Edible Image Printer Maintenance

05/10/2022

Edible Image Printer Maintenance

Edible Ink printers require regular maintenance to ensure quality printing.

The ink contains ingredients that can crystalize when temperatures get too hot or cold, or the printer is unused for a long period of time.

Your main concern is to keep the nozzles of the print head unclogged. Excess colour drying on the outside of the nozzles or sediment build up inside the nozzle will cause problems with the print quality.

You may notice white horizontal lines on your print (no ink has been sprayed in that area), which will indicate a print nozzle is clogged. To determine which nozzle is affected, run a nozzle check through the printer Maintenance tab.

Alternately, you might experience discolouration. This can indicate many nozzles are clogged.

It is important to never remove the colour cartridges unless replacing or refilling them. If the ink head is left to sit for an extended period without cartridges inserted, exposure to air can dry the ink in the colour reservoir, creating a deeper clog.

If you will not be using the printer for a while, do a nozzle check at least twice a week to keep the ink free flowing. You can also download the Print Daily ColorBar as recommended by edible ink manufacturers and suppliers.

Printing this colour bar on a daily basis helps to keep the printed nozzles clear from blockages.

Colour Refilling

It is important to only use genuine food colour ink refills.

The ink you use is important and you should use only high-quality inks. We support Tasty Images & KopyJet by KopyKake.

Ensure you follow the directions to refill the ink cartridge.

Ink cartridges are replaceable and should only be refilled a MAXIMUM of 3 times.

To prevent blockages and failures, the cartridge should be replaced with a brand new one after the 3rd refill.

Frosting Sheet tips

Frosting sheets are sold in resealable zip-lock bags and should be stored this way.

Always keep the edible frosting sheets in a sealed package, in a cool and dry location.

Frosting sheets should release easily from the backing paper if they are dry. Printing does add a considerable amount of moisture to the sheet, which can cause the sheet to stick.

If this occurs you should try one of the following methods to release the sheet –

Place the frosting sheet in a very cold dry freezer for 10-15 seconds. The backing sheet should peel away easily once removed from the freezer.
Place the frosting sheet in a low oven for 1-2 minutes (no longer) to assist the drying process.
Leave the frosting sheet in an air-conditioned room (again, dry / refrigerated air-conditioning only).
Hold the edge of the backing sheet, on the reverse side, gently flick around the edges of the frosting sheet until the sheet begins to release.

In high humidity areas, it is advisable to remove the frosting sheet from the zip-lock bag for a period of time prior to printing. This will help with the drying process.

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