put together a range of edible printer kits with a choice of edible papers as well as cartridge types so you can choose the best bundle for you, whether you're printing edible cake toppers with icing sheets or cocktail toppers with wafer paper. You can browse our full range of kits here.
Cartridge Type
All of our Canon edible printer kits are available with both pre-filled edible ink cartridges and refillable edible ink cartridges. Both types of cartridges have their benefits - pre-filled edible ink cartridges are quicker and ready to go while refillable edible ink cartridges are more cost effective and environmentally friendly in the long run, but do require more work. We recommend reading our blog post on how to fill your refillable edible ink cartridges before getting started with this option.
Do you Need a Scanner/Copier Function?
The only edible printer model stocked by EPS which has scanner/copier is the Canon Pixma TS6350 printer. Scanners may be handy to have to be able to copy and print a photo onto icing sheets/edible paper to be used on a cake without the need for connecting to a laptop/computer. This allows even old physical photographs to be scanned and printed onto your cakes, biscuits and chocolates!
Canon TS6350 Edible Printer Kit includes scanning and copying functions
Price Range
The price variations in our edible printer kits are mainly down to the model and accompanying edible paper bundle. It is down to your personal choice, printing needs and preferences as to which printer you choose for your business.
You may also find looking at the prices of compatible cartridges useful when making your choice, particularly when using prefilled edible ink cartridges, as the price can vary depending on the model. You can browse edible ink cartridges for each of our edible printers here:-
Whilst some models offer a higher print quality than others, in our opinion, the differences in print quality on all the Canon printers available from Edible Print Supplies is comparable. In other words, print quality is excellent on all of the Canon printers we have on offer across our range of price points.
We hope we've covered the main questions you may have when looking to purchase a new edible printer and you're now ready to get started! However, if you do have any further questions before buying, you can email us on sales@edibleprintsupplies.co.uk or give us a call on 01254825786 and one of the team will be happy to help you make your choice!
For further edible printing tips and inspiration, you can see our other blog posts or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok! We also have videos on our YouTube channel to help you when using your edible printer.