The short answer
- A 23.8 inch screen in portrait holds about 36 lines read from 10 feet. Plan on half that once you add headings and space.
- Three portrait units make a board about 1.1 m wide. Treat each screen as its own panel: there is a gap of about 80 mm between pictures.
- A price change is a file change. You do not need software, an account or an internet connection.
- If you need boards that switch breakfast to lunch by themselves, or a board for a drive-thru lane, these units are the wrong buy.
How much menu fits
Menu boards fail on text size more often than on anything else. So start with how far your customer stands from the board, and work back to how many lines you can have.
We use the planning figure for US road signs, as reported by the Federal Highway Administration: about 30 feet of reading distance for each inch of capital letter height, assuming 20/40 vision. Road signs are not menus, but it gives you a number to start from. We then allow 1.7 times the capital height for each line, which is ordinary line spacing.
| Size | Portrait, W x H (mm) | Lines at 6 ft | Lines at 10 ft | Lines at 15 ft | Standard nits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 in | 193.6 x 293.6 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 300 |
| 11.6 in | 218.5 x 323.7 | 29 | 17 | 11 | 300 |
| 13.3 in | 245.2 x 373.6 | 34 | 20 | 13 | 300 |
| 15.6 in | 269 x 420 | 39 | 23 | 15 | 300 |
| 17.3 in | 291 x 458 | 44 | 26 | 17 | 300 |
| 18.5 in | 307.4 x 486.5 | 47 | 28 | 19 | 400 |
| 21.5 in | 345 x 557 | 55 | 33 | 22 | 300 |
| 23.8 in | 376 x 606 | 61 | 36 | 24 | 250 |
Lines are computed from the active area on each drawing, for a single column, and fill the whole screen. Real menus need headings and margins. Plan on about half.
Read the table as a limit. A counter menu with 14 items and two headings reads well on one 23.8 inch screen from 10 feet. It does not read well on one 15.6 inch screen from the same spot. Two columns help only if the item names are short.
One screen or a row
Most small counters end up with two or three screens: food, drinks, and something that changes. Our menu board page shows the setup. This is what it takes on the wall.
| Size | One | Two | Three | Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.6 in | 269 mm | 538 mm | 807 mm | 1076 mm |
| 17.3 in | 291 mm | 582 mm | 873 mm | 1164 mm |
| 18.5 in | 307.4 mm | 614.8 mm | 922.2 mm | 1229.6 mm |
| 21.5 in | 345 mm | 690 mm | 1035 mm | 1380 mm |
| 23.8 in | 376 mm | 752 mm | 1128 mm | 1504 mm |
Total width of portrait units touching side by side. Allow for your own gap and bracket.
The gap matters. Each unit has its own metal case, so the pictures do not touch. A headline running across three screens will look broken. Keep every screen complete on its own.
The player also has no way to lock several screens together. Each one runs its own folder and its own clock, so two screens with the same slide timing will drift. Mostly nobody notices, as long as no slide depends on its neighbor.
Changing a price
Here is the whole job, once your slides exist:
- Open the slide in whatever made it, whether that is PowerPoint, Keynote or Canva, and change the price.
- Export a PNG or JPG at 1080 x 1920 and replace the old file on the card. Keep the name, so the order stays the same.
- Put the card in the screen. It switches over within a few seconds and copies the show to its own memory.
- Leave the card in, or take it out after at least a minute, longer with large videos.
Our free card tool builds the folder in your browser if you would rather not name files by hand. The image and video guide has the sizes and file types.
Keep one master copy of the card on a computer. If a card fails or goes missing, you have lost nothing but the card.
Calorie labels on a chain menu
If you are part of a chain with 20 or more locations that does business under the same name and sells substantially the same items, federal menu labeling applies to your board. 21 CFR 101.11 defines a menu board to include electronic menus. FDA requires calorie counts for standard items on menus and menu boards, along with statements about daily intake and about nutrition information on request.
That takes up room, so count those lines when you read the table above. Check the rules that apply to you with your own adviser and your local health authority. State and city rules can add to the federal ones.
Heat, grease and steam
Every size is rated to run from -10 to 60 °C in 95% non-condensing humidity. That is the spec sheet figure for the air around the unit. It does not mean you can mount a screen over a fryer. Grease and condensation are a different problem, and the IP65 rating covers the front face only. The rear of the case and the ports are not sealed. Put the screen on a wall away from direct steam, and leave the card slot where staff can reach it.
Where this is the wrong choice
- Drive-thru lanes and patios. These units are not rated for outdoor use. A sunlight-readable panel is a brightness option and does not change that.
- Boards that change by the hour. The player has an on and off schedule, but no dayparting. It cannot swap the breakfast show for the lunch show at 11:00 by itself. You can swap a card, push a new playlist from your own server, or install a cloud menu app that does dayparting.
- A big board read from far back. The largest unit here is 23.8 inches. If customers order from 25 feet away, buy a larger commercial screen.
- Prices fed from your POS. The player shows files. It does not read from a register system.
- A long video running across several screens. Nothing keeps the units in step.
Questions
How big should a digital menu board be for a small cafe?
Work from the distance. At 10 feet, a 23.8 inch screen in portrait holds about 36 full-width lines and a 15.6 inch screen about 23. Plan on half of that for headings and margins, then add a second screen before you shrink the text.
Do digital menu boards need internet?
Not these. The player loops images and MP4 from a microSD card or USB stick and keeps a copy in internal memory. Internet is needed only if you choose to sync from your own server or install a cloud app.
Can it change the menu by time of day?
Not by itself. The player has an on and off schedule but no dayparting. You can swap a card, push a new playlist from your own server, or install a cloud menu app instead.
Can I use these for a drive-thru menu board?
No. These units are not rated for outdoor use. The IP65 rating covers the front face only, and sunlight-readable is a brightness option.
Do calorie rules apply to digital menu boards?
For chains with 20 or more locations under the same name, yes. 21 CFR 101.11 includes electronic menus. Check with your own adviser and local health authority.
Planning information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules differ by place: check codes and permits with your local authority and your licensed trades.