InstantPublisher is the best self-publishing companies for hardback and paperback books, but they also offer a variety of custom printing services, including menu printing.

Menus are one of the most important tools a restaurant offers their customers to enhance the dining experience.

Here are five tips for printing a menu that will keep your customers coming back for more.

1. Organize the Menu

It is essential to make the menu easy to navigate. A customer should be able to find drinks, appetizers, and desserts at a glance. If the breakfast menu is not separate from the rest of the menu, it should be clearly labeled and the menu should indicate at what times breakfast is served and at what time the lunch and dinner menus go into effect.

Additionally, if you offer specialty menu items such as vegan, keto, or gluten-free items those should be clearly labeled.

2. Clarity

Diners want to know what is on the foods they are ordering and what, if any, sides come with their entrees.

Don’t assume that the name of an item is enough for diners to know what it is. A mushroom and swiss burger might seem simple enough but does it have mayo or a house sauce? Is there lettuce and tomato on the sandwich? Clearly listing what an item contains allows customers to choose the best match for them, as well as ask for any needed customizations, which enhances their dining experience and leads to fewer food returns.

3. Include Colored Photos

While adding photos increases the production costs of a menu, the value cannot be overstated. People eat with their eyes first. Pictures will sway customers to enjoy foods they otherwise might not try. Also, if you have lesser-known food items on the menu, it is a good idea to have them in images so that customers know what they are getting with the order.

Besides lesser-known items, include images of your most aesthetically pleasing items such as a well-dressed burger, mouth-watering desserts, and moist cuts of meat.

Don’t have space on the menu for pictures? Use the menu to direct customers to your website where detailed images of each dish are available for customer perusal. This can be a QR code, especially if your customer base tends to run younger, or a website address if you serve mostly retirees.

4. Colors

Select the right color scheme for your menu. The menu is part of your restaurant aesthetic and should match it but also not clash with the images of the food. The coloring of the menu should be easy to read and should adhere to accessibility standards for those with visual impairments and color blindness. Avoid color combinations of green/red, green/brown, blue/purple, green/blue, blue/grey, green/grey, and green/black as they can be difficult for those with color blindness to see.

When in doubt, black on white or black on cream is a good menu choice for readability. Decorative coloring can be added for aesthetics around the borders and other areas that don’t have text.

5. Choose the Right Style

Different restaurants will want to choose different menu styles. Most casual dining restaurants will find a folded menu meets their needs. If the menu is to be reusable, then lamination is a must.

Spiral-bound menus are advisable if the menu offers a large selection of food and drink items.

Formal dining venues should consider a hardcover menu.

Whether you need a menu printed or you have other custom printing services needs, InstantPublisher can help.

Call us today at 1800  259 2592 to learn more about the wide range of custom printing services InstantPublisher offers. You can also visit our website.

5 Reasons to Create a Classroom Anthology offered several good reasons to create a classroom anthology but didn’t get into details about how to do so. Here are the steps teachers need to take to create a classroom anthology:

1. Establish Parameters

During the first phase of creating a classroom anthology, the teacher must establish the parameters the students will write within. Will the anthology feature fiction or non-fiction works? What topics will be covered? What restrictions will there be on content? What size should each installment in the anthology be?

All of these things should be decided before the start of the project. These decisions should be based on class size, age of students, and desired anthology length. The latter will be determined by the desired aesthetic, page size, illustrations, and font size.

Longer books will cost more to print than shorter books but are typically more aesthetically appealing. InstantPublisher has a print cost estimation tool to help teachers decide the best book length for their classroom.

The teacher should also determine whether artwork from the students should be included in the anthology. For example, will the artwork be black and white drawings or color images?

2. Have Students Create an Outline

Outlines will help students write more succinctly and allow the teacher to give input in the planning stage of each anthology installment.

Fiction, non-fiction, and poetry outlines will all look different, but they will give the student and teacher a roadmap to follow for the project. In addition, it will help students stay on track and meet their writing goals.

Fiction outlines should include where a story begins and ends and critical plot points.

Non-fiction outlines should include a thesis statement and a list of the most important points covered.

3. Edit Drafts

After the outline is completed, the first draft can be written. It is essential for the teacher to enforce deadlines and ensure that plenty of time is provided for re-writes. Once the draft is completed, the teacher can make corrections and return the project to the student. It may take several rounds of edits to perfect the student’s work.

A well-edited anthology is important. Many students will remember their contribution to the anthology with pride. Whether the anthology is intended as a keepsake or a fundraiser, it should be as close to perfect as possible.

4. Create a Cover

The cover for the anthology can be a student work of art, if appropriate. If student art isn’t suitable for the cover, the anthology cover can be created by the teacher or purchased.

Covers should give readers an idea of the topics or themes of the works within. It should have colors congruent with the tone of the work.

InstantPublisher offers an easy-to-use cover template for those using their printing services.

5. Make Printing Decisions

Many choices need to be made before a classroom anthology is printed. These include binding options and book size. InstantPublisher can help guide teachers through this process.

6. Order and Distribute the Completed Classroom Anthology

Once the printing choices have been made, there is nothing to do but wait for the finished books. In some instances, the teacher may wish to order a proof copy of the anthology to ensure the aesthetics are as desired.

Be sure to get book orders from students and their families before making the final order. The number of books ordered often affects the printing cost, which may create additional book orders cost-prohibitive.

InstantPublisher can give you step-by-step assistance with all your printing needs. Call us today at 1-800-259-2592 for personalized service.