(Slightly OT) Get a cake made to look like a product?

My team is just about ready to release a product that has cost a lot
of gray hair and antidepressants what with firmware problems, build
problems and so forth. I want to have a little launch party, and I'd
like to include a cake that's made to look like the retail box of the
product - printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
such a cake - the best I can find is companies that will print cake
toppers with one side of the artwork.

I don't want to spend thousands on an artisan-made cake, but I'd like
to know if anyone here has tried to do something similar to what I
describe, and can recommend a vendor. Otherwise I may have to make it
myself and order five toppers to act as the faces.

Thanks.

larwe wrote:
> ... printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
> simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
> such a cake - the best I can find is companies that will print cake
> toppers with one side of the artwork.

Five sides?!!! So you want to have your cake and eat it too?
(Har, har, I couldn't help it!)

I think that one side will look just fine, and that a cake
is a fun idea.

Pictures! We want to see pictures if you do this.

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:33:32 -0700 (PDT), larwe <zwsdotcom@gmail.com>
wrote:

>My team is just about ready to release a product that has cost a lot
>of gray hair and antidepressants what with firmware problems, build
>problems and so forth. I want to have a little launch party, and I'd
>like to include a cake that's made to look like the retail box of the
>product - printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
>simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
>such a cake - the best I can find is companies that will print cake
>toppers with one side of the artwork.
>
>I don't want to spend thousands on an artisan-made cake, but I'd like
>to know if anyone here has tried to do something similar to what I
>describe, and can recommend a vendor. Otherwise I may have to make it
>myself and order five toppers to act as the faces.
>
>Thanks.

So you want to create a product that screams "eat me"? 

Here's one way:-
http://www.cake-decorating-supply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=41

Best regards, 
Spehro Pefhany
-- 
"it's the network..."                          "The Journey is the reward"
speff@interlog.com             Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog  Info for designers:  http://www.speff.com

On Jun 12, 11:22 am, Gary Peek <mylastn...@mycompanyname.com> wrote:

> Five sides?!!! So you want to have your cake and eat it too?

Eh? You lost me. I just don't see value in paying to have the hidden
surface decorated; hence 5 sides, not 6 :)

> I think that one side will look just fine, and that a cake
> is a fun idea.

I had a good suggestion: to talk to a culinary arts school. I think
I'm going down this route, because they can also make me some cupcake-
sized copies of the actual product (which is a cuboidal device about
2x2x1.5" and made in black and white colors).

> Pictures! We want to see pictures if you do this.

Sorry, I'd like to but I can't, because the box shows my employer's
name. It's my policy not to publicize anything that would reveal that
employer's name, because I don't want to be in the position of either
endorsing their products, or being exposed to any accusation of using
their name to bolster the worth of my own. That's why my byline on
books and articles says "works for a Fortune 100".

On Jun 12, 12:12 pm, Spehro Pefhany

> So you want to create a product that screams "eat me"?

Don't they all? :)

> Here's one way:-http://www.cake-decorating-supply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&C...

Well yes... if I have to assemble it myself I will just get a vendor
to print me two copies of each panel, rather than investing in the
printer for myself. I was hoping someone knew of a vendor that would
assemble the entire whimsical thing for me.

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:11:12 -0700 (PDT), larwe <zwsdotcom@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On Jun 12, 11:22 am, Gary Peek <mylastn...@mycompanyname.com> wrote:

>> Pictures! We want to see pictures if you do this.
>
>Sorry, I'd like to but I can't, because the box shows my employer's
>name. It's my policy not to publicize anything that would reveal that
>employer's name, because I don't want to be in the position of either
>endorsing their products, or being exposed to any accusation of using
>their name to bolster the worth of my own. That's why my byline on
>books and articles says "works for a Fortune 100".

   Could you at least TAKE the pics and save them for later - surely
you won't be working for the same company forever...

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:33:32 -0700, larwe wrote:

> My team is just about ready to release a product that has cost a lot of
> gray hair and antidepressants what with firmware problems, build
> problems and so forth. I want to have a little launch party, and I'd
> like to include a cake that's made to look like the retail box of the
> product - printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
> simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
> such a cake - the best I can find is companies that will print cake
> toppers with one side of the artwork.
> 

Make them do one cake with all five sides on the top, flattened into
a cross-like shape, like an unfolded box. Then, cut out the corners, 
scoop out the cake from under the four flaps, fold, and fix up the corners
with extra frosting.


-- 
		Przemek Klosowski, Ph.D. <przemek.klosowski at gmail>

On 2008-06-12, larwe <zwsdotcom@gmail.com> wrote:

> My team is just about ready to release a product that has cost a lot
> of gray hair and antidepressants what with firmware problems, build
> problems and so forth. I want to have a little launch party, and I'd
> like to include a cake that's made to look like the retail box of the
> product - printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
> simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
> such a cake - the best I can find is companies that will print cake
> toppers with one side of the artwork.

IIRC, there is a way to print an image onto a piece of "paper"
that is then layed onto the cake.  The "paper" then dissoves
into the frosting somehow.  I don't know if you need a special
printer/inks to do that or if it's something you can do at
home.  I guess I'd ask at a local bakery how they do the image
thing.  They might be able to print out the side pieces for you
and you can take them home and try to get them stuck to the
sides of the cake...

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! Today, THREE WINOS
                                  at               from DETROIT sold me a
                               visi.com            framed photo of TAB HUNTER
                                                   before his MAKEOVER!

In article <71bff945-4130-4e8c-ab8e-f88271b702c1
@w7g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>, larwe says...
> My team is just about ready to release a product that has cost a lot
> of gray hair and antidepressants what with firmware problems, build
> problems and so forth. I want to have a little launch party, and I'd
> like to include a cake that's made to look like the retail box of the
> product - printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
> simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
> such a cake - the best I can find is companies that will print cake
> toppers with one side of the artwork.
> 
> I don't want to spend thousands on an artisan-made cake, but I'd like
> to know if anyone here has tried to do something similar to what I
> describe, and can recommend a vendor. Otherwise I may have to make it
> myself and order five toppers to act as the faces.

If you were further north I could recommend a family member that would 
probably get a kick out of it.  You do probably want someone who does 
this sort of thing (wedding, party etc..),maybe as a hobby/spare cash 
effort.  It may not be thousands but it'll certainly be more than a 
commercial special occasion cake, at least if the maker is only to be 
under paid (as opposed to obscenely underpaid :)

Robert
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

On Jun 13, 12:49=A0pm, Grant Edwards <gra...@visi.com> wrote:

> > product - printed with the actual box artwork on five sides. It's a
> > simple rectangular box. But I can't seem to find anyone who will make
>
> IIRC, there is a way to print an image onto a piece of "paper"
> that is then layed onto the cake. =A0The "paper" then dissoves
> into the frosting somehow. =A0I don't know if you need a special
> printer/inks to do that or if it's something you can do at

It depends very much on whether you want to eat it, or just watch
other people eat it :)

There are basically two "print to cake" technologies. The one you've
described uses basically an inkjet printer with edible FDA-approved
food coloring [your average $30 printer does NOT use such dyes, btw]
to print onto something that is basically rice paper; drop it on moist
frosting and the paper essentially vanishes, leaving the ink "printed"
onto the frosting.

The other technology is a larger, industrial technology which prints
directly onto a fully-assembled cake (but again it's basically a big
inkjet printer - the difference being no intermediate soluble print
substrate).

My problem with both of these is that the vendors are set up to print
a single picture on top of a cake; they're not set up to make sure
that the scale of the picture (if, say, a side piece) is preserved, to
match up with a separate print job (top piece)

Mr. Klosowski in this thread gave a suggestion that I think is little
short of brilliant, for solving the scale problem. However I'm working
on the culinary school angle right now. Looks smart.