Menu contrast checker.
Pick your text and background colors and see whether guests can actually read them: the contrast ratio, the standards it passes, and a live menu preview up close and from across the room. Share a combination by copying the page URL.
What the numbers mean
The ratio compares how much light your two colors reflect. Black on white is 21:1, the maximum; identical colors are 1:1. The badges are the WCAG web accessibility standards: 4.5:1 (AA) is the floor for normal text, 3:1 is acceptable for large headings, and 7:1 (AAA) is comfortable for nearly everyone, including guests with low vision, in dim dining rooms, and on glary screens.
Menus are usually read in worse conditions than websites: candlelight, laminate glare, or a TV across the room. When in doubt, pick the higher standard.
Where menus go wrong
- Grey on cream. Elegant in a design file, invisible over dinner. This is the most common menu contrast failure.
- Accent colors as body text. Amber and gold work as accents and rules, but rarely clear 4.5:1 on a light background.
- Print colors reused on screens. A combination that works on paper can wash out on a backlit display. If your menu runs on a TV, read how to put your menu on a TV screen.
In Menu Author, colors come from themes designed as a system, so text, background, and accents are coordinated from the start, and you can still check any custom combination here.
More free tools: the QR code generator and the menu frame tester.