Patent ID: 7819489

Claim:
A method for printing images on food and packaging for said food comprising the steps of: moving a plurality of food products along a first production line to a first printing station; moving a plurality of containers along a second production line to a second printing station during said step of moving the plurality of food products; controlling the first and second printing stations with a common controller capable of receiving input data for indicating the nature of the plurality of food products; receiving input data by the common controller to indicate the nature of the plurality of food products; selecting by the common controller a first image in response to the input data; printing the first image on at least one of the food products during said step of moving the plurality of food products to produce a printed food product; selecting by the common controller a second image from a plurality of images in response to the first image such that the second image is complementary to the first image; printing the second image on at least one of the containers during said step of moving the plurality of the containers to produce a printed container having the second image printed thereon such that the printed container corresponds to the printed food product; and disposing the printed food product into the corresponding printed container; wherein said step of printing the first image is performed concurrently with said step of printing the second image.