How many pages does an order of service need?
Tick what you are printing in full. The answer comes from the same page layout the builder uses: A5 pages, 14 mm margins, 11 point type.
These need 4 pages with the cover and the back page. The smallest booklet that holds them has 8 pages: 2 sheets of A4 a copy, with 4 pages to spare for readings, prayers or photos.
Readings and prayers you paste in add to this; the builder counts them as you type. Titles only means a line such as “Entrance music” or “Tribute” with no words under it.
Worked examples
| What is printed | Pages needed | Booklet size | Sheets of A4 a copy | Size at larger print |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One hymn, with music, a welcome, a tribute and the commendation listed by title | 4 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| Two hymns and the same titles | 4 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| Three hymns and the same titles | 5 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| Three hymns, a poem and the same titles | 6 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| Four hymns, a poem and the same titles | 7 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| The builder’s example order (three hymns, a poem, a reading by title and seven other parts) | 6 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| Six hymns and nothing else | 8 | 8 pages | 2 | 8 pages |
| Seven hymns and nothing else | 9 | 12 pages | 3 | 12 pages |
| All 9 built-in hymns and the poem | 12 | 12 pages | 3 | 12 pages |
“Pages needed” counts the cover and the back page. The hymns in the first five examples are The Lord’s My Shepherd, Abide with Me, The Day Thou Gavest and Amazing Grace; the last three take the built-in hymns in the order of the list above. All are in the wording on the hymn pages, which also show how much of a page each one takes.
Next: how many copies and how much paper · what happens to spare pages · sizes and margins of the template.
Questions
- How many pages should a funeral order of service have?
- A folded and stapled booklet has a multiple of four pages. In this layout, a cover, a back page and up to 6 of the built-in hymns printed in full fit 8 pages; a seventh takes it to 12. Long readings and tributes pasted in full add pages. The table on this page is worked out by the same layout the builder uses.
- Is a 4-page order of service enough?
- A single folded sheet has a cover, two inside pages and a back page: room for a list of what happens, or for one or two hymns in full. This builder starts at 8 pages, and the spare pages take readings, a poem or photographs.
- Does larger print change the page count?
- Not for the examples in the table: each built-in hymn still fits on its page at 12.5 point, so the last column matches the one before it. Long readings are what change the count; the builder shows the real number as you type.
Put your own service in and see the real count, with a free proof.
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