Both are a single sheet of legal paper. The bi-fold is folded once into four panels; the tri-fold is folded twice into six. That is the entire physical difference, and it decides everything else.
The comparison
Bi-Fold — four panels
- About 460 words of obituary
- 4 to 8 photographs
- Order of service capped at 10 printed lines
- Wider panels, so photographs sit larger
Tri-Fold — six panels
- About 600 words of obituary
- 8 to 15 photographs
- Order of service uncapped
- Room for a repast and reception panel
- Narrower panels, so photographs sit smaller
How to actually choose
Count your order of service first. It is the one hard limit. A traditional Christian service runs to eleven entries and a Catholic Mass to thirteen — both exceed the bi-fold's ten-line cap, and anything past it is saved but does not print. Add military honors and you are seven entries further along.
So the rule is simpler than it looks:
Long service, or a lot of photographs, or a reception to announce — tri-fold. Otherwise bi-fold.
If the service is short and you have a handful of good pictures, the bi-fold is the better looking object. Wider panels mean larger photographs and more white space, and a bi-fold that is comfortably full reads better than a tri-fold with two empty panels.
Printing cost is effectively identical — the same sheet, folded differently. Choose on content, not price. What does change cost is paper weight and quantity, and those apply equally to both.
The other two formats
A 1-Page program is a single letter sheet printed both sides: about 220 words, 3 to 6 photographs, and an eight-line order of service. It suits a graveside service or a short committal, where a folded program is more than the occasion needs.
An 8-Page Booklet holds about 1,050 words, 15 to 24 photographs, an uncapped order of service, and written tributes from family and friends. It is the right answer when several people want to contribute something in writing.
What goes on each panel
The fold decides the reading order, and the reading order decides where each piece belongs. People open a program the way they open a card, so plan it in the order it will be seen.
Bi-Fold
- Front cover — the portrait, the name, the dates, and when and where the service is held.
- Inside left — the obituary.
- Inside right — the order of service, the pallbearers, and a poem or scripture.
- Back — the family's thanks.
Tri-Fold
- Front cover — the portrait, the name, the dates, and when and where the service is held.
- The three inside panels — the obituary, the order of service, and photographs, read left to right once the program is fully open.
- Inner flap — the first thing seen on opening the cover. A poem or a favorite saying sits well here.
- Back — the reception details, pallbearers, and the family's thanks.
Paper and folding
Both formats print on legal paper, 8.5 by 14 inches, which matters more than it sounds. Many home printers hold letter paper only, and a legal sheet fed through the manual tray one at a time is a long evening when you need eighty of them. Check the tray before you commit to printing at home.
A heavier paper makes a program feel like a keepsake rather than a handout. It also cracks along the fold unless it is scored first. A print shop scores as a matter of course. At home, run the back of a butter knife along a ruler where the fold will be, then fold along the line.
The tri-fold is the less forgiving of the two. Two folds have to land evenly or the cover sits crooked, and the panel that tucks inside has to be a fraction narrower than the others so the program closes flat. That is one more reason to let a print shop fold a tri-fold.
How many to print
Count the people you expect, then add a quarter. Programs are taken home, mailed to relatives who could not travel, and asked for weeks later by someone who has only just heard. Running short on the day is the more common mistake, and a second print run costs more than the extra copies would have.
Common questions
Can I switch formats after I have started? Yes. The content is the same either way, so moving from one to the other is a matter of seeing what no longer fits.
Which is easier to hold and read during the service? The bi-fold. It opens once and stays open. A tri-fold has to be unfolded and refolded, which is a small thing until two hundred people do it during a quiet moment.
Which mails better? The tri-fold. Folded, it fits a standard long envelope. A bi-fold needs a larger one.
See both before you decide
Switch formats and watch the same content re-flow, so you can see what fits before printing anything.
Start their tribute