Creating and editing digital menu boards has never been easier. Digital menu boards are prominent features of many retail stores and food businesses. The ability to edit menu items, pricing and designs quickly and easily is crucial. A slideshow app like Google Slides is perfect for the job.
People in the food and retail industry have a problem: Customers lack the information they need to make informed buying decisions. They have a million questions and skim read most signage (if at all). If your digital menus are clear, concise, highly visible and up to date, you’re one step closer to solving the problem.
That’s why we created this guide and free templates to get you started with digital menus. If you can use basic slideshow software, you can make a digital menu board. It’s that simple. This guide shows you how to configure an easy-to-use tool like Google Slides for digital menu boards. In just minutes, you can turn a slideshow into signage that makes people pay attention and take action.
Let’s make this whole process even easier…
You can make menus from slideshow templates. Or you can use a digital signage solution that has menu board templates already built in. With Ditto digital signage, you can create and display menus in minutes.
How to Create Digital Menu Boards with Google Slides
Step 1 — Prepare your document
Make sure your slides are the correct size to best fit the displays in your organization. Don’t place square menus on widescreen TVs.
How to change your slide size:
- In Google Slides, navigate to File > Page Setup.
- From here, choose the best size option for your displays. This will vary depending on what devices your organization uses. However, a safe bet is the “Widescreen (16:9)” option. Most modern TVs display a 16:9 aspect ratio. You can also set custom dimensions if none of the existing defaults are what you need.
Step 2 — Design your digital menu boards
Creating and designing content for digital menu boards doesn’t have to be difficult. Start with Google’s default templates if you need design inspiration. Keep things simple, legible and relevant.
How to access Google Slide templates:
- Navigate to Slide > Change theme.
- Scroll through the available options and choose your preferred theme.
- From here, you can also choose to import themes from external sources.
Want to learn more about menu boards and digital signage? Check out these helpful articles:
Step 3 — Export your files
Now it’s time to turn your Google Slideshow into digital menu boards:
- Make sure your slideshow is complete and saved. Then, navigate to File > Download.
- In the menu, select your preferred file format of your new digital menu assets. The slide will download automatically.
- You can manually download each slide as an image file or use a third-party add-on or app to quickly export your entire presentation as individual image files.
Digital menu board exporting tips:
Ensure the file format you choose is compatible with your digital signage service. Most digital signage content management systems (CMS) will accept common image and video files. For example, Ditto digital signage is compatible with a variety of media file types, such as PNG, JPEG, GIF and MP4.
Make sure to set up your slides to the correct aspect ratio and export them to the correct dimensions. Your slides should fill up the entire screen of your TVs and monitors.
Common display dimensions:
These dimensions can vary depending on what displays your organization uses.
You can export your slides as static images or use a third-party add-on to combine them into a single video file that plays all slides for a set amount of time.
Step 4 — Integrate with your CMS
Now that you have exported your slides, it’s time to get them up on your screens. Some digital signage solutions only play files from a physical source like a USB drive. However, the best type of menu board and digital signage service includes a CMS that is touch-free and accessible from anywhere.
Organize your content and set scheduling and duration parameters. To do this you’ll need to upload the files to your preferred signage solution or deploy physical hard drives loaded with your content to each display. The digital signage solution you use can make this process easy or time-intensive — opt for a centrally managed solution that has a built-in CMS, like Ditto.
Now your displays will begin playing the digital menu board content you created from Google Slides.
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