Booklet menus: how they're put together and printed

What a booklet is

A booklet is one or more landscape A3 sheets, printed on both sides, folded in half and nested one inside the other. Closed, it’s the same size as A4. It has a front cover, a back cover and inside pages, like a small magazine.

It’s the ideal format for long menus, menus that include the wine list, or restaurants that want a polished presentation without going to a commercial printer.

In the US, the equivalent is a tabloid sheet (11 × 17 in) folded to Letter size. MenuDesign’s booklet is built on A3, so ask your print shop to print it on A3, or let them scale it to tabloid: it shrinks by about 6%.

Pages go in fours

Each A3 sheet folded in half gives four pages: two on each side. That’s why the total is always a multiple of four.

If you have a page spare, don’t leave it blank: use it for the story of the place, the dessert menu, wines by the glass or allergen information.

Front and back covers

• Front cover: the venue’s name or logo, and little else. A subtitle such as “Autumn menu” or “Est. 1974” looks good.
• Back cover: address, phone, opening hours, website and social media, the allergen note and any note about service charge.

Imposition, explained without jargon

If you print the pages in order (1, 2, 3, 4…) and fold them, you get chaos. The pages have to be placed on the sheets in a special order so that, once folded, they follow each other. That’s called imposition.

This is how the pages sit in an 8-page booklet (two A3 sheets):

Notice the pattern: on each side, the two pages always add up to the total plus one (8 + 1, 2 + 7, 6 + 3, 4 + 5).

You don’t have to do it by hand. MenuDesign generates the booklet PDF with the pages already in this order. You just print, fold and nest.

If you want to check it first, take two sheets of paper, fold them in half together and number the pages in pencil. When you unfold them you’ll see the same order as in the table.

Double-sided, short edge

1. A3 paper.
2. Double-sided, flipping on the short edge.
3. Actual size, no fitting to the page.
4. First, a complete test on plain paper: fold, nest and flick through.

If the back comes out upside down, switch to short edge. If your printer can’t print double-sided, print all the fronts, turn the stack over and test with a single sheet before carrying on.

Folding, scoring and binding

Scoring. With paper heavier than about 170 gsm, the fold cracks and the white of the paper shows through. A print shop can score it (a pressed crease line) right in the centre before folding.

Folding. Fold each sheet separately, lining up the corners, and run a bone folder or the edge of a ruler along the fold. Then nest the sheets one inside the other, in order.

Binding. Three options, depending on the number of sheets:

• Nothing: with one or two sheets, nesting them is enough.
• Saddle stitching: two staples in the fold. You need a long-reach stapler, or ask the print shop.
• Elastic cord: a menu cover with an elastic down the spine holds the sheets without staples. When prices change you swap one sheet without touching the rest.

When it’s worth it

A booklet looks great, but it has a cost: each sheet carries four pages, so changing one price means reprinting at least that sheet. It’s perfect for stable seasonal menus, wine lists and restaurants with a long menu. If your prices change every week, an A4 in a sleeve may suit you better.

In MenuDesign you choose Booklet, check the front and back covers and download the PDF ready to print. Free, like every format.