What this guide covers: a working menu-making and PNG-export workflow, followed by a player setup checklist. Kinosign hardware pairing and offline behavior are not yet verified. Screen examples are illustrative, not field-test results.
1. Make a menu that fits your TV.
Start with the items people need to order. Put each item on its own line, with the price at the end. Add a colon after a section heading. You do not need to write a prompt if you already know the menu.
Coffee: Flat white 3.50 Espresso 2.50 Something sweet: Butter croissant 3.00
Paste that into the free menu maker. Choose a layout, change the headline and add your colours. Every name and price stays editable. For an AI draft from a short description, use the AI menu generator and review it before using it.
Use landscape for a wide screen or portrait for a vertical one. The export is 1920 × 1080 or 1080 × 1920 pixels. Check that the TV and player can show that orientation; rotating an image does not configure the device.
2. Download and check the image.
Select Download free PNG. The file includes your title, items, prices, colours and uploaded logo. No account is needed to export. Save the editable design file as well if you want to return to it later.
Open the PNG before putting it on a TV. Check every price and spelling. Confirm ingredients and dietary statements yourself. A generated menu is a draft, and the tool does not know what is in your kitchen.
For a long menu, split it into separate screens or keep fewer items on each page. The tool limits a design to 16 items and four sections. A smaller menu is often easier to read than shrinking the type.
3. Choose how the TV will show it.
The TV is the display. A player is the device or app that decides what appears. You may already have basic image playback on the TV, or you may need a connected player for remote updates and schedules.
- A static image: check the television’s manual for supported image playback, file formats and automatic display behavior. Do not assume every model can loop a USB image.
- A connected signage player: use this when you need to change content from your browser or schedule different menus throughout the day.
- A browser: check full-screen behavior, sleep settings and whether it recovers after a restart. A web player is not automatically an offline player.
Kinosign’s launch targets are Fire TV, Android TV and a web player. Read the device status and verification checklist before buying anything. No exact model is certified in this build.
4. Connect and name the screen.
In the intended Kinosign workflow, you open the screen app on the player. It shows a pairing code. Enter that code in your account, then name the screen for its location, such as “Counter TV”.
Upload your exported menu or bring the saved design through signup. Select the screen, preview the content and set its schedule. The marketing tool preserves design text and layout in the signup link; the receiving app must support that handoff. Your PNG is the portable fallback.
Example pairing code: 4K7-QPA. Enter the code shown by your own player.
5. Check it where customers will stand.
Walk to the furthest point in the queue. Can you read the names and prices? Check reflections, brightness and the TV’s picture-cropping settings. Leave room around the menu edges.
Use strong contrast between type and background. The editor checks a 4.5:1 contrast target for ordinary text. The W3C contrast guidance explains that minimum for web text; distance, glare and display quality still need a real-room check.
- Check the first menu after the TV powers on.
- Watch a scheduled breakfast-to-lunch change.
- Disconnect the network and see what continues playing.
- Reconnect and verify a new price reaches the screen.
- Keep a printed or local fallback for the first service.
6. Save the design for tomorrow’s updates
Keep the editable design, choose a person to check prices and give temporary offers an end date. For menus that repeat, set a daily schedule and review it when hours change.
If you want to compare the full screen-management workflow, read about digital menu boards for cafés and restaurants. For more starting designs, browse the menu board templates.
