Printable funeral programs
Printable funeral programs are finished files you print at home or take to a local print shop, instead of ordering printed booklets and waiting for them to ship. When a family has only a few days before the service, that matters. You fill in the details once and download print-ready PDFs right away, then print as many copies as you need. If a name, a time or a hymn changes the night before, edit it here and download the programs again. There is no Word, Canva or design software involved: a home printer and cardstock, or a print shop the day before the service, is enough.
What goes in a funeral program
The cover carries their photo, full name and dates, with the date, time and place of the service. Inside are the obituary and the order of service: the hymns, the readings and who reads them, the eulogy and the message, followed by the officiant, pallbearers and honorary pallbearers, the interment and the repast. The back holds a word of thanks from the family, one verse of hope and the code to their memorial page. If you are still choosing readings, start with our Bible verses for a funeral.
Size, paper and how to print
The program is a letter sheet folded to 5.5 × 8.5 inches. You get two PDFs: a print-shop file with a 1/8-inch bleed laid out as two spreads, and a home file on letter paper. At home, print at 100 percent on 80–100 lb cardstock, both sides, choosing “flip on short edge”, then fold in half. Most local print shops can turn funeral programs around the same day.
Funeral program example
These are real files from the tool, printed from the same layout you see while you edit. The outside spread has the cover and the back; the inside spread has the obituary on the left and the order of service on the right. Their story from the memorial page fills the obituary unless you write a shorter version just for the program. If something does not fit, the editor tells you which panel is over and by how much. Nothing is cut off without warning.
Writing the obituary for a program
A program obituary is shorter than a newspaper notice: where they were born and grew up, the people and work they loved, their faith, and the family who survive them, in about 150 to 300 words. Keep service details out of it, because the cover already carries them. For the eulogy itself, our funeral verses page has a chapter of readings for a eulogy.
Funeral program vs. memorial card
A funeral program guides guests through the service and is handed out at the door. A memorial card is a small keepsake with a photo, name, dates and one verse, made to be kept in a wallet or Bible. The program purchase includes the cards, and both share the same details, so you only fill them in once. You can also start from the memorial card.
