Pamphlet, program, booklet — the same thing
Families searching for a funeral pamphlet template and families searching for a funeral program template are looking for the same piece of paper. In much of the American South and in Caribbean and West African congregations it is the pamphlet or the obituary; in Anglican and Catholic parishes it is the order of service; funeral directors and stationers tend to say program. Nobody will correct you at the door, so use whichever word your family uses.
The one real distinction worth knowing is pamphlet versus booklet. A pamphlet is a single folded sheet — four panels, the layout above. A booklet is several sheets nested and stapled, giving eight or twelve panels, which families choose when there are many photographs, a long life story, or a full hymn text to print. If you are not sure yet, start with the pamphlet: it holds more than people expect, and a booklet costs roughly double to print.
What to put in, and what to leave out
The pamphlet has one job on the day — telling guests what is happening and in what order — and one job afterwards, which is being kept. Everything that serves both jobs earns its space: the name spelled exactly as the family spells it, the dates, the order of service, the obituary, the acknowledgement, and one poem or verse.
What crowds a pamphlet out is usually well meant. A long list of surviving relatives belongs in the obituary sentence, not as its own column. Directions to the cemetery are better told by an usher than printed. More than one photograph on the cover makes both photographs small. If you need the exact sentences for any block, the funeral program wording page has copyable options; for the back panel, the poems and verses library is public-domain and verified.
Printing and folding
The PDF from the builder is imposed for you: the back and the cover share one side of the sheet, the two inside panels share the other. Print double-sided and flip on the short edge — the common mistake is flipping on the long edge, which prints the inside upside down. Fold in half, crease with a bone folder or the back of a spoon, and check one copy by hand before printing the rest.
If a print shop asks for individual panels instead, the builder also exports a page-by-page PDF at 5.5 × 8.5 in per panel. Both versions draw the text as vector type rather than a screenshot, so names stay sharp at any size and the shop can print them at any scale. You can see the five designs rendered in the examples gallery.
Frequently asked questions
What is a funeral pamphlet?
A funeral pamphlet is the folded paper handout given to guests as they arrive at a funeral or memorial service. It carries the name and dates on the front, the order of service and the obituary inside, and the family's thank-you on the back. "Pamphlet", "program", "booklet", "order of service" and "bulletin" all name the same object — which word a family uses mostly depends on where they live and what their church calls it.
What size is a funeral pamphlet?
The standard American funeral pamphlet is one sheet of US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) printed on both sides and folded once, which gives four panels of 5.5 × 8.5 in. A4 folds the same way in the UK, Ireland and Australia. Anything larger becomes awkward to hold in a pew; anything smaller runs out of room for the obituary.
How many funeral pamphlets should we print?
Count the guests you expect and add roughly a quarter more. Couples often take one between them, but families keep several: one for the memory box, one for a relative who could not travel, one for the person who reads it in the car afterwards. Printing more later means a second trip and a second setup fee, so the spare copies are cheaper made now.
Can I make a funeral pamphlet without design software?
Yes. The builder on this page is the pamphlet — you type into the panels, upload a photo if you have one, choose a design, and download a print-ready PDF. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded to us, and there is no signup. If you would rather sketch it on paper first, the four-panel table above is the whole layout.
What paper should a funeral pamphlet be printed on?
A text weight of about 28 lb bond (105 gsm) or a light card of 65 lb cover (176 gsm) both fold cleanly and hold ink without showing the reverse side. Heavier card stock cracks along the fold unless the printer scores it first. Matte finish photographs better than gloss under the fluorescent light in most function rooms.