Picking the best edible printer is not easy, as there are so many factors to consider, and no single printer has it all. Well, this is where we come into the picture.
We analyzed the top three edible printers on a number of factors — from affordability, print quality, ease of printing, and mobile printing, among others. In other words, regardless of your budget or requirements, we can help you find a good edible printer in under five minutes.
Are you ready? So, let’s dive right in.
Comparison Of Top 3 Best Edible Printer: In 2022
| Image | Product Name | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | FoodBot Chocolate Printer |
| |
 | Sweet Magical Cake Printer Bundle |
| |
 | HP Smart-Tank Plus 551 |
|
Best Edible Printer List (2022)
1. FoodBot Chocolate Printer – High Quality
Are you looking for the best edible printer for cakes? Or perhaps your priority is the best budget printer Or maybe what you are after is an edible printer that comes with many advanced functions, such as Wi-Fi and USB support, APP control, day function, and more? If you said yes to any of these, you may want to give the FoodBot Chocolate Printer a try.
It has all the aforementioned qualities and some more. Equally suitable for chefs and housewives, this FoodBot model lets you create great cakes.
And the best part is that it comes with many chocolate models so that you never run out of ideas when it comes to cakes. Even better, you can create your own models with its modeling software. We were also impressed by the fact that it prints cheese, as well as potato paste, biscuits, and chocolate.
- Prints cheese
- Make your own models
- High-definition touch screen
- Support wi-fi
- Auto-leveling function
- A tad expensive
- Customer support is not the best
2. Sweet Magical Cake Printer Bundle – Value For Money
Do you want a printer bundle for bakeries and cakes? If yes, this model may be right up your alley. Labeled as the best edible ink printer, this cheap edible printer delivers excellent color performance.
We were also impressed by the fact that it comes with 6 top-quality frosting sheets and 5 pack cake ink. When it comes to the quality of the print, the Sweet & Magical Cake Printer Bundle is second to none.
You can use it for cookies, cakes, cupcakes, and more. In short, this is a great baking tool at a reasonable price. Last but not the least, as far as printing speed is concerned, that’s up there with the best in the business as well. All in all, this is the best A3 edible printer out there right now.
- High print quality
- 6 quality frosting sheets included
- 5 pack cake ink included
- Value for money
- Limited Warranty in the US
- Not very durable
- Problem with color printing
3. HP Smart-Tank Plus 551 – All-In-One Printer
The last name in our best edible ink printer list is this HP model. An all-in-one printer, the Plus 551 has several aces up its sleeve. For instance, it comes with 2 years of ink, which is pretty impressive.
Two, it makes mobile printing very easy. You can print or scan using your smartphone, phablet, or tablet via the HP Smart app.
Three, you get reliable connectivity with this printer, thanks to dual-band Wi-Fi. As far as print speed is concerned, that is good as well. The printer can print 11 pages per minute and supports a wide range of paper sizes. Last but not the least, the print quality is among the best as well.
- Reliable connectivity
- Impressive print speed
- Value for money
- Support wi-fi
- Voice-activated printing
- No touchscreen
- The automatic document feeder is missing
Buyer’s Guide For Picking The Best Edible Printer in 2021
It goes without saying that edible printers are not the same as office or home printers. Therefore, the factors one should consider while purchasing a top edible printer are different than those for normal printers.
Which brings us to the main question: What are the most important factors for buying an edible printer? Continue reading to find out for yourself.
Removable components
What makes edible ink printers unique is their ability to handle the viscosity of edible ink. Standard printers don’t have that ability. If you use edible ink with them, standard printers will get all gum.
For this reason, it’s essential that your edible printer has removable components. This will allow you to thoroughly clean it after using edible ink.
If your printer doesn’t disassemble, there is the risk of having thin layers of edible ink remaining on its inside. After some time, those layers cause severe damage to the printer.
Size
Look at the layout of where you work to determine if you require the feed tray in a specific direction. In case you have a rear-feeder printer, you should take into account the total size, which includes the tray since it may not fit in your space.
The addition to this also considers the size of the images that you would want to print. In case you do large format stuff a lot, you may well be disappointed with a normal-sized printer. Printers having large format capabilities may give you a lot more options, but remember this freedom comes at a cost.
Cartridges
There are two options in the edible cartridges niche: refillable and nonrefillable. There are chips on the side of the cartridge register with the printer that tells you exactly how many jobs are left. You can’t reuse the chip once you’ve activated it.
On the other hand, you can reuse refillable cartridges after they’re empty. While the majority of manufacturers don’t advise refilling four times or more, that should give you a lot of edible jobs, given the fact that you probably aren’t going to print 10-15 cakes per day.
We recommend you purchase a virgin cartridge, instead of buying one that has been cleaned and repurposed. The edible ink is not food-safe once you have inserted it into a cartridge. In case you are reloading a used cartridge in your house, it is fine because you are aware of its history. However, getting a spent cartridge from a company is just not on.
Ink.
You must ensure the ink you purchase is certified food-safe by the FDA. You must always use quality inks because even tiny amounts of toxins can cause health issues. Also, ensure the ink’s viscosity is exactly right. You should avoid buying unknown brands of inks since their ink might not have the optimal viscosity.
Speed
When purchasing an office printer, speed is paramount. After all, you would not want to wait for three days to print the proposed brochures. However, edible printers don’t require that kind of speed, so don’t give too much weightage to how fast it is with normal paper. Instead, take into account how many orders your business has that need edible printing.
In case your requirement is not high, you can very well adjust the turnaround time to match. On the other hand, in case you get a lot of edible orders, take into account how effectively the tray feeds thick paper, instead of considering just pure speed.
Cost
Here’s the thing: You don’t have to rob a bank to buy an edible printer. Most edible printers are converted inkjet printers, which generally come under $1000. In fact, many excellent edible printers have a price tag lower than $300. In case you consider the return on investment, you could easily make up the cost in just a month by printing one edible image a day.
If you are worried about the cost of the ink cartridges, rest assured. They cost pretty much the same as standard ink. Bundles of wafer sheets or sugar paper are also not costly.
Personalized desserts and cakes are extremely popular and they are here to stay. Precisely for this reason, it makes a lot of sense to buy an edible printer for small businesses.
Buying a bundle may be a nice way to test out your customers and check if buying an edible printer is worth the cost. Get a printer, ink, and sufficient frosting papers to run a small test launch to test the waters.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Are Edible Printers Expensive?
Edible printers don’t have to cost you an arm and leg. Most edible printers are converted inkjet printers, which generally come under $1000. In fact, many excellent edible printers have a price tag lower than $300.
In case you consider the return on investment, you could easily make up the cost in just a month by printing one edible image a day.
Is Ink Included With The Printer?
The answer is “yes” in most cases. An ink cartridge typically is included with the printer. These are genuine ink cartridges that the brand advises consumers to use.
Having said that, you may not get the ink cartridge if you invest in a refurbished printer. This basically means you will have to buy the ink separately.
Can You Use A Regular Printer With Edible Ink?
Regular printers use normal ink for standard printing jobs. It will print only on paper. An inkjet printer that is for edible printing uses ink that is FDA compliant food coloring and prints on frosting sheets.
In case you are wondering whether you can use the current printer with edible ink, the answer is “yes, you can.” However, remember that you will have to then use the existing printer for only edible ink printing.
Edible printing can be customized for cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. In addition to these, it can also be personalized for other edible goods. Since this is a relatively simple process, there’s no reason why you cannot do edible printing at home.
The main ingredient for edible printing is, of course, the edible ink. Many manufacturers supply edible ink, so you can easily get it whenever you want it. It is available as edible ink refills that can only be used with edible ink cartridges or in ink cartridge form that perfectly fits into a normal printer.
You are also likely to need Frosting sheets to print edible designs. Frosting sheets can easily fit through the printer, pretty much in the same manner the standard printer paper is fed through the printer.
In case you want to use an old inkjet printer, first thoroughly clean it. Make sure you remove and clean print heads efficiently so that you can use the edible ink safely.
Is An Edible Printer Different From A Regular Printer?
The answer is no, it is not. So what makes an edible printer different from the standard printer. The answer, in a nutshell, lies in the ink it uses. A regular printer uses normal ink for standard printing jobs. In contrast, an edible printer uses ink that is FDA compliant food coloring and prints on frosting sheets.
Which Printer Is Best For Edible Printing?
There are many good edible printers. As our guide and many other edible printer reviews confirm, all the three names shared above are top-class. In the end, it all boils down to your specific needs and budget. We recommend shortlisting a few names before selecting a particular machine. This way you can be sure that you have the best bang for your buck.
Final Words
With the help of this buyer’s guide, we hope you would face no difficulty in picking the best edible printer in 2020. Each of the products discussed here is of excellent quality and offers a number of unique benefits. With that said, edible printing needs vary from one user to another, and for this reason, we advise checking out multiple printers before making the final decision.
