A4 vs A5 Takeaway Menu — Which Size Is Better?
Choosing between A4 and A5 for your takeaway menu is one of the first decisions you'll make — and it affects cost, readability, and how customers interact with your menu. Here's the honest breakdown from 20 years of printing menus for UK takeaways.
Quick comparison
A4 210 × 297mm
- ✅ Most popular size in the UK
- ✅ Easier to read — bigger text, more space
- ✅ Fits full menu without cramming
- ✅ Standard for door-drops
- ❌ Slightly more expensive than A5
A5 148 × 210mm
- ✅ Cheaper — half the price of A4
- ✅ Compact, easy to carry and store
- ✅ Good for short menus (10–20 items)
- ❌ Less space — text can feel cramped
- ❌ Less prominent in a letterbox
When should you choose A4?
A4 is the right choice for the vast majority of UK takeaways. Here's why:
- You have more than 20–25 menu items. Fitting a full Indian, Chinese, or pizza menu onto A5 means very small text. At A4 you have room to group dishes logically, include photos or design elements, and still keep the font size readable.
- You're door-dropping. A4 menus are the standard for letterbox drops — they're immediately visible and associated with takeaway menus in customers' minds. A5 can feel more like a flyer.
- You want to stand out. A4 has more visual impact. A well-designed A4 menu laid out properly will perform better than a cramped A5 every time.
When should you choose A5?
A5 makes sense if:
- You have a short menu — a specialist shop (e.g. a wings bar or a dessert takeaway) with 10–15 items can look clean and deliberate on A5.
- Budget is the priority. At £200 for 10,000 vs £425 for A4, A5 is significantly cheaper. If you're just starting out or testing a new area, A5 is a sensible way to keep costs low.
- You're using them as in-store menus that customers pick up from a counter rather than door-drops.
What do most UK takeaways choose?
Over 70% of the orders we print are A4. It's the industry standard for a reason — it's the size customers expect to receive, it reads clearly, and it photographs well for social media. Unless you have a specific reason to go smaller, A4 is the safer bet.
What about A4+ or A3?
A4+ extended is popular with takeaways that want more length without going full A3 — useful for long menus or when you want to include coupons at the bottom. A3 is mainly used for wall menus and large fold-out formats for restaurants rather than door-drop takeaway menus.
Order Your Takeaway Menus Today
A4 from £425 · A5 from £200 · Free design · Free UK delivery · 3–5 day turnaround
Get my quote → Call 01274 305555Related guides: How much do 10,000 menus cost? · 130gsm vs 170gsm paper
