A funeral program is one of the few things guests take home from a service. It tells them what will happen, who’s speaking, and which songs are being sung. Long after the day, it holds a photo and a short story of someone they loved.It’s also one more task landing on a family that’s already overwhelmed, often with only a few days to finish it..

Quick answer: A funeral program template is a pre-formatted layout for the printed program guests receive at a funeral. A popular format is the bi-fold: one 8.5″ x 11″ sheet folded in half, with a photo and name on the cover, the order of service and obituary inside, and acknowledgments on the back. You can build one free in Microsoft Word using the “Book fold” page setting.

What Is a Funeral Program and How Do You Create One?

A funeral program is a printed keepsake that guides guests through the order of service and honors the life of the person who died. It usually includes a cover photo, full name and dates, the order of service, a short obituary, and a thank-you from the family. You can create one yourself in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, or use a template and have a print shop produce it.

The DIY advantage

Using a pre-formatted funeral program template saves time when time is short. The layout, fonts, and panels are already set, so you only need to add the photo, names, and service details. A do-it-yourself program also lets the family choose the words and photos personally, which many families find meaningful.

Can I make my own funeral program?

Yes. Here’s the process at a glance:

Note: Ask the funeral home early. Many offer program printing, design templates, or both, and they’ll know the service details you’ll need to include.

Core Layouts and Anatomy of a Funeral Program Template

There are three main funeral program layouts: the bi-fold (one sheet folded in half to make four pages), the tri-fold (one sheet folded into six panels), and the booklet (two or more sheets folded and nested to make eight or more pages). The bi-fold is the simplest to make at home; booklets suit longer services or more photos.

Choosing the right format

Note: Booklets need page counts in multiples of four, because each folded sheet makes four pages.

The 4-page bi-fold layout

For more on program sections, see our funeral program format guide.

How to Use Microsoft Word and Google Docs for a Funeral Program

You can build a funeral program in Microsoft Word with its built-in “Book fold” setting, which turns a letter-size sheet into a folded four-page program and arranges the pages for you. Google Docs doesn’t have a book fold setting, so you’ll need landscape orientation with two columns, or a pre-made template. Either way, set up the layout before adding text and photos.

Does Word have a funeral program template?

Microsoft’s online template library has occasionally offered memorial and funeral program designs, but availability changes. Search “funeral” or “memorial” under File > New in Word to see what’s currently offered. If nothing fits, Word’s Book fold layout lets you build your own program from a blank document in a few minutes.

Note: Be careful with free template download sites. Many are ad-heavy, and some bundle unwanted software. Download only from sources you trust, and scan files before opening them.

Step-by-step: set up a bi-fold program in Microsoft Word

These steps follow Microsoft’s instructions for creating a booklet in Word:

1. 1. 1.       Open a blank document.
      2.       Go to Layout > Margins > Custom Margins.
      3.       Next to Multiple pages, choose Book fold. Word switches the orientation to landscape automatically.
      4.       Set Sheets per booklet to 1 for a four-page bi-fold (or 2 for an eight-page booklet).
      5.       Increase the Gutter slightly if you plan to staple or bind the booklet.
      6.       On the Paper tab, choose Letter (8.5″ x 11″) or Legal (8.5″ x 14″). Each program page is half the paper width.
      7.       Select OK.
      8.       Type or paste content page by page: cover, order of service, obituary, back page. Use Insert > Page Break between pages.
      9.       To print: File > Print, then print on both sides, flipping on the short edge. If your printer doesn’t print two-sided automatically, choose Manually Print on Both Sides and follow the prompts.

Word arranges pages 4 and 1 on one side of the sheet and pages 2 and 3 on the other, so the program reads correctly once folded.

Setting up a program in Google Docs

1. 1. 1.       Go to File > Page setup, choose Landscape, and set the paper size to Letter.
      2.       Set margins to about 0.5″.
      3.       Go to Format > Columns and choose two columns.
      4.       Put the back page content in the left column and the cover in the right column on page 1.
      5.       On page 2, put the order of service in the left column and the obituary in the right column.
      6.       Use Insert > Break > Column break to move between panels.
      7.       Download as PDF (File > Download > PDF) and print two-sided, flipping on the short edge.

Inserting photos without distortion

1. 1. •         Use the highest-resolution photo you have. For print, aim for about 300 pixels per inch at the printed size; a 3″ x 4″ photo should be around 900 x 1,200 pixels.
      •         Resize from the corners only, while holding Shift if needed, so the proportions stay locked.
      •         Crop instead of stretching to fit a frame.
      •         Set text wrapping (In Line with Text or Square) so the photo doesn’t jump between pages.
      •         Scan printed photos at 300–600 dpi rather than photographing them with a phone.

Free editable template download tips

PDF and print-shop formatting

If a print shop will produce the program, export a PDF and ask the shop for its specifications. Commonly requested settings include 300 dpi images, embedded fonts, and 0.125″ bleed on all sides for designs with color or photos that run to the edge. Keep important text at least 0.25″ inside the trim line.