Where to print funeral programs

At home

A home printer suits a small service, a simple program on ordinary or slightly heavier paper, and a day when there is no time to go out. The file stays in your hands, and you can print a few more whenever they are needed.

It takes longer than it seems. Double-sided printing is slow, a program in color uses a lot of ink, and every copy has to be folded by hand. Before you print them all:

• Print one copy on both sides, fold it, and check that the inside is the right way up and nothing is cut off at the edges.
• Check that the printer takes your paper. Heavier paper may need a rear or manual feed, and some printers will not print both sides of it by themselves.
• Make sure there is enough ink or toner for the whole run, with a spare cartridge if you can get one.
• Leave the pages to dry before you stack and fold them.

The settings that matter most, the flip on the short edge and printing at actual size, are in funeral program size, paper and folding.

A local print shop

A local print shop suits a larger number, or paper heavier than a home printer takes. The people there print every day, and many will help you choose a paper and fold the programs for you. When you call or visit, ask:

• whether they can print one proof copy for you to check before they print the rest;
• which paper they suggest, and whether you can see and feel a sheet of it;
• whether they can fold the programs, and score card stock before folding it;
• when the programs will be ready, and until what time you can collect them.

Print centers in office-supply and shipping stores

Office-supply and shipping stores such as FedEx Office, Staples and The UPS Store have print centers, with staff at a counter and often self-service machines as well. Many can print a simple program the same day, depending on the number of copies, the paper and how busy the store is.

Call ahead with the number, the paper and the time you need them by. What each store offers, and how quickly, varies from one store to the next, even within the same company.

Many take a file by email or on a USB stick, and some take orders through the company's website for pickup in the store. At the counter, the staff print the programs, and can often fold and trim them too. At a self-service machine, you print them yourself. A file with bleed and trim marks has to be trimmed after printing, so give that one to the counter. For a self-service machine, bring a file laid out for a plain letter sheet.

The funeral home or the church office

Some funeral homes print programs for families, often for a fee, and some will design them from the details you give. Ask what is included, how many copies, on what paper and when they would be ready, and ask to see a proof before they print.

Some churches produce the program or service bulletin themselves once the service has been planned with the officiant, and some do it at no cost to the family. It is worth asking the church office what it can do, and in what form it needs the details.

Online printers

An online printer adds shipping to the printing time, and a standard order can take a week or more to arrive. Many offer faster printing and overnight delivery, but then a mistake in the file or a late delivery leaves no time to put it right. When the service is days away, a local shop or print center is often the safer choice. There is a plan for the days before the service in making a funeral program when the service is days away.

Online printers suit the weeks after the service, when there is time to check a proof: keepsake copies on heavier paper, or more copies for relatives who ask for them.

What to bring and what to ask

Bring the program as a PDF, which keeps its layout on any machine. Keep it on your phone, so that you can email it from the counter, and on a USB stick as well.

Tell the shop:

• the number of copies, and the time you need them by;
• the paper, and whether the programs are to be folded;
• that the program prints on both sides, flipped on the short edge, at actual size;
• whether the file has bleed and trim marks, and needs trimming.

Ask for:

• one proof copy to check, folded, before they print the rest;
• a quote for the whole job before they start;
• the time it will be ready, and the time the store closes.

A folded copy you have printed yourself, even on plain paper, shows the shop how the finished program should fold and read.

If you make the program here, every purchase includes both kinds of file: a print-shop PDF, with bleed and trim marks, and a home-printer PDF.

What it costs

The price depends on the number of copies, the paper, color, folding and how soon you need them, and it varies from one place to the next. Ask for a quote for the whole job, including folding, before anything is printed, and if there is time, ask a second place too. For the number to ask for, see how many funeral programs to print.