Print Menu — the PDF builder
What is it?
Print Menu is a builder in the admin panel that turns your digital menu into a print-ready document: with the style, languages, background and layout you choose. The result is visible right away in a paginated preview, and the output is a printout or a PDF file (plus a PNG of a single page if you need an image for social media).
The paper menu is always built from current data: change a price or remove an item and the next printout already reflects it — nothing has to be laid out again.
Features
- 🎨 10 ready-made styles — background, fonts and layout in one click
- 📋 Menu or price list — two layout modes
- 🌍 33 languages — in any order, on separate lines or with a separator
- 🖼 Backgrounds — presets, your own file or AI generation
- 📐 8 paper formats and both orientations
- 🔳 QR block — a link to the digital menu right on the sheet
- 📄 PDF export, printing, "Share" and a PNG of a page
How to open it
Three equivalent entry points — the builder is the same:
- Marketing → 🖼️ Print (
/print) — the print hub: printing the menu for the location you need and materials for individual dishes. - Menu — the print button above the item list. If a custom menu filter is on (a bar list, for example), that exact menu is printed.
- Locations — the 🖨 button next to a location or inside its settings.
The builder opens full screen (the address looks like
/print-menu?location=<location>&menu=<menu> — you can bookmark the link or send it to a
colleague). Settings open in a side panel on the right (on a phone — as a bottom sheet),
while the preview stays visible and keeps updating live.
All settings are saved automatically separately for every location and every custom menu — next time the builder opens exactly as you left it.
1. Styles — a quick start
The "Styles" button opens 10 ready-made designs with mini previews: Classic, Bistro, Café, Elegant, Minimal, Provence, Steakhouse, Marine, Oriental, Kids.
One click sets the background, fonts, colors, number of columns and dotted leaders. A style does not touch the selected languages, the paper format, your own blocks or the category selection — so you can try styles at any moment without losing anything.
The "Reset design" button returns the styling to its defaults (languages, paper size and category selection are kept).
2. Layout: mode, density, columns
In the "Layout" panel:
| Setting | Values | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Menu · Price list | "Price list" is a compact layout without descriptions and photos — items and prices only |
| Density | Compact · Normal · Spacious | How much air there is between items — this changes the page count |
| Columns | 1 · 2 · 3 | Multi-column layout for large menus |
| Dotted price leaders | on/off | A dotted line from the name to the price — the classic restaurant look |
| Each category on a new page | on/off | Every section starts on a clean sheet |
| Page numbers | on/off | Numbering at the bottom of the page |
3. What to print
The "What to print" panel has a checkbox per category (with "All" / "None" buttons). That is how you build, say, a bar list or a dessert card out of the full menu. If nothing is selected, the preview shows a placeholder and export is disabled.
The same panel has the price options:
- Hide prices — a menu without prices (for a window display, a presentation or an insert);
- Show currency — print the currency symbol next to the number.
Dish images are configured separately: show/hide, size, position (left/right). Archived and paused items are never printed.
4. Languages
Pick one or several languages — their order defines the order of translations in the printed menu (rearranged with the arrows). 33 languages are available: the main ones are shown first, and the "Show all languages" button opens the full list with search.
The "new line" option (separately for headers and for dishes) prints every translation on its
own line instead of Khachapuri / Хачапури / ხაჭაპური.
5. Background
Ready-made backgrounds
White, Cream, Light Gray, Warm Beige, Parchment, Dark, Dark Green, Navy.
Your own background
"Upload background" — any image (JPEG, PNG, WebP). The file is stored on the server and loaded next time. For good print quality use an image of at least 1024×1792 px.
🤖 AI background generation
Describe the background you want and press "Generate" — AI draws a background image for the sheet. The prompt is refined automatically so that the background stays a background: no text, no plates or dishes, and enough room for readable text.
Prompt examples:
An elegant minimalist background with a delicate floral pattern in pastel tonesA dark background with golden art-deco ornamentsA vintage kraft paper texture with a light grain effectA marble texture in white and gray tones
The "Brightness" and "Opacity" sliders mute the background so the text stays readable.
6. Text styles
Styling is configured separately for four groups: category headers, dish names, descriptions and prices.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Text color | Color picker |
| Text background | Highlights the line with a color (removed with the × button) |
| Font | Sans-serif, Serif, Georgia, Times, Mono, Cursive |
| Size | −/+ buttons |
| B / I / U | Bold, italic, underline |
| New line | Every translation on its own line |
| Hide | Descriptions can be left out entirely |
This is how the visual hierarchy is built: large headers, medium names, small descriptions and prominent prices.
7. Page settings
- Paper format: A4 (210×297), A5 (148×210), A3 (297×420), Letter (216×279), Half Letter (140×216), DL slim (99×210), Square 148×148, Square 210×210.
- Orientation: portrait / landscape (the toggle next to the format).
- Margins: top, right, bottom, left — in millimeters (20/15/20/15 by default, 5 mm steps, an exact value can be typed in).
The preview shows the sheet in real proportions and paginates the menu itself; the ← / → controls move between pages and show the current page number.
8. Header and footer
The "Header & Footer" panel adds the service lines that paper menus usually need:
- a header (under the venue name) and a footer (at the bottom of every page);
- fields: address, phone, Wi-Fi (network/password), social networks.
9. Custom elements and the QR code
- Text block — any caption you like (a slogan, "chef's choice", the terms of a promotion). It is dragged with the mouse and edited right on the sheet.
- Image — a logo, an ornament, a frame: upload a file, paste from the clipboard or generate with AI. Position and size are set by dragging.
- QR code — a block with a link and a caption (for example, "Scan for the full menu"). By default it points to your location's digital menu; size and position are set by dragging. In the PDF the QR code comes out in print quality.
10. Printing and export
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Builds the document and opens it in a new tab with the print dialog — send it to a printer or choose "Save as PDF" | |
| Save PDF | Downloads the ready file {Location name}.pdf |
| Share | On a phone — the system share sheet with the PDF (messenger, mail, cloud); if the system does not support it, the file is simply downloaded |
| PNG | Saves the current preview page as an image — for stories, posts and messengers |
Document details:
- the page is printed in the chosen format and orientation, 1:1 with the preview;
- the background fills the whole sheet and starts anew on every page;
- fonts, colors, dish images, the QR code and your own blocks are kept exactly as in the preview.
💡 If a print shop asks for a "vector" file, send the PDF from the "Save PDF" button: it is a ready-to-print document in the required format.
Related sections
- Dish Flyer Designer — a promo leaflet, table tent or sticker for a single item (also with printing, PDF and PNG)
- QR codes and devices — printing sheets and posters with table QR codes
- Getting started — how to start working with the menu
FAQ
Can I print only a part of the menu instead of all of it?
Yes — the "What to print" panel lets you pick the categories you need. And if you have custom menus (a bar list, a business lunch), open printing from the "Menu" section with the filter on — exactly that menu is printed, and its settings are stored separately.
Can I use different backgrounds for different pages?
No, one background applies to all pages of the document.
Do dish and category photos get printed?
Yes, if dish images and the "Category photos" option are enabled. In "Price list" mode images and descriptions are hidden so that more items fit on a page.
Are hidden/archived dishes printed?
No, only active categories and items are printed.
How do I print a menu without prices?
Turn on the "Hide prices" option — the layout and everything else stays as it is.
Can an AI background be edited after it is generated?
The generated background is stored on the server; generate a new one and it replaces the previous one. Brightness and opacity can be adjusted with the sliders at any time.
Are print settings shared across all locations?
No. The design is remembered separately for every location and every custom menu.