Here's the question nobody warns you you'll have to answer, usually about two days before the service: how many booklets do we actually print?
The short answer: print order of service booklets for about 70% of your expected guests, then add 10 to 15 keepsake copies. Couples and families share, so you don't need one per person.
For a service of 100 people, that's 80 to 85 booklets. For 50 people, print 45 to 50. For a very small family service of 20, print 25, because at that size everyone takes one home.
Now the longer answer, because a few things genuinely change the number.
Do couples share order of service booklets?
Yes, at most services. Couples and families usually sit together and share one booklet, which is why 70% of your guest count is enough.
The sharing rate drops when many guests come on their own: colleagues, club members, neighbours. If that describes a big part of the room, plan closer to one booklet each. A community funeral for someone well known locally behaves very differently from an intimate family service.
Who needs a keepsake copy?
The people who can't be there. This is the one families most often forget, and most often regret.
Keepsake copies matter for:
Family overseas or interstate who can't travel
Anyone watching by livestream
Elderly relatives or friends in care who can't attend
The grandchildren who are too young now, but won't be forever
Posting a booklet to someone who couldn't be in the room is one of the kindest things you can do in the weeks afterwards. I'd rather see a family with fifteen spares than one who ran out.
Is it better to print too many or too few?
Too many, every time. Let me make this easy: leftovers cost a few dollars. Running out means someone's oldest friend went home without one.
Print generously. In 20 years of design work, I have never once heard a family say they wished they'd printed fewer.
| Service size | Print for | Plus keepsakes |
|---|---|---|
| Small family service, up to 30 guests | Everyone | 5 to 10 |
| Standard service, 50 to 100 guests | About 70% of guests | 10 to 15 |
| Large community service, 150+ guests | 60 to 65% of guests | 15 to 20 |
| Livestreamed service | Add one for every household watching that you'd like to post a copy to | |
What if the numbers change at the last minute?
They often do. Funerals come together in days, and RSVPs don't really apply. That's why I confirm final print numbers with families as late as the schedule allows, and why rounding up, never down, is the safe call.
If your funeral director or printer needs a number early, give them your generous estimate rather than your hopeful one.
FAQ
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A: About 80 to 85. That's 70 booklets for the guests, because couples and families share, plus 10 to 15 keepsake copies for people who can't attend. If many guests are coming on their own, lean closer to 100.
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A: Not usually. Couples and families share during the service, so one per household is enough for most guests. At very small services of 30 or fewer, print one for everyone, because nearly everyone will want to take one home.
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A: Add one copy for every household watching remotely that you'd like to post a booklet to. Families often send these in the weeks after the service, and they're usually the copies people treasure most.
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A: Keep them. Relatives may ask for spares for weeks afterwards, and a few set aside for anniversaries, memory boxes, or grandchildren who are too young to remember the day are rarely wasted.
The part I can take off your plate
Every booklet package I design includes 50 printed copies, with more available at cost, and I'll help you land on the right number for your service when we talk — see the booklet packages.
If you're designing your own with one of my templates, the same maths applies. Just give your local printer the count above.
One less decision to carry. That's the whole idea.
