Sides to show indicates the number of pages of information that can be held in a menu or folder. Your information is held securely within the menu using clear plastic wallets, border frames or corner mounts.

A double stretches right across the menu, held in at the spine by a tag fastening, and can hold four pages of information back to back.

For each menu there is a maximum number of Sides to Show based on the thickness of the spine and the type of fixing used. For many menus the maximum is 24 sides using clear wallets, 12 using corner mounts and 8 using border frames.

The fixings are the various methods by which information is held into the menu or folder:

1. Paper Only - Easy change option using a tag cord to hold your paper. Great option for frequently changing menus.

2. Clear pockets - these are strong clear PVC pockets that are held into the menu/folder using an elasticated tag fixing. This is the most economical and simplest method and also allows the maximum number of sides to be shown - often up to 24 sides per menu.

3. Corner mounts - these are made from matt laminated card and have four corner cutouts to enable each corner of the page to be slipped in and held in place. This is an elegant and stylish fixing also held in by a tag but it does reduce slightly the visible page area and the number of pages that can be held.

4. Border frames - these are also made from faux leather but pages are inserted from the top and held behind clear PVC panels. They are only available in Slim and A4 size menus because the visible size is reduced. The number of sides to show is restricted to either six or eight depending on the type of menu.

5. Screw Fix & Post Fix - Popular option using black, gold or silver screws to hold paper or card. Range of sizes and landscape or portrait options available.

6. Fixed - Modern stylish built in fixed interior option, in a range of materials and colours. Paper is held in place with corner cut-outs, supplied with a page protector.

We categorise the menus by the size of the paper they are designed to hold so the actual menu will be larger than the paper.

Standard titles are generic titles such as "Menu", "Wine List", "Guest Information" and "Thank you" which may be wanted on the front covers of products such as menus, room information folders and bill presenters. These can be used alone or in conjunction with a logo or the name of an establishment.

We have a large selection of such standard titles and it is possible to order online and specify the title you want, which font you want used and where on the cover you want it to appear.

For online buying we have limited the titles and fonts to the most popular choices but we have many more available by contacting the sales office.

What is personalisation?

Personalisation is the use of a name, logo or image that is specific to an establishment on a product as opposed to a generic title such as "Menu". Personalisation is available for online ordering on many of the products on this website as you can specify what you want to see on the final product.

What we require

As you work through the ordering process, you will have the opportunity to specify what personalisation you want and also how you will make this available to us. If it is simply words you can tell us by using a text box. If it is a logo or similar we will ask you to supply it to us by email: sales@menushop.co.uk.

When supplying artwork please make sure your artwork is in a usable format.  For example when designing printed menus or inserts we require your menu in Word format not a printed menu otherwise you could incur extra costs for re-typing / formatting.

• Full Colour:  Please supply any artwork in 300dpi or above
   
• Engraving:  Where possible please supply artwork in a vector format - AI, PDF or EPS
  (Black only high res images may also be used but artwork charges may be incurred)
   
• Blocked / Embossed - Where possible please supply artwork in a vector format - AI, PDF or EPS
  (Black only high res images may also be used but artwork charges may be incurred)

Proofing

When we are asked to personalise a product, we take your information and produce an electronic proof for your approval. For any personalised product you have to approve artwork before we go into production. It is therefore important that you check proofs carefully before approval because errors can be costly. Only give your approval when you are happy with the result.

Personalisation Area

In many areas of our site and brochure you will see that we measure the area to be personalised on a product in square centimetres (cm2).  The diagram below illustrates two examples of how you work out the area to be personalised.  We generally offer 100 cm² on most of our blocking & embossed products and 90 cm² on most of our engraved products with larger areas available on request.

Repeat Orders

We will retain your artwork file so that in the event that you want to re-order your product(s) we can expediate the process.  Any changes made to a "repeat" artwork on a new order may incur additional artwork charges. 

Some personalisation methods require a blocking plate, as in the methods of foil blocking or heat embossing.  We will retain your custom blocking plate for three years.  After that date we will recycle the metal and your plate may no longer be available for repeat orders.

There are several methods of personalisation available. Some products only allow one type while others may be personalised in a variety of ways. The major methods are:

Foil blocking

• Available on most real and synthetic hide products and bookbound items.
• You may choose one colour, usually gold or silver, though other colours may be available.
• Has a one off set up charge and no extra cost per item
• Once the plate is made it is kept and can be used on other products in the future

Heat embossing

• The process and costs are the same as foil blocking
• Can only be used on certain materials
• Results in a darker colour indentation rather than choosing a colour foil

Metal plate

• Can be single or full colour including photographs
• Background colour can be silver, gold or white, each giving very different results
• There can be a set up charge and for some items a per item cost - please see individual products for related costs

Full colour

• Available on Merlin and Full Colour Ashmore menus and personalised melamine and metal mats
• Good quality artwork is required to produce the best results

Metal Engraving

• Only available on some metal products
• Minimum of 10 items may apply
• There is a set up charge and an additional cost for each item engraved
• Cost per item may increase as area to be engraved increases

Wood engraving

• Minimum of 10 items may apply
• Can have a single colour infill on some engraved products, no infill is available for certain products.
• There can be a set up charge on some ranges and an additional cost for each item engraved
• Cost per item may increase as area to be engraved increases

Vinyl lettering

• Available on some chalk boards and pavement signs
• One colour & Full colour - choice of colours
• Additional cost to cover set up and production

The only difference between a menu and the room folder from the same range is that the room folder has a pocket fixed into each of the inside covers, which is also slightly larger. The pocket can be used for holding paper, envelopes etc for the use of guests. Most of the room folders offer a ring fixings.

Any product sold as a menu can be used as a room information folder and we are quite happy to use an appropriate standard title on the front.

Metal corners are available as standard on many of the products we sell. They serve two purposes - decoration and protection.

Where corners are offered you can have either black, gold or silver corners - there no other colour options. On some products you may choose not to have corners but on others the construction of the product means that we have to fit corners.

We do not provide a fitting service for menu cases but we do provide all the information necessary to fit the cases we sell.

The actual fitting usually only requires basic DIY skills although fitting the electrics for illuminated cases may require more specialised knowledge. 

We recommend that if an item requires installation beyond your capabilities you contact an appropriate professional. We cannot be held liable for any damage or injury caused by incorrect installation.

Menus are generally durable but we do recommend care in cleaning. The best method is just to wipe them with a damp cloth. Avoid using abrasives or antibacterial sprays or cloths that have been used with antibacterial sprays as these may affect foil blocking or other finishes.