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it’s finally the fun part! doing all of the fun printing of all the pretty things! i’m going to show you what i like to do when i print with wafer paper.
if you haven’t read part 1: what to buy and part 2: how to use of this series, then i suggest going on ahead over to those pages to learn step by step!
now wafer paper can be a bit of a pain in the butt if you don’t use it correctly. i learned this the hard way. once you print, especially if it’s a heavy print with lots of color, you need to know how to store it correctly to make sure it dries flat and not all wrinkly. wrinkly = bad.
let’s get started!
- the first thing you should do is get whatever you want to print ready. i usually use a word document or google docs and paste the images on there. i’ll resize them to the way that i think would be good (or measure the cookie or cake before printing to make sure it’s the exact size). just remember that when you print, to do a custom size or change the size of the paper to the correct size. the wafer paper i use is 8×11 so i have to fill in a custom size before i print.
- when loading your printer with the wafer paper, always look at the paper first! here’s why. take a very close look at this image
this here is wafer paper. one side is smooth and shiny like the one on the left. while the other side is rough and has a bumpy texture to it. you want to make sure that you print your images on the smooth side! no one wants to look at a rough and bumpy image. here’s another image with a print on it for a more detailed example
the top image with the print is all bumpy and doesn’t look right. while the bottom print looks perfect! it’s shiny and smooth and the picture just pops perfectly. so always make sure that you print your images on the correct side!
- what i do after my images have been printed is i time the edges of the wafer paper and then take a gallon plastic bag and slip the wafer paper into the bag. i’ll place some heavy books on top of the bag and then zip it closed so there’s no air inside. leave the books on top of the wafer paper for at least 24 hours, longer is preferred. this will ensure that your wafer paper dries flat so that when you come to the time to use it, it won’t be all wrinkly.
you officially know how to use wafer paper in a correct manner when it comes to printing. always make sure you print on the smooth and shiny side and to let the wafer paper dry nice and flat in a plastic bag with heavy books on top! the possibilities are endless with edible printing. you can take some old photos of your family and use thoughs or even use some cute art that your children made! the next and the last post in this series will be about using the wafer paper on some sugary goodies! the very best part! so have some cookies and a cake or two prepared to decorate with.
I used to decorate cakes and I had the printer and wafer paper. I was amazed at the designs I could dream up and put on a cake. This is such a fun way to decorate! Thank you for sharing.
The daughter is over my shoulder and super excited. I think I feel a wish list coming on.
I’ve been reading this series with interest. It’s really useful to see the difference between the print on the right and wrong sides of the paper.
Wait…you can eat this?! Okay now I MUST go back to read the other parts of this series. So interesting!
So pretty, you are incredibly talented!
I love edible printing. It’s so versatile. Although nothing beats the good old fashion of manual hand skills and airbrushing, edible printing can make anyone a pro in decorating.
You’ve blown me away with this series!
I can’t wait to see the next post and see the wafer paper in use! I’ve always wondered how they do those editable prints, it’s so interesting to see it in action. I love the side-by-side shots of the printing on the right and wrong side – it really makes it clear as to how nice doing it right will look!
Wow!!! This is amazing! I always wondered how pictures like this got on cakes 🙂
Very pretty, I think you’re so clever to be able to do this – I can barely bake a biscuit correctly!
That’s fascinating and so interesting. I’m getting my daughters to read this as I think they’d love to try it.
I’ve dried flowers as a young girl this same way!