# Stand in awe of the powerful inkjet!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 28, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129 "2005-01-28T16:49:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@hiebram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hiebram)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/1 "2005-01-28T16:49:52Z")
Seems like [inkjets](http://www.popsci.com/popsci/computers/article/0,20967,1020363,00.html) have a long, productive future ahead of them. We’ll be able to deliver medicine more efficiently, speed up manufacturing, improve our gas mileage, and even build houses with them. The thing that convinced me to bring this here, though, is on page 2.
> [@](#):
>
> To date, [Clemson University chemical engineer Thomas Boland has] used his printers to create half of a cat’s heart that beat in a petri dish
While it might be interesting to know more specifically how he got half a cat’s heart to beat, I am much more curious about (1) why a cat’s heart, as opposed to some other heart, and (2) why stop halfway?
Eh, maybe he got bored.
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### Author:  [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/2 "2005-01-28T17:04:34Z")
> [@hiebram](#):
>
> (2) why stop halfway?
Paperjam?
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### Author:  [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/3 "2005-01-28T18:22:20Z")
> [@hiebram](#):
>
> (2) why stop halfway?
Out of red ink?
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/4 "2005-01-28T18:24:21Z")
I’m off to print myself a pony now.
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### Author:  [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/5 "2005-01-28T19:48:25Z")
I saw a report on TV (sorry, no cite, but I’ll try to look.) where bakeries were using a standard injet printer and special cartridges & paper to print out those edible photographs on top of cakes. You used a standard photo editing software of your choice and just printed the photograph out and laid it on to the iced cake. IIRC it was a thin rice paper with a backing sheet that kept it from falling apart while the ink was just colored sugar water. When the rice paper was laid down on the icing, the moisture in the icing bonded the rice paper to the cake, and in a matter of minutes the two were inseparable and delicious. I would love to get some of that ink & paper and then I could make the coolest birthday cakes EVAR !!!1!
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/6 "2005-01-28T23:05:06Z")
> [@Athena](#):
>
> I’m off to print myself a pony now.
Check in the recycled-waste bin first; there’s probably one in there _somewhere_! 😃
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/7 "2005-01-28T23:12:09Z")
> [@Madd Maxx](#):
>
> I saw a report on TV (sorry, no cite, but I’ll try to look.) where bakeries were using a standard injet printer and special cartridges & paper to print out those edible photographs on top of cakes. You used a standard photo editing software of your choice and just printed the photograph out and laid it on to the iced cake. IIRC it was a thin rice paper with a backing sheet that kept it from falling apart while the ink was just colored sugar water. When the rice paper was laid down on the icing, the moisture in the icing bonded the rice paper to the cake, and in a matter of minutes the two were inseparable and delicious. I would love to get some of that ink & paper and then I could make the coolest birthday cakes EVAR !!!1!
Most of the supermarkets here offer this service; yes, it’s just an inkjet printer with special media; the cakes are typically A4 size rectagular jobs.
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### Author:  [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)
#### Post date: [January 28, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stand-in-awe-of-the-powerful-inkjet/287129/8 "2005-01-28T23:13:43Z")
> [@Madd Maxx](#):
>
> I saw a report on TV (sorry, no cite, but I’ll try to look.) where bakeries were using a standard injet printer and special cartridges & paper to print out those edible photographs on top of cakes. You used a standard photo editing software of your choice and just printed the photograph out and laid it on to the iced cake. IIRC it was a thin rice paper with a backing sheet that kept it from falling apart while the ink was just colored sugar water. When the rice paper was laid down on the icing, the moisture in the icing bonded the rice paper to the cake, and in a matter of minutes the two were inseparable and delicious. I would love to get some of that ink & paper and then I could make the coolest birthday cakes EVAR !!!1!
[LINK REMOVE DUE TO GOOGLE TOS] Looks kinda pricey though.
The local Kroger stores’ delis will do these cakes. They are pretty neat.