You can make a complete, dignified funeral program in about an hour once the pieces are gathered — and gathering the pieces is most of the work. This guide walks the whole path: what to collect, how the bifold format works, what goes on each panel, and how to print it without wasting a ream of paper. Our free builder automates the layout and PDF, but everything below applies even if you lay it out by hand.
Step 1 — Gather the five pieces
Before any layout, collect: (1) a clear portrait photo — well-lit, facing the camera, as high-resolution as you have; (2) the full name and dates; (3) service details — date, time, venue; (4) the order of service, confirmed with whoever is officiating; and (5) the obituary text. If the obituary isn’t written yet, our sister site obituary-template.com composes one from a few questions, free. Optional extras: pallbearer names, a poem or verse, the family’s thank-you, and interment/repast details.
Step 2 — Understand the bifold
One Letter sheet, printed both sides, folded once. That gives four panels in this reading order: cover (front), inside left, inside right, and back. The trick is that the printed sheet doesn’t match the reading order — the outside of the sheet carries the back panel on its left and the cover on its right. That arrangement is called imposition, and it is the thing most home-made programs get wrong. (The builder’s print-ready PDF handles the imposition for you.)
Step 3 — The cover
Keep it spare: a heading line (“In Loving Memory” and “Celebrating the Life of” are the two classics), the photo, the name in the largest type on the page, the years or full dates, and the service date and venue at the bottom. Resist the urge to add more — white space is what makes a cover feel calm.
Step 4 — The inside spread
Inside left is the order of service: each item in sequence, with the hymn title, reading reference, or participant name in smaller type beneath it. Inside right is the obituary. A bifold panel comfortably holds 150–280 words of obituary at readable sizes; if yours is longer, trim for the program and share the full text at the service or online. Pallbearers fit neatly under the obituary.
Step 5 — The back page
Traditionally a poem or scripture passage, set slightly larger and centered, followed by the family’s acknowledgement — one or two sentences of thanks to those who prayed, called, cooked, and cared. Add interment and repast details here so guests know where to go after the service.
Step 6 — Proofread like it matters, because it does
Read every line aloud with one other person. Check names against how the family actually spells them, confirm the service time against the funeral home’s booking, and check the year of birth — the single most common typo in programs. This document outlives the day.
Step 7 — Print
Print one test copy first: double-sided, flip on the short edge (long-edge flipping puts the inside upside down), then fold and check. For the batch, 65–80 lb card stock feels substantial; ordinary paper is fine when time or budget is short. Print one per household expected plus 10–20 percent — programs get kept. Any print shop or office-supply print counter can run the PDF same-day if home printing isn’t practical.
When you’re ready, the free program builder takes the pieces you gathered in Step 1 and does Steps 2 through 5 automatically — live preview, five themes, and a correctly imposed, print-ready PDF.