Printer food: features, models, components, innovations

In our time, printers can be found not only inoffices and copy centers, but also in confectionery workshops. Only special, food. They use completely edible ink and the same paper. And soon the appearance of mass-access and food 3D-printers is expected. Want to learn more about new items? Then our article is for you.

About the food printer

A food variety of a printer - a plotter - isthe same inkjet printer, only re-qualified to work with edible consumables. These models are produced by the same manufacturers of MFPs (printed multifunctional devices), for example Canon or Epson. There are also copies produced by Italian manufacturers, modeled from the very beginning only for confectionery purposes. From this they bypass the first group in the price, especially not overtaking the quality. Is on sale and Russian plotters - "Food".

It is wrong to assume that any inkjet MFPYou can turn it into a confectionery printer by refilling it with food ink. Elements of food printers are specially sharpened for work with edible materials. As the device itself, and ink, and cartridges, and paper must necessarily meet the requirements of GOST, be certified, otherwise work with them will be considered illegal - if you intend to use the printer not for yourself, but for making products on order.

Printing on a food printer

Printing on a food plotter is the same jobInkjet printer: paper is fed, ink droplets are sprayed onto it through micro-holes (nozzles), creating text, image. Use all models of confectionery printers in a similar pattern:

The device is turned on, connected to a PC.
Refill the printer cartridges with food grade ink or make sure that they are present.
The food feed paper is loaded in the back feeder tray - carefully, so as not to break it, making sure that the sheets do not stick together.
Select on the computer a text or image foredible image and put it to print. It is important to set the maximum resolution for the file (at least 1600x1200 pixels with a minimum weight of 4-3 MB).
After the printer has coped with the work, an edible printout is taken from its tray and used to decorate the product.

Some food MFPs allow you to copy a picture from a paper carrier onto an edible source. They are especially convenient in confectioneries, producing snacks with pictures to order.

Paper for plotter

Confectioners are offered three types of paper for food printers:

Waffle. The most accessible and widespread. It is tasteless, when it is made, it uses starch, water and vegetable oil. Color - white, gray, sand. The structure is both porous and matte.
Sugar. It is considered a premium material. Its surface is white, it tastes sweet. It has more flexibility and good color rendition - it produces more intense and contrasting images.
Chocolate (shokotransfer). It is distinguished by a special coating - "translation" for imprinting an image on a chocolate cake.

Cost of a confectionery printer

We will analyze how much the food printer costs:

The most affordable model offers Canon. The run-up of the price for his model is 8-30 thousand rubles.
Printers from Epson are relatively more expensive - 25-90 thousand rubles.
Russian "Food" - 12-490 thousand rubles, depending on the size of the resulting image and features of paper.

The cheapest paper is wafer - 3,5-4 thousand. rubles for 100 sheets. The second place will be chocolate - about 16 thousand rubles / 100 sheets. The most expensive is sugar - about 18 thousand rubles / 100 sheets.

100 grams of ink can be purchased for a price within 1-5 thousand rubles. The cost of refilled cartridges - 2-3 thousand rubles for one piece.

Current models

Let's look at the most common models of confectionery printers:

Food printer Canon "Cake 3". His popularity is explained by acceptablecost, ease of operation, cost-effective printing, ease of cleaning and refilling, the availability of all required certificates. "Cake 3" is a re-equipped paper inkjet printer. In the kit there are also special antibacterial cartridges for cleaning the device.
Epson Decojet Revolution. The model was improved by Italianmasters, which explains its higher price. This is not an altered jet MFP, but a technique specially developed for confectioneries. Its "Continuous Ink Supply" option helps significantly save on printing.
Dolcina. This Italian development allows you to printnot only on food paper, but also on any surface, whose height is not more than 12 cm - cakes, pastries, cookies, wafers, etc. The area of the product should not be more than 40x60 cm. One of its drawbacks - a wonder plotter is not in availability in Russia.

The future of food printing - in 3D

At last we will get acquainted with the most innovative food printers for today:

Chef Jet 3D allows you to create amazing three-dimensional figures from food materials in both monochrome and color. The system can also use for its masterpieces any flavor.
Foodinni is a 3D printer for creating various figures from freshly prepared pastes.
The F3D printer is the final project of English students. Food figures are prepared in a halogen oven.
The SMRS project printer was made specifically for NASA. It is enough to place the necessary raw components in its capsules, how it will be made and baked from them the desired product.
Choc Creator - the most "sweet" model. This printer allows you to make chocolate 3D compositions.

Food printers have long ceased to be a shocking novelty. Anyone who wants today can buy for himself this miracle of technology. Not far off and food 3D-plotters.