Black is fading/changing to green, blue or other colors after printing. (Eddie)

Black is fading/changing to green, blue or other colors after printing. (Eddie)

When color changes on the cookie/print surface, it means something in the icing/frosting is reacting with the ink. Note: Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow are used to create black. 
Tip! Try to print your design on Cardboard or paper.  If it looks good and doesn't change or fade over time, it means the problem is related to the frosting.  

1. Lemon Juice will affect the pH of the water-based inks, which shows up as a less-black result. We usually suggest leaving lemon juice out on cookies that will be printed.  The recommended Royal Icing recipe can be found at the end of this article: https://customercare.primera.com/portal/en/kb/articles/colors-are-printing-wrong-eddie

2. Dipped Cookies vs Piped Cookies. The black area on your cookie uses all three colors to produce the black. The mixing has to occur on the cookie. If the surface is more porous, some colors will sink lower, causing a green or magenta hue, especially around the edges. When they do mix properly, the black will look more like a dark gray. If too much ink is used, it will not dry evenly and look splotchy. 

To fix this issue, try dipping your cookies instead of piping.  This will often create a smoother surface that keeps all colors on the same level and produces a better black.  

3. Dry time.  Experiment with the drying time.  Usually, a longer dry time is better.  However, for this issue, try printing just after the icing has crusted over. (less dry time)

4. Drying Method.  Experiment with different icing drying methods (e.g. fan vs. Dehydrator vs. neither fan nor dehydrator). Experiment with different humidity and temperature levels in the room where the icing is drying. (e.g. using a room air conditioner vs. using a room dehumidifier vs. using neither). Everyone's recipe is going to be different from every other recipe, so that is why experimenting is necessary to discover what works best for you, your recipe, and your environment.

5 Magenta Plus. A new cartridge with new magenta that prints a better red is now available.  SKU 053507.  To order, select New Magenta from the menu on this page.  This may also affect printing black.  In some cases, black can be more vibrant using this new cartridge.  

6. Fondant.  Fondant can be a challenge.  If you are using a purchased fondant, dry a different brand.  Satin ice or any marshmallow-based fondant is recommended by users.  We also recommend letting the fondant harden and dry for 12-24 hours before printing. 

7. Icing recipe.  Experiment with different recipes with different ingredients  (e.g. royal icing using raw egg whites vs. meringue powder).  Experiment with different brands of ingredients in your icing recipe.   Experiment with using freshly made icing versus icing that was made, for example, a prior day.   

8. Sunlight/Heat.  Direct sunlight or excess heat, such as cookies left outside in the heat at a summer event, will cause certain dyes to fade over time.  This causes one color, such as Magenta, Cyan, or Yellow, to become less intense.  When one color becomes less intense, other colors are more prominent.  The end result is that the colors on your cookies will change. 

Examples:
GREY/BLACK CHANGING TO BLUE
If magenta fades the cyan becomes more prominent so the grey will have a blue tint.
BROWN CHANGING TO GREEN
Because brown is primarily a mix of red (magenta/pink) and green (cyan/blue + yellow) as the magenta fades, you are left with more cyan/blue and yellow ink.... hence, the color appears to "change" to green.
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Reference Articles/Videos


Article ID: 080823