High resolution ink-jet printing on edibles and products made

A system for custom manufacturing decorated sugar shell candies or jellybeans on the basis of instructions of a consumer, the system comprising:

• a server computer adapted to:
• communicate over a network with a client computer of the consumer, receive over the network, from the client computer, custom image data submitted to the client computer by the consumer, and
• communicate the received custom image data to a drop-on-demand ink jet printer having a reservoir for holding dispersed pigmented inks which is integrated with a print head and adapted to cause printing directly on a non-planar surface of each one of a plurality of sugar shell candies or jellybeans of a high quality image having a resolution of greater than 200 dpi that corresponds with the received custom image data in the manufacture of personalized sugar shell candies or jellybeans, said plurality of sugar shell candies or jellybeans being held and conveyed on a conveyor transiently past a print head at an angle perpendicular to the print head of the drop-on-demand ink jet printer during printing in a single pass to obtain a printed image having resolution greater than 200 dpi.

A method on a server computer on a network for facilitating custom manufacturing of decorated sugar shell candies or jellybeans on the basis of instructions of a consumer, the method comprising:

• communicating over the network with a client computer of the consumer,
• receiving over the network, from the client computer, custom image data submitted to the client computer by the consumer, and
• communicating the received custom image data to a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer having a reservoir for holding dispersed pigmented inks which is integrated with a print head to cause printing directly on a non-planar surface of each one of a plurality of sugar shell candies or jellybeans of a high quality image having a resolution greater than 200 dpi that corresponds with the received custom image data in the manufacture of personalized sugar shell candies or jellybeans, wherein said plurality of sugar shell candies or jellybeans is held and conveyed on a conveyor transiently past a print head at an angle perpendicular to the print head of the drop-on-demand ink jet printer during printing in a single pass to obtain a printed image having resolution greater than 200 dpi.

A computer-readable medium storing executable code adapted to control a server computer on a network to perform a method for facilitating custom manufacturing of decorated sugar shell candies or jellybeans on the basis of instructions of a consumer, the method comprising:

• communicating over the network with a client computer of the consumer,
• receiving over the network, from the client computer, custom image data submitted to the client computer by the consumer, and
• communicating the received custom image data to a drop-on-demand ink jet printer having a reservoir for holding dispersed pigmented inks which is integrated with a print head to cause printing directly on a non-planar surface of each one of a plurality of sugar shell candies or jellybeans of a high quality image having a resolution of greater than 200 dpi that corresponds with the received custom image data in the manufacture of personalized sugar shell candies or jellybeans and wherein said plurality of sugar shell candies or jellybeans is held and conveyed on a conveyor transiently past a print head at an angle perpendicular to the print head of the drop-on-demand ink jet printer during printing in a single pass to obtain a printed image having resolution greater than 200 dpi.