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Multiple monitors have all sorts of advantages — even over single, enormous ultra-wides — from improving productivity to providing versatility in their placement on your desk. But the experience isn’t always perfect. Sometimes, you plug in a second monitor and it doesn’t work at all, or it keeps minimizing your game when you move into it accidentally.

If you’ve followed our guide on how to set up multiple monitors and you’re running into difficulties like the second monitor not displaying properly, not turning on at all, or your games aren’t displaying on the right monitor, then check out the list below of the most common multi-monitor problems for your desktop PC or laptop and how to fix them in Windows 10 and 11.

Although getting no signal to your new monitor can be cause for concern, it’s arguably the easiest problem to fix. It simply means that the display has power, but it isn’t receiving visual data. There are several reasons why this happens and plenty of fixes you can try to sort it out.

Force Windows to detect your monitor: Maybe Windows didn’t recognize your second display’s connection. To force it to check again, right-click the desktop and select Display Settings from the resulting pop-up menu. In the following window, click the Detect button located under the display diagram. In Windows 11, you can find this under the Multiple Displays section.

Turn the screen off and on: Some connection types don’t like hot swapping while a different monitor is powered on. Turn the display off and then on again. That may be all it needs to recognize the video feed and start displaying it correctly.

Verify cable connections: A loose cable can cause “no signal” errors more often than any other problem. If they do seem well secured, unplug them and plug them in again just to be sure.

Remove other peripheral devices: Disconnect any connected cameras or other unnecessary peripherals. If your display starts working afterward, these connections were probably interfering with your setup. You may need to find newer, compatible accessories or use connections on your PC instead of your monitor.

Verify the correct input: Monitors with multiple input options need you to manually select which cable and port you’re using, like HDMI 1, HDMI 2, DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C, and so on. Use the buttons on your monitor to cycle through the channels and select the correct input from your PC. If you are using an adapter to switch from one type of input to another, this may be causing issues with the other monitor. Try to remove the adapter if possible, or replace it with another adapter to see if this fixes the issue.

Change data cable: If you’re using an older cable standard like VGA or DVI-D, you might want to try a newer alternative like HDMI or DisplayPort. You can also try using a new cable in case the old one has issues (bent pins, a short, exposed wire, etc.).

Change the graphics port: If you’re using a dedicated graphics card with multiple output ports, try switching to another port. Sometimes ports themselves can go bad or somehow get damaged. Switching to another may be all you need to do to correct the problem.

Update your drivers: Windows supports multiple monitors by default, but your current setup may not be configured correctly. Making sure you’re running the latest graphics drivers for your system can sometimes fix problems with no signal errors.

If you’re still having trouble with your extended desktop monitor, verify that it works by unplugging the primary screen and double-checking the above steps again. If it does, consider running it as the primary display until you determine the root problem. If it doesn’t, contact your retailer or manufacturer to discuss a return or replacement.

If you add a new, higher-resolution monitor to your system and find that it’s not displaying correctly, it might be borrowing settings from an older display, or simply trying to match your primary monitor.

Step 4: Select a screen resolution that works best for you. Windows designates one of these resolutions as “recommended” based on the display’s hardware.

If this didn’t work, make sure your monitor and graphics card can run at your chosen resolution. If you’re still running into problems, try updating your graphics drivers.

Note: You can use two monitors of different sizes, refresh rates, and resolutions as long as they have the required connections. However, they will still be limited by their individual specifications. If one monitor has a significantly lower resolution than the other, that’s not going to change, and some things may naturally look different. We suggest not overclocking specs like refresh rate when in a dual-monitor setup. GPUs may already struggle juggling two monitors, you don’t want to make things any hard for them.

If your monitor is set at an incorrect refresh rate, it will display a “no signal” error. That means the PC is outputting a signal the display simply can’t handle, requiring you to manually adjust the output in Windows.

Step 2:The Settings app opens with the Display panel loaded by default. Scroll down and click the Advanced Display Settings link located under Multiple Displays.

When this happens, other monitors will have a puzzling aspect ratio, often only using a tiny part of the screen as if your PC thinks the other monitor has an extra-large 21:9 aspect ratio — or possibly zooming in too far. Typically, this is caused by a resolution or settings issue that can be resolved.

Review your resolution settings: Go through our resolution section above, and make sure that your resolution settings match each monitor you are using. Use recommended or screen-fitting options where possible.

Switch cables: If you have the option, try a different cable standard, like switching from DisplayPort to HDMI or vice-versa. When doing this, make sure the cables you are using support your current resolution — older cables may not support UHD/4K resolutions, which could cause this aspect ratio issue.

Are you using a TV as a second monitor?: If so, go into your TV settings and look for options to turn off the Overscan or Underscan setting. This may also be called a Relax mode. You may also want to make sure there are no Aspect Ratio modes accidentally enabled. Consult your TV manual for more information.

Check your display orientation: This isn’t as common, but the issue may be the monitor’s orientation. In Windows, go to the Display section and look for Display Orientation. Try switching the orientation to something like Portrait, then switch it back to Landscape and see if this helps.

It’s not uncommon for games to display on your second monitor rather than your first, which isn’t ideal if you have a primary display for gaming and a secondary for everything else. Fortunately, there are some quick and easy ways to fix it.

Use in-game settings: The easiest way is often to just tell the game to display on your primary monitor. Some games have the option of selecting a display in their settings menu, so check there first before adjusting anything else.

Check your display outputs: If you find that this isn’t the first time a game or application has displayed on the wrong monitor, you might want to check your inputs. Is your secondary display plugged into the primary display output on your graphics card? Try swapping them around to see if that fixes things.

Make it your primary display: Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings menu, then navigate to System > Display. Select the monitor you want your games to appear on, and select the box next to Make this my primary display.

Only use one monitor: If the above doesn’t work, in Display settings, select the display you want to game on. From the Monitor Settings (Windows 11) or Multiple Displays (Windows 10) drop-down, select Show only on 1 or Show only on 2 as appropriate. You will need to turn this back off once you’ve finished gaming, but it is a surefire way to get your game working on the right display.

There are a few different ways to display content on two screens, but Duplicate is often the default. If your second display merely copies the desktop rather than extend it, here’s how to change that view.

Step 2: Select the Extend option. You can do this by using your mouse, going up or down with the arrow keys and pressing Enter, or by pressing the Windows + P keys to cycle through options.

This can be an issue for designers and artists who find that one of the monitors in their setup has messed-up color saturation or poor color accuracy in general.

Step 1: Unfortunately, there isn’t always an easy fix. If color accuracy and similar factors are important to you, the best way to guarantee them is to get two of the same monitor models. You may need to replace the poor-performance monitor with a copy of your primary monitor with stronger color accuracy.

Step 2: If replacement isn’t an option, you can work to calibrate the poor-performing monitor to fix color issues and get it working properly. Bring up the same image on both monitors, and adjust the settings until they match. If you need serious color accuracy, we suggest consulting our guide on calibrating your monitor and taking a close look at the colorimeter section.

If you’re working with a three-monitor setup, you may find that the first two monitors are easy to connect, but the third monitor is not responsive or not behaving like the others.

Unplug monitors and plug each monitor in one at a time: Sometimes, this helps your computer recognize all three monitors and use them properly, no other steps are needed.

Make sure that your settings are on Extend these displays: In theMultiple displays sections of Displays on Windows, make sure the Extend these displays option is chosen. It’s a good idea to check all your Display settings to make sure they are set up for multiple monitors: Sometimes a Windows update can reset them.

If you find that your games keep minimizing when playing on a single monitor, you might be accidentally clicking in the pane of your second display. Some games don’t lock the boundaries of their fullscreen window, which means that when you move to the edge of the screen, your pointer can transition into the second window.

Clicking selects that second monitor, or whatever is on it, minimizing the game. This is particularly problematic in games without a mouse pointer, like first-person shooters. Here are a few methods for fixing the minimization problem:

Check your display options within the game itself: If you’re playing in “Windowed” mode, try switching to “Full Screen” instead, as it captures your mouse. If that doesn’t work, try switching to the “Borderless Window” mode. It won’t stop your mouse from moving to the other screen, but it can stop the game from minimizing when it happens. You’ll just need to click back into the game window.

Use a third-party app: Applications like the Dual Monitor Tool can let you lock a mouse pointer to a specific monitor. Just remember to unlock the mouse when you’re done.

Turn off the second screen: It’s a little drastic but turning off the second screen when playing games that don’t need it prevents you from drifting into that extended space mid-game. Simply press the display’s power button, or press the Windows + P keys and select the PC Screen Only option.

This can happen if you go into sleep mode or your monitors switch to screensavers, then you open back up. Suddenly, you find that all your app windows or tabs have changed places, often all moving to the first monitor display, ruining your setup, and wasting plenty of time moving them all back. This is a known issue on Windows 10, most likely due to “Rapid Hot Plug Detect” issues, but there are things you can do to fix the problem.

Update to Windows 11: Windows 11 specifically has a new feature to deal with this problem, so if you update you can fix it. In Windows 11, visit the Display setting, and look in the Multiple Displays section. Here you will find an option to Remember Window Locations Based on Monitor Connection. Make sure it’s enabled, and that should solve your problem.

Switch off DisplayPort: You can also switch from DisplayPort to HDMI. This problem appears to be unique to DisplayPort connections, and you may be able to prevent it from happening by using another connection option.

Sometimes your secondary computer monitor will work, but it will encounter distortions and artifacting that make it difficult to use or impossible to play games with. If your first monitor does not have these display issues, then the issue is probably related to your hardware. You can usually fix it by trying these steps:

Check monitor ports: Make sure all ports on your computer are clean and dust-free. If it’s been a while, clean them out very carefully with a few jets of compressed air and make sure there is no damage or debris to the port or cable.

Buy a new monitor cable for the secondary monitor: It may be that your cable is old and failing. This is especially true if it isn’t shielded and is experiencing interference from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and nearby electrical noise. Find a new cable that has great shielding.

Shorten the cable length: If possible, pick a new cable that’s shorter than the older one. The longer data has to travel through the cable, the more chance of interference, so a shorter cable can cut down on artifacting and similar problems.

If you are using switch converters or adapters, try connecting without them: Look for cables that don’t need separate adapters or switches to control.

In this case, you have been using a multi-monitor setup for a while now and everything has been working fine — but suddenly your other monitors just stop working altogether. Fortunately, this can usually be fixed.

Check your connections: Cover the basics, and make sure your other monitor is still properly connected and that cables haven’t come loose since you last booted up.

Give Windows a reminder: Sometimes Windows stumbles a little and sort of loses track of your additional monitors. Give it a refresh by pressing the Windows Logo + Ctrl + Shift + Bkeys. Hold them all down for a second and let go. See if this helps bring your other monitor back to life.

If necessary, roll back driver updates: If your display driver recently updated, it could be causing the issue. Go to Device Manager, select Display Adapters, and select your display adapter to see more. Go to Properties, look at the Driver tab, and choose Roll Back Driver.

If you have different size monitors, especially with different resolutions, it can be very difficult to share images between them as if they were one ultrawide — the pixels just won’t match up properly. If you’re willing to do some work, you may be able to fix this problem.

Step 1: The most direct way to deal with this is to adjust a monitor’s resolution scaling. You can either adjust one monitor to bring everything into scale or set the same scale for both monitors at a level that will help them work together. Divide the vertical pixels per diagonal inch of both monitors to find the right scale to set the monitors — Reddit has some helpful guidance here. Review your monitor settings and see if you can set the resolution or DPI scale this way. Your GPU settings may also be able to help.

Setting up dual monitors helps your productivity immensely. From having multiple browser windows open to using complex sets of editing tools for photos or video or having guides open on a second screen for research or gaming — it’s always an excellent way to maximize your productivity.

If you’re interested in this type of setup, our guide can show you the way — and Windows 10 makes it easier than ever. If you have any problems with your setup, you can also check out our guide on common multi-monitor problems for more info.

Your PC has an area for all important cable connections, typically called the I/O panel. If it’s been a while since you’ve peeked back there, take a look before you buy a secondary monitor. If you have a discrete (non-integrated) GPU, then there may also be a GPU section with ports of its own to take stock of. Snap a quick photo of this whole section for quick reference if necessary.

Now check to see what kind of display connections you have to work with. For modern monitors and PCs, the two common options are HDMI and DisplayPort, with even newer models also offering USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 for A/V data. You may also have a DVI-I port for managing older digital/analog connections, and some PCs might still have a VGA port (although we don’t advise using this for a second monitor).

Make sure you have at least two of these display ports for two monitors. Note which spare port you will be attaching the new monitor to and what connection type you’ll need.

You can also use a monitor as a second screen with a laptop, as long as that laptop has compatible display ports of its own. The laptop screen itself can also be used as a second monitor with the right setup, although that isn’t as common.

With port information in hand, you’re ready to pick out the best new monitor for your dual-display setup. We have some suggestions to help get you started and a list of budget models that are handy for saving money. Double-check to see that the monitor includes the right type of port for your open PC connection, and buy any necessary cables as well. For a smooth whole-screen experience, it’s a good idea to pick a monitor with a “bezel-less” or thin-bezel screen.

The window this brings up will show your connected displays, which display is your primary display, and on which side the secondary is positioned (you can choose a different side by dragging the screen numbers). If you do not see your second monitor show up, try unplugging the cables and plugging them back in again. There is also a wireless option if you scroll down and choose Connect to a Wireless Display —less common but potentially useful.  If it’s still not working, check for Windows 10 updates, reboot, and try again.

If both of your monitors are showing up, then you need to choose how they will work. Select your secondary monitor at the top, then scroll down in the Display Settings window, and select the Multiple Displays list to see your options.

You have two primary choices. The first is to Extend Desktop to This Display. This will make your two monitors function as a single whole monitor with a stretched-out desktop that you can freely move things between — the ideal choice for most dual-monitor users. The other option is to Duplicate Desktop on 1 and 2. This option is usually reserved for teaching and training setups where one screen will be facing the learners.

While you are in Display Settings, adjust other features so that both monitors are set up in the way you need. You can change the orientation and resolution of either monitor by clicking on it and then selecting from the choices below. For example, if you are a photographer editing a photo, you may want to buy a 4K secondary monitor and set it for a higher resolution for the photo while keeping your editing tools and menus on the primary screen. Keep in mind that resolution limits will also be limited by GPU and video output standards.

Set individual settings for each monitor as you need them, then exit the settings menu and start to experiment. Try dragging and dropping apps and browser tabs between your monitors to make sure you have just the setup that you want. Shift any shortcuts and icons you need to as well. Now, every time you start your PC, your two-monitor system will be ready and waiting for you.

If you continue to have issues with your dual monitor performance, we suggest taking a closer look at your GPU and what it can support, as well as other hardware limitations on your PC. Our troubleshooting guide can help you find more specific causes of multi-monitor problems. As with many problems and dual monitor issues, in particular, unplugging everything and plugging it back in can solve many problems.

If you use a more advanced GPU, you also have the option of setting up dual monitors there or in concert with Windows’ own approach. GPU software tends to give more options for tweaking multi-monitor setups, which may be an ideal option for streamers, gamers, and visual professionals.

For Nvidia cards, here is Nvidia’s guide and related topics for setting up dual monitors. If you have an AMD chip, here’s the full AMD guide for doing the same.

Once you have your monitors set up, why not make sure they look their best with our list of the top dual-monitor wallpapers? Or if you’ve decided that the dual-monitor approach isn’t for you, you should take a look at our top picks for ultrawide monitors.

23.8" LED-backlit LCD monitor / FHD (1920x1080) resolution IPS display / 178° (H) 178° (V) viewing angle / 250 cd/m² brightness / 5ms (GTG) response time (in FAST mode) / 1xUSB‑C input (video/audio/60W charging capability), 1xDisplayPort (in), 1xDisplayPort (out) with MST, 1xHDMI, 1xUSB‑C output (data/15W charging capability), 3xSuperSpeed 10Gbps USB Type A ports / 1xDisplayPort, 1xUSB-C to USB Type A cable included / 3 year system/panel warranty

Tip:If you"re using a wireless display adapter, connect to an HDMI port on newer TVs, then wirelessly connect your PC to it. After connecting your wireless display adapter to your TV, go to your Windows 11 PC, press Windows logo key + K to open Cast, then select your wireless display adapter.

To see which number corresponds to a display, select Start, then search for settings. Select Settings > System > Display> Identify. A number appears on the screen of the display it"s assigned to.

If you have multiple displays, you can change how they"re arranged. This is helpful if you want your displays to match how they"re set up in your home or office. In Display settings, select and drag the display to where you want. Do this with all the displays you want to move. When you"re happy with the layout, select Apply. Test your new layout by moving your mouse pointer across the different displays to make sure it works like you expect.

After you"re connected to your external displays, you can change settings like your resolution, screen layout, and more. To see available options, in Settings, select System > Display.

Windows will recommend an orientation for your screen. To change it in Display settings, under Scale & layout, choose your preferred Display orientation. If you change the orientation of a monitor, you"ll also need to physically rotate the screen. For example, you"d rotate your external display to use it in portrait instead of landscape.

Although Windows 10 does a pretty good job detecting and setting up a display, when connecting multiple monitors, the system doesn"t understand the setup"s physical layout. As a result, you may end up running into issues if the setup isn"t in the same order as the connections to the video card, the monitors are in different positions, or you recently removed one of the external monitors.

Regardless of the issue, Windows 10 includes settings to arrange a multi-monitor set up correctly, allowing the system to understand the physical layout so that you can move the mouse pointer freely across displays for a more immersive experience. (We also have a guide with more tips to set up more than one display on Windows 10.)

Under the "Select and rearrange displays" section, click the Identify button to determine which displays you"ll be arranging.Quick tip: If one of the monitors is not showing up on the settings page, make sure it"s receiving power and connected correctly, and click the Detect button. If you are still having problems, reset their connections (or restart the device), and then try the Detect button one more time.

If you have two or more displays in line, make sure that all the devices align at the top perfectly. Otherwise, you"ll have problems moving the mouse cursor between monitors from the corners.

The setting is only available when connecting two or more displays, which means that if you only have one monitor, the rearrange option won"t be available.

Although Windows 10 does a pretty good job detecting and setting up a display, when connecting multiple monitors, the system doesn"t understand the setup"s physical layout. As a result, you may end up running into issues if the setup isn"t in the same order as the connections to the video card, the monitors are in different positions, or you recently removed one of the external monitors.

Regardless of the issue, Windows 10 includes settings to arrange a multi-monitor set up correctly, allowing the system to understand the physical layout so that you can move the mouse pointer freely across displays for a more immersive experience. (We also have a guide with more tips to set up more than one display on Windows 10.)

Under the "Select and rearrange displays" section, click the Identify button to determine which displays you"ll be arranging.Quick tip: If one of the monitors is not showing up on the settings page, make sure it"s receiving power and connected correctly, and click the Detect button. If you are still having problems, reset their connections (or restart the device), and then try the Detect button one more time.

If you have two or more displays in line, make sure that all the devices align at the top perfectly. Otherwise, you"ll have problems moving the mouse cursor between monitors from the corners.

The setting is only available when connecting two or more displays, which means that if you only have one monitor, the rearrange option won"t be available.

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Digital menu boards are electronic screens that display menu options, pricing, images, and videos. They are an excellent way to inform customers of your cuisine style, showcase specials and promotions, and encourage upselling. The screens themselves can be pricey—ranging from $325 to $1,400—and the ongoing cost for software can be as low as $7.99 per month.

With advances in smart TVs and streaming devices, it has never been easier to set up digital menu boards and displays. If you’re thinking about adding some to your shop, here’s the easiest way to do it.

There are two ways to set up a digital menu board, both involving a television screen with HDMI or USB connections. Once you have your TVs, you can either connect a signage player or a thumb drive. The most popular setup is using a signage player because it is easier to manage multiple screens from a single dashboard, and most signage players come with easy-to-use menu templates. So we’ll start with that strategy.

Most small, independent restaurants can piece together a digital display system easily. All you need is a screen, a compatible digital signage player, mounting hardware, and cords to connect these components.

Once you have chosen your preferred sign player company, you’ll need to get all the other necessary hardware. This includes the screen, sign player, and peripheral items like mounting hardware and Wi-Fi signal boosters.

Screens:Most digital menu boards operate on smart TVs. Either LCD or LED screens will work; you just need to be sure that the screens you purchase have HDMI ports, as most digital sign players connect via HDMI. The number of screens you need will vary based on the size of your menu, what you want to display, and how much space you have. If you plan to install your screens outdoors, you’ll need to ensure they are graded for water and wind resistance.

Digital sign player: These are small devices, similar to a Roku or an Apple TV. Many digital signage companies provide their own signage players. Often, the cost is factored into your monthly fee, or you’ll pay upfront. Alternatively, several cloud-based digital signage platforms like SignPresenter, operate via Amazon Fire TV Sticks, which retail for around $40 each. You’ll need a digital sign player for each menu screen.

Mounting hardware and connection cables:You’ll need to buy mounting gear to install your TVs, as well as compatible connecting cables. Depending on your layout and other cloud-based tools, you may also need internet signal boosters, routers, or wireless access points to ensure your digital signs never lose connectivity.

What is HDMI? HDMI stands for High Definition Media Interface. HDMI connections can transfer high definition images and high quality audio from one device to another. HDMI connections can enable you to project your menu on a high-definition television screen and even show videos or animation if your sign player supports those features.

With your hardware in hand, you’re ready to mount your screens to the wall. Before you grab your level and power drill, you need to find the ideal location for your screens. You want your digital menus to be visible in high-traffic areas where your customers can see them. But there are a few more variables to consider.

Near electrical outlets.Your screens (and sometimes your sign player too) will need to be plugged in to electricity. You’ll want to place your screens within 3 to 6 feet of a grounded wall outlet.

Near a Wi-Fi signal. Most digital sign players operate via the cloud. To ensure your content reliably shows up on your displays, you’ll need to have a stable internet connection.

Away from glare. Light fixtures and light from windows can cause glare on your screens. You can reduce this by purchasing anti-glare screens, moving light fixtures, or adjusting your screens’ tilt.

Away from heat and water.Restaurants and other service businesses should be mindful of the temperature near their screens. Water and steam are also a concern.

In a stable wall. Mounting your screen to wall studs is the most stable setup. Brick or concrete is also good (though it may require specialized tools).

Depending on your restaurant’s layout, mounting your screens from a ceiling or soffit may make the most sense. The slideshow below illustrates several mounting options to help you choose the best spot.

Most digital signage platforms have a gallery of images and content widgets to help you create dynamic images, animation, or even videos to enliven your displays. Alternatively, if you have design experience or a designer working for you to create menus and other content for your digital menu, you can design your own digital menu.

If you lack the administrative bandwidth to design displays yourself, you might prefer to work with a platform like Reach, which includes design services for subscribers. Alternatively, you could hire a freelance designer from a site like Fiverr to create templates you can reuse.

The beauty of a digital menu board is that you can use bright colors and eye-catching graphics to capture your customers’ attention and guide them through your menu. Depending on your service style and business type, various menu formats may be best. We’ve included a few of our favorites to get your creative juices flowing.

The Blackboard. This high contrast black and white design is a natural fit for coffee shops, coffee roasters, delis, and farm-to-table operations. (Image from DSMEnu)

The multi-column, static image. Dynamic colors offset different areas of the menu so customers can easily find what they want. It is a great format for delis, burger joints, taquerias, and noodle shops. (Image from DSMenu)

The menu grid. This grid layout is an excellent way to highlight a single-item menu that has lots of variations. Bakeries and burger joints would get good use out of this style. (Image from DSMenu)

The large graphic. This style is a great fit for restaurants that want to highlight a combo or promotion. If you want to get fancy, you could fly those burgers into the screen with a bit of animation. (Image from DSMenu)

The menu with a header. This dynamic design has clearly established areas for standard menu items and specials. The header image can easily be updated to reflect an upcoming holiday without disturbing the rest of the menu.

Setting up a digital menu display using a thumb drive will save you a little money, mostly in monthly software fees. You’ll still need to buy screens and mounting hardware, though, which are the costliest parts of setting up a digital menu.

The biggest difference between a sign player setup and a thumb drive setup is that thumb drives do not require internet access to operate. So, you can place your screens without any regard for Wi-Fi signal strength. This process varies only a little bit from that of using a signage player.

Step 1: Gather your hardware.You’ll need smart TVs that have a USB port to accept the thumb drive, a thumb drive for each screen, and mounting hardware for each screen.

Step 2: Mount your screens.The way you mount your screen will vary depending on your restaurant layout. You’ll want to use appropriate mounting hardware and install it in sturdy walls with electrical outlets nearby.

Step 3: Design your menu template(s). If you use a thumb drive, you’ll need a template for your menu. If you have the skills, you can design a digital menu using popular design software like Canva or Adobe Photoshop. You can hire a freelance designer from a site like Fiverr to create a menu template for you, or you can use DSMenu and Yodeck’s free design tools to create simple, static menu images (dynamic menus with animated functions require an annual subscription). Once you have a design you like, you need to enter your menu information and download the finished menu to your thumb drive.

Step 4: Insert the thumb drive into the TV.Plug the thumb drive into the USB port of your smart TV. Use the television remote control to navigate to the output that corresponds to the USB port. You’ll need a thumb drive for each screen you plan to use. If you want different images to display on different screens, you’ll need to design menus for each one.

Smart TVs are getting lighter every year, but they are still expensive, sensitive equipment that can do some real damage if they fall. If you are even the slightest bit stressed about installing screens yourself, call a licensed professional. If you buy your screens from a big-box retailer like Best Buy or Home Depot, you can use their referral tools to find a local, independent installation technician. These professionals tend to focus on basic wall-hanging installations; you may need to shop around for more complex, ceiling-hung installations.

If you need a large scale digital screen installation, platforms like Samsung and Peerless-AV provide professional installation for a fee. Rates vary depending on the complexity of your installation. When hiring a professional installer, it is important to ensure that your technicians are licensed and insured. Using an unlicensed installer may violate the terms of your lease or liability insurance or void hardware warranties.

If you are mounting several screens in walls without grounded electrical outlets, you should also call an electrician. It may be less expensive in the short term to connect your screens via lengths of extension cords, but daisy-chained extension cords can be a fire and trick hazard. It is far safer to have a professional install a few more electrical outlets exactly where you need them.

Clearly, there are a few different costs associated with digital menu boards. Most small businesses can expect to pay about $400 to $1,700 for a single digital menu board with all its necessary components. The biggest cost variance comes from your choice of screens. The larger your televisions and the higher their resolution, the pricier your setup will be.

Pricing for a media player can vary wildly, depending on the brand, amount of memory, and whether you purchase it directly from a provider or a third-party; costs range from $40 to $500 each. In most cases, you’ll need one media player per screen.

BrightSign’s sign player is compatible with many digital sign platforms. Prices range from $300 to $500, depending on the model. (Image from BrightSign)

Most digital menus can operate with LCD or LED television screens. Though LEDs tend to be better for digital signage because they are lightweight and thinner than LCD screens and generate less heat. LEDs are also less prone to a phenomena called “screen burn,” where traces of an image remain after the screen has changed to a different image.

Costs will vary depending on the brand, specifications like LCD or LED, size, and bulk discounting; costs range from $325 to $1,400 each for 43-inch to 65-inch displays. We’ve listed some popular digital menu screen options in the slideshow below.

This outdoor digital menu is built with Panasonic ClearConect screens that can operate from -31 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and can withstand driving rain. They are available from Panasonic at custom-quote prices.

Mounting hardware is unavoidable, and prices range from around $30 for a basic, flat wall mount up to $550 for a complex ceiling mount. If you need to boost your Wi-Fi signal, antennas and mobile access points range from $50 to $350 each.

Cloud-based software comes with a monthly fee, and some require a contract. Typical prices range from around $8 to $30 per screen, per month, though some platforms that cater to small businesses offer free basic subscriptions.

Depending on the complexity of your setup and whether or not you need to wire new electrical outlets, your installation costs can vary from around $300 to over $1,500.

Implementing digital signage can be an affordable upgrade from the paper or plastic sign solution you have now. If you’re outfitting your space with multiple screens, it could be a sizable investment. The average cost of a full-scale, multi-screen restaurant installation is around $12,000, but many small businesses find that their systems pay for themselves in 12 to 18 months. This makes sense as you’ll be saving on printing and design services and have increased potential for upsells.

When it comes to the pros and cons of digital menu boards, the positives stack up quickly. Using a digital menu board can help drive sales. They are incredibly convenient, and you can display calorie counts easily. Yes, a digital menu is pricier than a printed menu, but it’s an investment that will likely pay off within a year.

Better customer service:Vermont bar and restaurant Pro Pig Brewery added digital menu boards behind its bar during COVID-19. They found that it freed up their bartenders to have more in-depth conversations with customers about the rotating beer selections.

Increased customer engagement: Retailers that use digital signage report increased customer engagement, including improved branding, reduced perceived wait times, and reduced walkouts. About three-fourths of respondents in a survey by Future Stores said their customers have very well or exceptionally well to the use of digital signage.

Nutritional info: It’s far easier to display nutritional information on your food menus with a digital menu board; if you make any changes to an item, you won’t have to reprint a menu with the new calorie count.

Upfront cost: To get started with digital menu boards, you’ll have to spend a sizable amount for TVs or monitors and media players, and you’ll have an ongoing monthly fee. Plus, if you want professional photos or graphics, you’ll have to hire talent for it.

Power usage: Most smart TVs are designed to be energy efficient, but even the most efficient smart TV uses more energy than a paper menu. Every hour your restaurant is open, your digital menu boards will need electrical power, which will have a definite impact on your energy bills.

Outages:If your internet connection goes out, your menus are down; it’s a good idea to have a mobile hot spot ready to go as a backup, but this could come with extra costs as well.

A digital menu board is an excellent way to entice customers to engage with your restaurant. IT is easy to operate and is a relatively affordable solution to the static menus, directories, maps, and in-store advertising you may currently use. Not only do digital displays give your business some extra polish, but they have also been shown to drive sales and increase customer affinity for your business. They can also free up your staff to build more authentic connections with your customers and drive repeat business. You can find plenty of freestanding solutions or integrate with your POS system.

The pricing breakdowns listed above represent our most common order sizes. We are happy to work with you on orders of more than 1500 shirts. Just ask us for custom pricing on larger orders!

*Cost of birth control injection includes administrative fee. If patient arrives with medication, only $28 administration fee will be charged to patient.

You can get extremely detailed with pricing. Some owners leave nothing for granted and account for things like their shop"s overhead, time on press, capacity, impressions, number of colors, t-shirt costs and so on – you absolutely should account for those nitty-gritty details. But that"s not all there is to pricing.

Instead of trying to develop an all-encompassing formula, it"s best to follow some general strategies for smarter pricing. The reality is that you"ll need to price every unique job differently.

You"re paying to buy t-shirts from wholesalers. This takes times and money, and it"s the first step to printing custom t-shirts. Your garment markup is the first place that you should make profit.

That t-shirt may cost you just $1.50. But there is a real labor cost for procuring, processing, and printing the shirts in your shop. This fixed cost does notdepend on how much you paid for the t-shirt.

Garments that cost $10 from a wholesaler are typically marked up by about 150%. A $10 sweater becomes $15 for the customer. Some examples of clothing with lower markups:

You may have to pay to replace spoiled garments, so it"s vital to cover your costs with a higher printing or setup fee. Marking up mid-tier items appropriately is essential.

For example: a $20 wholesale price translates to a $30 customer price with a 150% markup. That"s before you"ve even applied the cost to print the garment!

To recap: having one garment markup for all types of t-shirts, jackets, and hoodies you sell and print on...is unwise. Appropriately price your garments for the customer. Lower cost goods need the highest markup, while higher cost items require a lower markup. Higher cost items are more profitable, but also riskier to print on.

We have created a guide to help you understand these two crucial ways to quantify your profits and understand your cashflow. Learn more about markup versus margin here.

You should never offer a customer a screen printing quote for a job that you don"t understand. This is why we can"t tell you exactly how much you should charge: there are so many variables that come into play. Each and every shop is unique, and each job is unique on top of that.

There are several common factors related to the screen printing process that we can use to anticipate your printing cost and price jobs appropriately:

Your goal is to evaluate the job"s requirements and create a plan for how you"ll make the customer"s idea a reality...then create a quote that is fair to your business.

Novice screen printers may think a 4-color job is more complicated than a simple 1-color print in two locations. But this isn"t true. Printing a 4-color design on the front of a shirt takes less time than printing two separate designs: you have to remove and replace the shirts for that second print location.

Printing one ink color on every job would make the world a more boring place – for your screen printers and for your customers. But you have to charge more money for the increased complexity that colors introduce.

So how should screen printers price colors? Build a "plateau" in your pricing model.One color should always be affordable. The jump to two colors is sharp, but not so sharp that customers can"t get what they want. And the jump between four colors and eleven colors should be massive!

If your shop prints manually, you must account for flashing in your pricing – your workers are the ones that have to pull that squeegee and wait while the shirt cures!

Add 1 to 2 colors to your standard pricing when you have to flash a job. I"ve created a separate price matrix for flashing jobs. To get an even more accurate picture, try timing two jobs with similar prints – one with flashing and one without. How large of a difference is there?

Remember: underbases often require flashing. Be ready to discuss underbases with your customers and explain why a simple print that is only one color may require an additional fee.

Screen printing pricing is volume-based. Most print shops really want customers to order as many goods as they can: it"s far more efficient to print 300 shirts than three.

But if you"re a small shop (or just starting out) doing a four-color job with flashing on 75 pieces will take a ridiculously long time to print manually.

Therefore, you need to adjust your pricing based on whether you use an automatic press or a manual press. Even if you are using an automatic press, you still need to account for flashing costs.

Once you cross the threshold into automatic printing, you can begin to distribute price breaks a bit more generously. Until then, be sure to account for the added labor & time constraints that manual printing adds to the process.

You can tell this creates a bit of a problem for new screen printers: the guy with the big automatic press is cheaper than you are. But there are still lots of ways that your small shop can add value to customers.

There"s a huge opportunity to make sales to groups, teams, and organizations that are challenging to deal with – you can simply make an online store into your ordering platform.

In my shop, we add a flat fee on top of our traditional screen printing prices (between $1 to $5 per garment depending on the job). It will add costs to your business (such as bagging-and-tagging) – but it can also boost your revenue and open up new sales opportunities.

Need help getting started with online stores for screen printing? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Online Stores for Print Shops and Screen Printers – with custom sales and marketing materials you can download.

Difficult customers and jobs drag your team down and cut into your profits. It"s administrative and customer service work tacked on to design and art work.

On the one hand: they really push our shop"s limits, challenge our skill set and bring out the inner artisan. They"re rewarding when they work out! More importantly, these customers can be converted into lifelong customers and educated about how to make the process easier.

On the other hand: they can be costly, they"re risky, they might lose you money and they can easily ruin customer relationships if they don"t turn out well. Bad reviews are a huge risk with this kind of job, so carefully consider whether you can realistically handle the extra workload for a needy customer or a really challenging print job.

The discount can be a percentage per garment, a percentage off the total order, or even a different cost per garment as you climb the ladder toward large orders.

A customer that orders 100 shirts is more valuable than a customer that orders 15 – and a customer that orders 10,000 garments is making you orders of magnitude more money than either of those. It simply makes financial sense to offer a discount to your largest customers.

The pricing matrix generator below allows you to implement breakless pricing, which is really just a fancy way to say you calculate your prices for every quantity individually.

Instead of having one price tier for 24 to 48 garments, you price out every garment quantity individually. This way, your customers are not incentivized to order "just a dozen more to get a discount." They get the appropriate discount every time. This prevents Mark Coudray"s "print shop pricing trap" where your quantity breaks actually work against you (see the video for a further explanation of how this works).

Maybe you call it the "friends and family discount," but the best way to think about it is that a discount can act as a gesture to keep a great relationship with a customer.

It"s worth keeping a good rapport with a customer that"s going to return again and again to your shop, even if it means keeping a lower margin on their orders.

"Always point out what you"re giving away. Even if the price of the shirt actually accounts for it. We show a line item for "FREE" screen output and set-ups at $20 per color and side. Customers love this. They love getting something for free."

The discount is psychological – setup fees are already baked-in to my pricing! –but if I present it to a customer as a discount, they"ll be very grateful.

Cover your costs: pay your workers, yourself, your bills and everything else. Don"t starve your business because you"re worried about competitors offering a slightly lower price.

You"re probably not going to be able to compete with Custom Ink for market share. You may not even be able to compete with your rival shop, much less a local contract printer on price.

Keep your work high in quality and keep your relationships with customers in great standing – it"s easier to say no today than to explain why that big & challenging order didn"t turn out well to an irate person that"s highly respected in your city.

The #1 question screen printers and print shops have is "How do I set my prices?" This is a topic as controversial as it is difficult – every shop we talk to at Printavo has a different strategy for their screen printing pricing.

We"ve spent several months developing a way to encourage responsible pricing. We are not accounting or pricing experts, but we knew that we could add something valuable: what if we could help print shops generate a price matrix for every job they print?

There are lots of tools, softwares, and methods for developing a pricing model for screen printing shops. We wanted to arm you with something simple that you can use to generate a screen printing pricing matrix.

Update for version 2:a huge thanks to Andrea Harmon from Idaho Shirt Stack for her help. She corrected several errors on the first version of this spreadsheet.

To use our screen printing pricing matrix generator, there are 7 essential steps. It"s important to understand them all so you can get the most out of the spreadsheet (and modify it for your own purposes). The 7 basic steps are:

Define your shop"s monthly costs.While your costs may change, we suggest using a "slightly higher than average" number for your monthly costs. We"ll use these values to help calculate a "cost per impression."

Your utilization rate.How much of a working day is spent actually printing? We give you a range of values (from 5% to 50%). Be aware that the typical shop operates at less than 30% utilization!

Tell us how long setup and break-down will likely take.How long do you estimate spending on administration (sales, communication, data entry, etc.), artwork, and pre/post press activities (screen burning and reclaim, setup, etc.)?

Initially, you may need to estimate certain values (or develop a plan to collect more data) to get an accurate value. As the saying goes,good stuff in, good stuff out.The more accurate your inputs, the more accurate your price matrix eventually is.

The first step is defining the percentage profit you want to make.You select a percentage from the drop-down menu. The higher the percentage, the more the tool will charge per screen printed impression (and the higher your shop’s suggested hourly rates and daily revenue targets will be).

How this number is used:this value is used to calculate an idealized cost per impression. Since you are not inputting your revenue – and this is aforward-lookingcalculation – we provide you a “target revenue” based on your costs plus the desired percentage of revenueabovethose costs.

We’ve provided three extra cells for additional costs.This is where you may want to play your variable costs: office supplies, inks, tape, and other consumables.We can’t anticipate every shop’s different costs, but these covermostof the bases. We’ve found that labor expenses, rent, and equipment leases are typically the lion’s share of a small-to-medium print shop’s monthly expenses.

Break-even targets.These are how much you have to make daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to cover your shop’s costs. If you’re trending below these numbers, you are off track.

Profit targets.These are how much you have to make daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to cover your shop’s costsandmeet your defined profit percentage. If you’re trending at or above these numbers, you are on track.

Let’s be transparent: this is where things get a little bit more challenging.Let’s dive in to each area separately and help you understand what values to input.

Impressions per hour. This is an estimate of your production capacity. Don’t think of this as how manyshirtsyou can print in an hour, think of this as how many times you do animpression(in other words: dragging the squeegee across the screen).

Tip:calculate the number of impressions for a job, and then time how long printing takes. Do this repeatedly to get an estimate for how many impressions per hour are likely in your shop.

Total impressions per hour. Unless you are planning on operating more than one press for this job, you don’t need to alter this field. If you are using one press for the job, this value should be the same as your impressions per hour.

Tip: to change this value, alter the Number of Presses in Operation cell. It will simply multiply the number of impressions per hour by the number of presses.

Utilization rate. This is the most important metric in the spreadsheet. Your shop’s utilization rate is the percentage of time your presses are actually printing. We have discussed shop utilization with dozens of shop owners and industry consultants and found that shop utilization tends to be no greater than 40% (and, typically, is much closer to 20-30%).

Number of presses in operation.This is NOT how many presses are in your shop. This is how many presses will be in use forthis particular job.Typically, this should just be left as “1.”Changing this value will alter the “Total impressions per hour” cell and affect your pricing.

With the info provided, we can create simple metrics to judge your shop’s performance and gain a high-level overview . The image above shows several interesting calculations:

Hourly shop rate (with utilization included)is the amount, per operating hour, that you need to hit to get to your profitability goalswhen your actual shop utilization is factored in.

Tip: these values may seem higher than you anticipate. It is worth examining how utilization plays into your shop’s hourly rate: as utilization goes up, your hourly rate goes down (you’re more efficient per hour).

Cost per impression (with utilization included) is calculated the same way but includes a markup equal to your utilization rate. For example, if your utilization is 30% and your cost per impression is $0.50, this cell will populate as 30% of $0.50 ($0.15)plus$0.50 for a total of $0.65.This cell is used for calculating the price matrix.

These numbers capture what you need to take in to cover your costs (break-even targets) and also provide a high-level target revenue to match your desired profitability.

These are highly idealized values, but they can still be useful as a benchmark to check against. You can do basic back-of-the-envelope calculations about how long a job will take and compare the price to your revenue targets. This could help you know whether to take a job, raise or lower the price of a quote, or subcontract a money-losing job.

"How do I know what to charge as a markup?"You can choose a percentage markup from the drop-down menu. It will calculate the specific dollar amount and display it beneath the drop-down menu. Ultimately, the markup you charge is based on your judgment.

Administration.This is the time and effort expended to get the job into the shop. It could include sales, gathering information, getting approvals, ordering garments, etc. – anything that is required to administer the job and get it on press.

Enter an estimated amount of time (in minutes) to be spent on the job.While you may not have a clear picture of exactly how long it will take to set-up and break-down a job, this is a great way to estimate the the cost of pre-and-post press activity.

Once you’ve entered data, your price matrix will automatically generate in the "Step 3 - Matrix" tab (no need to do anything but enter your data – the spreadsheet updates in real time).

You can modify the quantity that the matrix displays to your liking. Feel free to change the green quantity values to anything you like. It may be helpful to use dozens, but for a very accurate picture you can replace dozens with single garments.

But we think this can give you a boost. With this tool, you can start to examine the relationship that pricing has in relation to your shop"s productivity, your shop"s costs, and your revenue goals.

We will continue to update and improve this tool as time goes on. We really want your feedback, so don"t hesitate to let us know what you think! We owe thanks to Andrea Harmon from Idaho Shirt Stack for her corrections and feedback – and we want yours!

With thousands of SKUs, products, decoration methods and variables to control, it"s no wonder that pricing is the single most common question in the garment decoration industry.

Want to start pricing your jobs correctly? Develop one pricing calculator based on your best guesses, then compare it to jobs you"ve already done. Are you close to your target, or way off base?

Once you"ve implemented a price matrix, keep checking up on it. Are you still profitable? Are your customers still happy? Revise your prices quarterly!

It"s easier to get specific when we know the details – this is a general guide for what to consider before making your price matrices, not a plug-and-chug equation you can jot down and use later.

We"re always tweaking and updating our price matrices at Campus Ink – and Printavo has our back thanks to their simple screen printing management software.

About the co-author:Steven Farag is co-owner of Campus Ink in Champaign, IL. He regularly writes for Printavo and works closely with us to offer feedback, advice, and guidance for how to make Printavo even better. Steven"s focus on improving processes and workflow – as well as a relentless pursuit of new productivity-boosting tools and automations – has made Steven a leader among the newest generation of print shop owners.

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