# printers that do photos for cakes...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 6, 2009, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506 "2009-03-06T09:24:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/1 "2009-03-06T09:24:26Z")
I need to find a printer who does those prints-on-sugar icing stuff that you lay on the top of the cake and it’s edible, yet photo quality. Does anoyone know of either A) a Cleveland area place that does this or B) an internet site that does it well?
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### Author:  [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/2 "2009-03-06T14:29:13Z")
Sheesh, I know what you mean and I can not recall any time I’ve ever seen them carried in a store… I don’t think most print shops would be able to do this; it probably isn’t an often-enough request. I usually find specialty cake stuff at [http://www.beryls.com](http://www.beryls.com). I’m poking around there now but I don’t see what you’re talking about.
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### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/3 "2009-03-06T14:34:40Z")
Opal, the Acme chain based out of Akron does it, and there’s one in Parma now. I just called the Parma Acme and talked to the bakery, and the lady said they do it. The number is 440-842-6332.
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### Author:  [@Winsling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winsling)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/4 "2009-03-06T14:36:51Z")
I thought most Giant Eagles would do this at their bakery, have you checked there?
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/5 "2009-03-06T15:09:54Z")
**Opal** - If you don’t want th ecake, just the edible photo, [this site](http://www.cakeart.us/index.cfm/fa/subcategories.main/parentcat/3893/subcatid/8497) seems to do that.
StG
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### Author:  [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/6 "2009-03-06T15:29:29Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#):
>
> Opal, the Acme chain based out of Akron does it, and there’s one in Parma now.
Yeah, that Wile E. Coyote cake they did worked out really well. :rolleyes:
😃
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### Author:  [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/7 "2009-03-06T15:30:43Z")
A bit of a hijack but I loved this story about a woman who does photo cupcake murals/portraits. She did one (or rather, 5,600) of Obama and Lincoln that was on display at the Capitol in Washington.
[NYT story](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/14/tastiest-obama-lincoln-comparison-ever/)
[Blog with lots (and lots and lots!) of pictures](http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2009/02/artist-zilly-rosens-obamalincoln.html) of the making of the portrait.
[A time-lapse video.](http://americanart.si.edu/calendar/activities/cupcakes/) (this seems to be down but I’ll leave the link in case it comes back.
The company’s [web site](http://www.zillycakes.com/). _drool_
An [earlier](http://eyelevel.si.edu/2009/02/too-sweet-to-pass-up.html) Barack portrait she did.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/8 "2009-03-06T15:47:48Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#):
>
> Opal, the Acme chain based out of Akron does it, and there’s one in Parma now. I just called the Parma Acme and talked to the bakery, and the lady said they do it. The number is 440-842-6332.
Given that actual answer, I just wanted to say that the technology that does this is cool. It’s an inkjet printer where the ink is replaced by food coloring or colored sugar.
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/9 "2009-03-06T15:50:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> Given that actual answer, I just wanted to say that the technology that does this is cool. It’s an inkjet printer where the ink is replaced by food coloring or colored sugar.
But how do you get the cake into the printer?
😃
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### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/10 "2009-03-06T15:53:36Z")
> [@Eutychus](#):
>
> Yeah, that Wile E. Coyote cake they did worked out really well. :rolleyes:
>
> 😃
Hehehe. Acme stores are owned by the Fred Albrecht Grocery Co. which has been serving the Akron area since **1891**. I love shopping at Acme and writing checks to Acme, even though they don’t sell jet-powered roller skates or Instant Tornado Pills. They employ lots of local people.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/11 "2009-03-06T16:01:19Z")
> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> But how do you get the cake into the printer?
I know that you’re kidding, but in case anyone is wondering, the picture is printed on special edible paper, and the sheet is then deposited on top of the cake.
Apologies to the OP for the hijack, but I just think the technology involved is cool.
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### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/12 "2009-03-06T16:02:11Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#):
>
> Opal, the Acme chain based out of Akron does it, and there’s one in Parma now. I just called the Parma Acme and talked to the bakery, and the lady said they do it. The number is 440-842-6332.
Sweet! Thank you very much!
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### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/13 "2009-03-06T16:05:59Z")
> [@StGermain](#):
>
> **Opal** - If you don’t want th ecake, just the edible photo, [this site](http://www.cakeart.us/index.cfm/fa/subcategories.main/parentcat/3893/subcatid/8497) seems to do that.
>
> StG
Thanks, I will check that out! (Yeah I can’t have anyone else do the cake–it’s in the contract with the lady doing our wedding cake that there be no cakes by anyone else there at the reception. We are having a traditional wedding cake, and then a secondary cake that I want to have a photo on it.)
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### Author:  [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/14 "2009-03-06T19:09:20Z")
Sorry, can’t help with the OP directly as I’m a long way away. But over here in the UK, if you just tap ‘photo cakes’ into a search engine or online trade directory, dozens of links come up. Maybe works where you are?
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2009, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/15 "2009-03-06T21:41:10Z")
**OpalCat** - Looking at the Wolf Camera website, it looks like they provide the photo transfers. You might be able to get it at one of the stores.
StG
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/16 "2009-03-07T00:15:18Z")
I would imagine that any grocery store bakery which does the cakes (which seems to be almost all of them, in my experience) would also be willing to do just the edible-paper overlay. You’d probably have to do some negotiating over the price, but at worst it couldn’t be more than the price of the whole cake.
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### Author:  [@Jelymag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelymag)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/17 "2009-03-07T01:40:59Z")
Sorry, **Opal** , I thought you wanted the actual sugar paper to do it yourself! Lol.
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### Author:  [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/printers-that-do-photos-for-cakes/488506/18 "2009-03-07T01:48:24Z")
Mmmmm… HP ink on edible paper! LOL