Classic Funeral Program — Bifold
Navy and gold with a laurel sprig. Suits almost any service.
1 sheet, printed both sides, folded once · US Letter
From download to folded copies
How to Make a Funeral Program in 7 Steps
You can make a funeral program yourself in an evening, on an ordinary computer and printer. The steps are the same in Microsoft Word and Google Docs, and they start from a template so that the layout, which is the hard part, is already done.
Step one
Choose a template to start from
A bifold is the easiest first program. Pick Word if it is on your computer, Google Docs if not, or the PDF if you only need to type.
The seven steps
Making the program
- Gather the facts before you open the file: full name, dates, the time and place of the service, the officiant’s name, and the order of service agreed with them.
- Download a template and save it under a new name. In Google Docs, the button makes a copy in your own Drive.
- Replace the cover wording. Click the sample name and type; do the same for the dates and the service details.
- Replace the photo. Right-click the placeholder and choose Change Picture in Word, or Replace image in Google Docs. A head-and-shoulders portrait, taller than it is wide, fills the frame best.
- Type the order of service line by line, with each person’s name on the right. Delete rows you do not need.
- Write the life story and the family’s thank-you over the sample paragraphs. If a panel pushes onto a new page, shorten the text.
- Proofread, then print one copy two-sided, fold it, and have a second person read it before you print the rest.
Printer settings
How to print a funeral program
Folded programs print on both sides of the paper. In the print dialog, turn on two-sided printing and choose flip on short edge; flip on long edge would put the inside upside down. Set the paper to US Letter and the scale to 100 percent or Actual size, not Fit to page.
A printer that cannot print two-sided works too: print page 1 on every sheet, turn the stack over, put it back in the tray and print page 2. Try it with two sheets first.
If you would rather not print at home, save or download the file as a PDF and take it to a copy shop or office-supply store. Ask for two-sided colour copies on 28 or 32 lb paper, folded. Most can do fifty while you wait.
A last read-through
Proofreading checklist
- The name is spelled the way the person spelled it, including any middle name or nickname in quotes.
- Both dates are right. Check the year of death especially; it is easy to type last year’s.
- The day of the week matches the date of the service.
- Every participant’s name and title has been confirmed with them.
- The list of survivors has been read by a second family member.
- No sample wording is left anywhere, including on the back panel.
What to list
Funeral Order of Service
Eight running orders.
Open →
Copy the wording
Funeral Program Examples
Six finished samples.
Open →
Pick a fold
Bifold Funeral Programs
Sixteen single-fold designs.
Open →
Questions families ask
Can I make a funeral program for free?
Yes. The templates here cost nothing, Google Docs is free, and the only expense is paper and ink or a copy shop’s charge for printing.
Does Microsoft Word have a funeral program template?
Word’s built-in gallery has had a few over the years, and they come and go. A template downloaded as a .docx file opens in any version of Word from 2007 onward, on Windows or Mac, and stays on your computer.
How do I add a photo to a funeral program in Google Docs?
Click the placeholder picture once to select it, then choose Replace image from the toolbar and upload from your computer. The new photo takes the size of the frame; drag a corner to adjust.
How far ahead should the program be finished?
Aim to have it proofread two days before the service and printed the day before. That leaves time to correct a name without printing at midnight.
Free funeral templates · Updated through October 2026 · by David Nelsen. Every name, date and place printed on these templates is invented sample wording; each file is opened in Microsoft Word and Google Docs before it is published.