How To Use a Free Funeral Program Template

The memorial program or sometimes referred to as the funeral program is the most important item presented and distributed to attendees. It is the one keepsake that shares, and celebrates the life and accomplishes of the deceased.

Some people store this program and put it in a special place of treasured memories items. When found again, the program displays memories of the loved one's llfe even if it has been months for years after the funeral service. It also can often be the item that symbolizes the closure of one's life.

The funeral program can play an important part in the healing process.

The contents of the funeral program varies and depending on the actual size of the program can contain multiple pages or just a few pages.

Let's take a typical program example of an 8 1/2 x 11 (folded in half) program. Below is a basic outline for the most commonly used items in a program. The family can select components from this list or chose to use all of them:

The front cover:
Photo and full name of deceased
Time, date and funeral service location

Inside:
Order of Memorial Service which might include:
Poems
Funeral Songs
Bible Readings
A thank you note from the family
Eulogy
Open Time of Sharing For Friends
Officiant Message of Hope
Photos

Back cover:
A biography, special memories and notes of     
accomplishment of the deceased
Special Acknowledgements of friends & family
Photo of deceased

The order of the service is usually determined by the family with assistance by the Officiant.

Now you go and sit at your computer and open up your Microsoft Word program and have all the good intentions of creating this wonderful program. Perhaps you are trying to catch your breath from all the activity or just have creator's block.

You can even be able to picture in your mind what you think you would like it to look like but for some reason, it doesn't get any farther than that.

If your short on time and creativity and right now a template can be just the answer! Templates available in Microsoft Word are the best to use since this application is more widely used than other application.

Often funeral program templates already lay the foundation of the design and typography for you. All that is needed is to replace the existing text with your own.

1. Download your free template from the link above to your desktop by clicking on the link provided above. The free version does not contain the background photos. So you will need to insert your own photos in the template if you choose to use the free download.

2. Double click on the template file on your desktop to open.

3. The WORD application will launch and open the free funeral program template.

4. The design and the majority of the formatting is already done, you just have to do a few minor tweaks. Because the template was created on the designer's computer using the fonts available on her system, you will need to change the title cursive fonts to one that is available on your computer.

5. So first select the text (by highlighting it with your mouse) for the name of the deceased. Find a nice script or cursive font within your WORD application that you like.

6. If you want to change any of the other fonts in the document, you should do that as well. You can make this change by selecting the appropriate text and highlighting it before changing the font name.

7. Enter the personalized text to what you would like them to be for both the cover page and inside page. You should use the same script or cursive font you used for the name for the title on the inside page upper right text.

8. If you downloaded the free version, you will need to add a background image to your template.

9. Once all your changes are complete, save your document and it is now ready for print.

10. Read the important tips to ensure you get the best results with your program.

To get the best results, print your funeral program on a 70 lb. weight cover stock paper. You can print it on regular weight paper but I feel the heavier stock paper gives it a nicer overall presentation. The duplex (front and back) printing is also better on a heavier paper.

Set your color printer to "borderless" printing, if you have this feature, otherwise there will be a 1/4" white border around the edges. You can trim this off, if you'd like.

Make sure you have enough color cartridge inks in your printer before you start printing. There's nothing more frustrating than to run out of ink when your in the middle of printing hundreds of programs!

If your using an inkjet printer, make sure you wait until the program is completely dry before folding or printing on the other side.

If your even shorter on time or don't have a color printer, consider taking your program to an express local printing service. They may charge you more but they will fold your programs and will print them on a color laser printer.

If you decide to take your program to a service bureau for printing, make sure you ask what format the program file needs to be in. Express Service Bureaus usually prefer files in a PDF format.

To ensure your photo is properly proportioned, use the dimensions 165 x 248 PIXELS for your size. Then import the photo into the template.