Bi-Fold vs Tri-Fold Funeral Programs

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.

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.