The surface should be hard to the touch and completely dry. If the frosting is wet when you print you are just adding more water to an already wet surface. It will begin to bead, causing splotchy uneven colors. The cookie itself should be dry. Ultra moist, cake-like cookies will continue to feed moisture into frosting especially when bagged. If there is excess moisture in the frosting, it is possible the print will bloom or become blurry if it is placed in an individual bag. Bagged cookies retain moisture and that excess moisture can be redeposited on the surface of the cookie causing it to bleed.
Follow these drying guidelines
1. Decrease Saturation. Reduce the saturation value present in the printer driver. This is the fastest and easiest way to reduce bleeding but it can negatively affect print quality. Also, see the Additional Tips below.
Cookies that are not Dry when printing or bagging can look Splotchy or Uneven. The ink may bead on the surface.
Follow these additional tips from our professional baker customers:
2. Print 24 Hours after Frosting. After frosting, leave your cookies to dry for 24 hours until a crust forms before printing.
3. Bag 24 Hours after Printing. After printing, wait another 24 hours before bagging cookies.
4. Speed the Process with a Heat Gun. You can use a heat gun to dry the surface faster to decrease drying time before or after printing. Stay about 12" away and dry each cookie for about 15 seconds. You'll have to experiment with the exact settings as every cookie and environment is different and will affect drying speed.
5. Food Dehydrator. Use a food dehydrator appliance to dry out cookies in larger batches.
6. Cornstarch. Finally, you can add cornstarch to the icing to make it dry faster.
Article ID: 082922