Design and Print Your Own Thanksgiving Dinner Menus

Planning a Thanksgiving celebration for friends or family can be fun if you don't let the challenges of pleasing everyone sky rocket your stress level. One of the nicest touches you can add for your party is to include Thanksgiving dinner menus in with your invitations. The best part is that it's quick and easy to design and print your own Thanksgiving dinner menus when you follow the simple steps outlined here.

Get a free menu template

Start by downloading a free menu layout template from PsPrint. These templates contain no graphic design elements, so you can craft a completely custom design that's all your own. Your free downloaded menu template will come pre-formatted in the proper size, resolution, and color mode. In addition, it will contain file instructions as well as helpful guidelines so you can properly position your artwork for the press. Free menu templates are powerful tools that help ensure a perfect print run, meaning there's one less worry on your table when planning your Thanksgiving celebration.

Design your Thanksgiving dinner menus

Open your menu template in your favorite graphic editing program and go to work creating whatever menu design you'd like. Place your design in subsequent layers separate from your template layer, which will be deleted before you print. Consider adopting a theme for your Thanksgiving dinner menus, whether based on the mail you're going to serve, the atmosphere your home provides, or your family's unique spirit.

Your color scheme will match your theme, and you can use your photos, illustrations, and other graphics or scour the web for those that will fit your design. Your colors and graphics can be traditional Thanksgiving colors, icons, and symbols; or you can be bold and choose something completely different: An Italian kitchen theme, photos of your relatives next to their favorite dishes (or your crazy uncle sleeping in his chair after every meal), or a scan of a drawing your kids colored.

The most successful Thanksgiving dinner menu designs for family celebrations aren't those that follow professional design tenets, they are those that exude the personality of you, your home, and your family. Don't be afraid to go out on a limb to create a design that will make your family laugh and share memories.

Print your Thanksgiving dinner menus

Printing your Thanksgiving dinner menus is the easiest step: all you have to do is save your completed artwork, upload your file, and select your printing options. Choose premium paper stocks so your Thanksgiving dinner menu design looks as great on paper as it does on your computer screen.  The best paper stocks for menus are 100 lb. gloss text with glossy sheen on both sides or lightweight 70 lb. matte text that is 50 percent recycled for an eco-friendly alternative. You can also print premium menus, printing on smooth kraft paper stock, brilliant white linen or natural white linen, which adds a touch of elegance to your dinner menu. You can additionally choose to have your menus folded in various configurations, add foil stamps for bright and unique outlines and fills, or have your menus die cut into original shapes that match your family's style.