M&Ms

[Chapel]

How do they print the 'm' on m&ms?

[MORELLO]

Veeeerrrry gently.

[SteveD]

I assume that, during the manufacturing process, each individual sweet is supported in a frame and a series of printing arms come down and apply the "m".  have a look here for some fun m&m stuff:

http://uk.mms.com/mms/en-GB/

[Priesty]

I thought they were born that way

[c00ky83]

Same way they put the S on Skittles?

[landie]

They don't. The rest of the confection is coloured leaving the 'M & M' visible.

[brachiopod]

Which 'm' are we talking about, the first one or the second?

[Jooster]

Jeez, this answerbank site is addictive.

Well, my first guess was that the shell would need cooking. I thought that during the cooking process they have a mesh screen with hundreds of Ms imbedded a mesh (a bit like an M&M sieve). When cooking, the mesh would screen the sweets and therby prevent part of the shell cooking, leaving an M imprint behind. So, a bit like getting a sun-tan leaving white bits where your clothes prevented the sun tanning the covered parts of your body.

2nd guess was that the crisping process took place using a similar method as above, Then it is dipped in in the food colouring but the screening process preventing the colour "taking" on the screened area leaving a white M behind.

Logical, eh?

But no. Unfortunately my masterful brainchild to take over the whole of the known chocolate universe isn't how it's done...

They're printed on. How uninspiring -

http://uk.mms.com/mms/en-GB/ContactUs/faq/default.htm#how2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offset_printing

I'm also a Philosopher with my speciali field being in Engineering Philosophy. The printing of the M means that there's an unnecessary manufactuing operation in the production cycle. Of course this incurrs additional manufactuing costs. Question is, without the M they'd be cheaper to make. In turn and moreover, would you buy the cheaper M&M in favour of the more expensive "designer" M&M? And more philosophical than that, would bacon sandwiches taste better in the knowledge of the answer to the previous question (with/without M)?

Jooster aka MattP

Wednesbury, UK