Method for producing printed confectionery products

A method of printing multiple color indicia on chewing gum comprising:

• a) forming a mass of chewing gum into a continuous sheet;
• b) cutting the continuous sheet into a plurality of separately divided discrete sheets of chewing gum having a thickness of approximately 0.054 inches to about 1 inch;
• c) cooling the sheets of chewing gum to a temperature and for a time sufficient to temper and harden the sheets;
• d) feeding the sheets of chewing gum from a magazine feeder onto a moving conveyor bed, the conveyor bed including recesses;
• e) removing excess dusting compound from the sheets of chewing gum on the conveyor bed using a rotating brush while a plurality of hold down fingers hold the sheets in the recesses on the conveyor bed;
• f) advancing the conveyor bed to bring the sheets to a first printing position in registration with a first printing device at which a first color, corresponding to a first portion of the multiple color indicia, is printed on the sheets of chewing gum by a rotogravure process;
• g) further advancing the conveyor bed to bring the sheets to a second printing position in registration with a second printing device at which a second color, different from said first color and corresponding to a second portion of the multiple color indicia, is printed on the sheets of chewing gum by a rotogravure process;
• and
• h) removing the multiple colored printed chewing gum sheets from the conveyor bed.

A method of printing multiple color indicia on chewing gum comprising:

• a) forming a mass of chewing gum into a continuous sheet;
• b) cutting the continuous sheet into a plurality of separately divided discrete sheets of chewing gum having a thickness of approximately 0.054 inches to about 1 inch;
• c) cooling the sheets of chewing gum to a temperature below approximately 56° F. for a time sufficient to temper and harden the sheets;
• d) feeding the sheets of chewing gum from a magazine feeder onto a moving conveyor bed, the magazine feeder being sloped compared to the conveyor bed and the conveyor bed including recesses having a depth of about {fraction (1/16)} inch;
• e) removing excess dusting compound from the sheets of chewing gum on the conveyor bed using a rotating brush while a plurality of hold down fingers hold the sheets in the recesses on the conveyor bed;
• f) advancing the conveyor bed to bring the sheets to a first printing position in registration with a first printing device at which a first color, corresponding to a first portion of the multiple color indicia, is printed on the sheets of chewing gum by a rotogravure process;
• g) further advancing the conveyor bed to bring the sheets to a second printing position in registration with a second printing device at which a second color, different from said first color and corresponding to a second portion of the multiple color indicia, is printed on the sheets of chewing gum by a rotogravure process;
• and
• h) removing the multiple colored printed chewing gum sheets from the conveyor bed.