If you’re arranging one, you probably have a fixed date, a head full of other things, and no wish to learn about printing this week. This page covers what goes in an order of service, working examples you can copy, and how to get it printed without it becoming one more thing to worry about.
It’s the printed booklet or folded card handed to people as they arrive: the running order of the service, the words to the hymns, the readings, usually a photograph on the cover with the person’s name and dates. During the service it means nobody is lost or fumbling; afterwards, it’s the thing people take home and keep. Many families tell us it ends up tucked into books and drawers for decades — which is worth remembering when deciding how much care to give it.
Three common shapes. Take whichever is closest and adapt it — the celebrant or minister leading the service will help you settle the final order.
Crematorium slots are usually 30–45 minutes — worth confirming the time available before finalising the order.
One thing the best services share, religious or not: they sound like the person. An order of service doesn’t have to be sombre — colour, warmth and even gentle humour are all allowed if they’re true to who it’s for.
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Folded card (4 pages) | A simple service — cover, running order, one hymn or reading, thank-you on the back. |
| 8-page booklet | The most common choice: full running order, hymns and readings printed out, a few photographs. |
| 12–16+ page booklet | Fuller tributes — photo pages, multiple readings, longer services. We print stapled booklets to 80 pages if needed. |
A5 is the standard size — easy to hold, fits a jacket pocket, keeps well. A4 suits photo-heavy designs or larger print. We also print square formats for something a little different. On paper: a heavier card cover with quality inner pages is what makes a booklet feel made rather than photocopied — we’ll recommend the right stocks when we see your file, and because we’re a book printer and bindery, booklet-making is our everyday work, not a sideline.
Tell us the date of the service first — before anything else. We’ll tell you immediately and honestly what’s possible, and we work backwards from your date, not forwards from a standard queue. If the service is close, phone rather than email.
Every order gets a free file check (size, margins, photo resolution, colour) and a proof to approve before anything prints — you will never be surprised by what comes back. If your file was made in Canva or Word, export a PDF and send it; we’ll check it the same way.
Expected mourners plus 20–30%. Spares go to people who couldn’t attend, distant family, and the keeping-drawer — and they’re always wanted after the day. For a service of 80 people, print around 100. We print from 10 copies up, so the number can be exactly what you need rather than a printer’s minimum.
A funeral order of service is the printed booklet or folded card handed to mourners as they arrive. It guides everyone through the service — the music, hymns, readings and tributes in order — and afterwards it becomes a keepsake of the day. Most include a photograph and the person’s name and dates on the front cover.
Either the family or the funeral director — there’s no rule. Funeral directors often offer printing as part of their package, but many families prefer to arrange it themselves: it usually costs less, and you keep control of the design, the photographs and the words. We print for families and funeral directors alike.
A good rule of thumb is the number of expected mourners plus 20–30% spare — for people who couldn’t attend, distant family, and copies to keep. For a service of 80, print around 100. Spare copies are often requested after the day, and reprinting a handful later costs more than printing them the first time.
A5 (210 × 148mm) is the standard — comfortable to hold during the service, easy to keep afterwards. A4 suits services with lots of photographs or larger print for older congregations. We print both, as a single folded card (4 pages) or a stapled booklet (8 pages and up).
A simple service fits a folded card: cover, running order, a hymn or reading, and a back-cover thank-you. An 8-page booklet is the most common choice — room for the full running order, hymns and readings printed out, and a few photographs. Longer tributes with photo pages run to 12 or 16 pages.
Yes — export it as a PDF and send it over. Every order includes a free file check: we look at the size, margins, photo resolution and colour before anything prints, and we’ll flag anything that needs attention rather than printing a problem.
Later than you’d think, but don’t leave it to chance: call us with the date of the service before you do anything else, and we’ll tell you straight away what’s possible. The earlier we know the date, the more we can do — and a finished, checked PDF always moves faster than one that still needs corrections.
Sometimes. Older hymns are out of copyright, but many popular ones (and modern worship songs) are still protected. Most churches hold a CCLI or similar licence that covers reproducing words in service sheets — ask the church or your celebrant; they deal with this every week and can confirm in a minute.
Send the date of the service and your file (or your questions — that’s fine too) and we’ll come straight back to you. Printed with care, in-house, in Exeter.