How to Make an Order of Service: Size, Pages, Wording and Printing

An order of service is usually A5 (148 x 210mm), made either as a stapled A5 booklet of 8, 12 or 16 pages, from 50 copies, or as one A4 sheet folded in half to give four A5 pages, from 100 copies. Four pages suit a short service with one hymn or reading; a booklet gives room for the words of several hymns, photos and a tribute. Booklet files are single pages of 154 x 216mm and a folded sheet is two pages of 303 x 216mm, both including 3mm bleed.

This guide goes through choosing a format, what to put on each page, getting photos right, setting the file up in Word or Canva, how many to print, and how to plan the timing. It applies to funerals, memorial services, weddings, christenings and other services. Our order of service page compares the two formats side by side.

Choosing a format

Booklets can also have 20 or 24 pages, and come in A4 if you want larger type. If you only need a small number, note that booklets start at 50 copies and folded sheets at 100. The order of service booklets page and the folded order of service page go into each format in more detail.

A booklet has to go up in fours: 8, 12 or 16 pages, never 10 or 14. Our guide to booklet page counts explains why, and how to fill a spare page or two.

What goes on each page

An 8-page booklet

This is a starting point, not a rule. Follow the running order agreed with the minister, celebrant, registrar or venue.

A 4-page folded sheet

• Front: photo, name, dates, and the date, time and place of the service.
• Inside, two pages: the order of proceedings, with the words of one hymn or reading.
• Back: thanks, details of the gathering afterwards, and a photo or verse.

12 or 16 pages

Use the extra pages for the words of more hymns and readings, a page of photos through the years, or a longer tribute. Keep the order of proceedings near the front, so people can follow the service.

Wording

A simple list helps you gather everything before you start:

• the person's full name, and the name people knew them by if it is different;
• dates of birth and death, or just the years;
• the date, time and full address of the service;
• the name of the person leading it;
• titles of the music, hymns and readings, and who is reading;
• details of the gathering afterwards and any charity for donations.

For a wedding, the same list works with the couple's names, the wedding party and the reception.

Check every name, date and spelling, and ask someone who was not involved in writing it to read it through. Small mistakes are easy to miss when you are close to it.

Song lyrics and modern readings. If you print the words of songs, modern hymns, poems or modern readings, check you have permission to reproduce them. The venue, the person leading the service, or the publisher of the words may be able to help.

Photos

Photos print best at 300dpi at the size they appear on the page. To work out the pixels you need, divide the size in mm by 25.4 and multiply by 300.

You can see a photo's pixel size in the file's details or properties on your computer. Photos sent through messaging apps can be made smaller on the way, so ask for the original file where you can.

Scanning an old print. A 6 x 4 inch print is 152 x 102mm. To fill a full A5 cover from it at 300dpi, you need 1819 pixels across 4 inches, which is about 455dpi, so scan it at your scanner's 600dpi setting. For a smaller photo on an inside page, 300dpi is enough.

Black-and-white and faded colour photos print as they are. Our guide to setting up artwork for print covers resolution in more detail.

Setting it up in Word

A5 booklet in Word

Set Word up so each page is one booklet page, in reading order, as single pages. Do not use Word's Book fold setting, which lays pages out for printing at home and puts them in the wrong order for us.

1. Go to Layout > Margins > Custom Margins and set all four margins to 1.1cm (Microsoft's guide to custom margins). Check that Multiple pages is not set to Book fold.
2. In the same box, open the Paper size list, choose Custom size and enter 15.4cm wide by 21.6cm high (Microsoft's page on paper options). That is A5 plus 3mm of bleed on every edge.
3. Build the pages in order, front cover first, with a page break before each page. The total must be 8, 12 or 16 (or 20 or 24).
4. Stretch any cover photo or background colour right to the edge of the page.
5. Go to File > Save a Copy (or Save As for a file you have not saved yet), choose PDF as the file type and select Save (Microsoft's guide to saving as PDF).

The 1.1cm margin is the 3mm bleed plus an 8mm safe area. Keep all text and page numbers inside it. Our booklet templates include a Word template for the A5 8-page booklet, already set to this page size and these margins, with each page labelled.

A4 folded sheet in Word

Make two landscape pages, each 30.3cm wide by 21.6cm high (A4 plus 3mm bleed). Page 1 is the outside of the sheet: the back page on the left and the front cover on the right. Page 2 is the inside: page 2 on the left and page 3 on the right. The fold is 148.5mm from the left edge of the trimmed sheet, which is 15.15cm from the left edge of the Word page. Keep text at least 5mm from the trimmed edge and 5mm from the fold on each side.

Our folded leaflet templates include an order of service Word template for an A4 sheet folded to A5, with the outside and inside pages, a sample running order and each panel labelled. Replace the wording with your own, then save as PDF.

Setting it up in Canva

The simplest way is to create a custom-size design at the full artwork size, including bleed: 154 x 216mm for each booklet page, or 303 x 216mm for each side of a folded A4 sheet. Leave Show print bleed off, because the bleed is already part of the page. Add one Canva page per booklet page in reading order, or two pages (outside, then inside) for a folded sheet.

Stretch photos and backgrounds right to the edge of the page. Keep text 11mm in from the edge of a booklet page (3mm bleed plus 8mm safe area), or 8mm in from the edge of a folded sheet (3mm bleed plus 5mm), with 5mm clear either side of the fold, which falls 151.5mm from the left edge of the page.

To download, go to Share > Download, choose PDF Print and leave Crop marks and bleed unticked (Canva's help on bleed and crop marks). Canva can also add its own bleed to a design made at the finished size, using File > Settings > Show print bleed and the Crop marks and bleed tick box. Whichever way you work, our automatic check runs as soon as you upload and tells you if the size or bleed is wrong, before you pay. Our Canva to print guide explains each setting.

How many copies

Start with the number of people you expect. Then think about whether couples and families will share a copy or each want their own, and add spares:

• for close family to keep;
• for people who could not attend, to send on afterwards;
• for people who arrive late or without one.

There is no fixed rule. A second order later is a new print run with its own dispatch time, so it is easier to include spares in the first order. Booklets start at 50 copies and folded sheets at 100.

Planning the timing

Work backwards from the date of the service. Allow time to gather the wording and photos and have them checked, before you upload anything.

To plan, add the dispatch time shown for your options to 1 to 2 working days for delivery, then leave some spare time before the service. Working days are Monday to Friday, not bank holidays. Both times are estimates and the courier sets the final delivery time, so we cannot promise a delivery date. Send it to an address where someone can take it in. If you add a manual proof checked by a person, there is a fee shown in the basket, and the dispatch time starts when you approve the proof we send you. Our proofs and file checks page explains both.

For addresses in Northern Ireland, the Scottish Highlands and islands, the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, contact us for a delivery quote before you order. Delivery is free to all other UK mainland addresses.

Before you approve the proof

• Names, dates and times are correct and spelt the same way throughout.
• Pages are in the right order, front cover first.
• The cover photo is sharp and not cut off at the edge.
• Nothing important is close to the trim or the fold.

Ordering

You can see live prices for each page count on the stapled booklets page or the A5 booklet page, and for the folded sheet on the folded leaflets page or the half fold page. Orders of service are listed as zero-rated in HMRC VAT Notice 701/10, section 8, and our booklets and folded leaflets are zero-rated where they qualify. Prices include VAT; our VAT on printing page explains more.

Questions

What size is an order of service? A5 (148 x 210mm) is the usual size, and it is the size we print. You can choose a stapled A5 booklet of 8, 12 or 16 pages, or a single A4 sheet folded in half to give four A5 pages. Booklet files are single pages of 154 x 216mm, and a folded sheet is two pages of 303 x 216mm, both including 3mm of bleed on every edge.

How many pages should a funeral order of service have? Four pages suit a short service with one hymn or reading. Eight pages give room for the order of proceedings, the words of one or two hymns and a photo. Twelve or sixteen pages suit a longer service with several hymns, readings and tributes. A stapled booklet always goes up in fours.

What goes on the front of a funeral order of service? A photo, the person's full name, their dates of birth and death, and the date, time and place of the service. You can add a short phrase above the name, such as "In loving memory of" or "A celebration of the life of". Keep the wording at least 8mm inside the trim on a booklet, or 5mm on a folded sheet, and let the photo run to the edge.

How many orders of service should I print? Start with the number of people you expect, then decide whether couples and families will share a copy. Add spares for close family to keep, for people who could not attend, and for late arrivals. Booklets start at 50 copies and folded sheets at 100, and a later reprint is a separate order.

Can I make an order of service in Word? Yes. For a booklet, set a custom paper size of 15.4 x 21.6cm and 1.1cm margins, then build each page in reading order as single pages, front cover first. Do not use Word's Book fold setting. Save as a PDF and upload it in your basket. Our templates include Word versions of the A5 8-page booklet and the folded A4 order of service.

What resolution does the cover photo need? 300dpi at the size it prints. A photo filling the front cover of an A5 booklet, including bleed, needs 1819 x 2551 pixels. If you are scanning a 6 x 4 inch print to fill the cover, use your scanner's 600dpi setting, and ask for original photo files rather than ones sent through messaging apps.

Can an order of service be ready this week? Check the dispatch time on the product page, which is counted in working days from when you approve your proof. Most mainland deliveries arrive 1 to 2 working days after dispatch, but that is an estimate and the courier sets the final time, so we cannot promise a date. If your date is close, contact us before you order.

Can I print the words of hymns and songs? Check you have permission before printing the words of songs, modern hymns, poems or modern readings. The venue, the person leading the service, or the publisher of the words may be able to help. If you cannot get permission in time, you can print the title and leave the words out.