KopyKake Projector (How to Get a Clearer Image)
I have a Kopykake. There, I said it! Some people think if you have a Kopykake you are not a true decorator. They think it is cheating. Well, I disagree. My Kopykake doesn’t mix my icing to the right consistency. It doesn’t plan my designs. It doesn’t pipe the icing onto my cookies. It doesn’t even wash my dishes! The description said it was, “A bakers dream,” so I thought it would help me out with the dishes. That is my dream as a baker, never washing dishes!
Anyway, another thing it doesn’t do is project a very clear image. The main reason I wanted a Kopykake was to help when I write on cookies. Writing on cookies is my least favorite part of decorating. If  my image is not clear, I might as well freehand my writing.  I decided to played around with my Kopykake until I came up with something that helped.  Now, if I can only get it to help unload the dishwasher I would buy another one to do my laundry.
Let’s say I want to make 50 cookies that look like this card. The word carefree has a nice line so I don’t need to make any adjustments. I would load it in the Kopykake and start piping.
 If I had the same request for this card, it would be a little harder. I would want all the paisleys to be the same. The colors are light and would be hard to see when projected onto the cookies.  I would adjust this pattern so I would get a good clean image.
See how tiny those lines are? I like how delicate this card is and I want to pipe those lines with a PME “00” tip but, if I load this image in my machine, the line will appear with a little blur and I might lose some of the details. So what is a girl to do? I will show you what I do.
When I want a clearer image, I trace my design onto a piece of transparency paper with a fine tip Sharpie. I could use tracing  paper but,transparency paper is clear so when I trace, I don’t have to guess where the lines are and I don’t lose any details.
Now that it is traced, you have a clear background with nice solid pattern lines.
Next, I slide a piece of white paper behind it and load it into the machine. Since I traced the words and the details in a different colors it will be easy to see. I won’t have any problem keeping the tiny lines that I want. I know there are a million ways to do things but, I wanted to share what works for me.
Check out these blogs for more Kopykake tips:
Sweetopia-Â Decorating Cookies with a Kopykake Projector
Sweet Sugar Belle- Special Fonts and Kopykake Projectors
Simply Sweets by Honeybee-Â Writing On A Cookie Using A Kopykake
Cookie Crazie-Kopykake Pictorial
Happy Creating,
I knew when I read your post I would want a KK and YES, now I do want a KK. Too bad I can’t trade in my red cricut cake (that is sitting in it’s box) for one! I totally agree, you can give someone a kopykake and that does not make them a decorator! Your cookies are always gorgeous with or without a KK!!
That’s exactly what I do! Such awesome advice. I was struggling to get some images clear, especially against different colored cookies. Happy Friday my FRIEND!
This is a great tip, Lisa! I sometimes have a hard time with the fine details and am going to try this. Now if transparency paper would just come down in price a little! 🙂 Have a great weekend!!!
Great tip!!!! (and a great excuse to go buy more pens!!)
I love my KopyKake and do admit to feeling like it was *cheating* a bit when decorating with it but I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that it is not. It is just another great tool to use when decorating, just like piping tips and toothpicks 🙂 This is a wonderful tip, thanks so much for sharing it.
I usually grab a pen and darken any lines right on my printout. But now that I think of it, tracing the image I want onto a blank canvas can help with clarity issues when there’s a busy background or other images I don’t want Great tip!
I’ve had friends criticize me and say, “That’s cheating!” when I proudly tell them about my KK. They can’t even bake which is why they order from me! Oh, that makes me frustrated!
Definitely the way to go, Lisa. I trace onto regular copy paper, but I think you’re onto something with the transparency!
Hi Lisa,
Planning on buying one! So excited.