Menu board maker

How it prints

The menu is set to fill the board. The tool tries the largest text size first and steps down until every heading and item fits, balances two columns so they end at about the same height, keeps each section in one column where it can, and centres the whole menu in the space under the title. Item names never print smaller than 8 pt on A4; if the menu is still too long, the items that do not fit are left off and the tool tells you how many, so you can cut lines, switch to two columns or choose A3 (29.7 by 42 cm). An item with a price gets a dotted leader across to the price; a menu with no prices at all, such as a party or a wedding bar, is set centred instead.

The chalkboard board is a dark charcoal panel with cream lettering, pale coloured headings and a thin cream frame, the look people expect on a café counter. It prints a solid dark area almost the size of the sheet, which uses a lot of ink and dries slowly on plain paper, so print one test copy first and use matt photo paper or card if you can. The light board is white with the title, headings and a double frame in your colour, and uses very little ink. Both print inside 10 mm margins, so they work on any home printer.