Finding Quality Templates for Funeral Programs

OK, so I've seen alot of websites online that offer program templates for funerals. Some are good, some not so good. I think the important thing when finding a template to create your funeral programs is the quality of the design.

In any economy you want to be wise with what you purchase online, and this is especially true with downloadable products. I am speaking from experience as one having purchased many a product via a download. Most didn't describe the product correctly and some were just my oversight on what exactly what I was getting. Not good.

So remember, as far as funeral programs go– anyone can throw a background up as the backdrop to these programs, but the really good ones are the ones that have good design aesthetics. Here's what to look for to ensure your getting a good quality template.

1. Make sure the image is set at 300 dpi or better. Some offer templates with images in a lower resolution. This will cause issues when you go to print since the background may not print clearly or may be grainy.

2. Make sure there is a front AND back design. Don't settle for just a background on the cover. That is not a professional presentation. Even if your trying to save ink, there are other ways to conserve ink than just having a front cover and no back design. These are poor quality templates and indicate an amateur design. You want to get your money's worth on a template.

3. Cheap pricing doesn't necessarily mean good quality. Just because its under $20 doesn't mean its good. The old adage, "you get what you pay for" rings true here. Look carefully at what your getting for the price and compare it against other sites that offer the same thing.

4. It should be formatted with the proper text boxes and photo boxes in place. Make sure they are preformatted and enable you to add or remove them as you desire.

5. Ensure that there are instructions written on the resource website on how to edit and use your template. If there is no live customer support, move on to another site. The last thing you want to do is waste your time emailing back and forth. Funerals are time sensitive! So find a resource that not only provides live customer support but has plenty of online tutorials.

6. Ensure your template is available in various formats such as Microsoft Word, Publisher, and/or Apple iWork Pages. This is important because if you decide you want to switch applications in creating the template, you can simply ask to exchange the format from the website. If they only offer ONE type of format, your pretty much stuck with that layout and you will need to find another source that offers the template in another layout. Thus, having to spend more money to do so.

7. If possible, find out who are these people behind the website? Are they experts in creating templates or just a part time person creating a template hoping to make some extra money? Try and find out by reading and researching about them and what their experience is. You will also be able to tell by looking at the kind of designs they offer. That will give you a big hint as to whether or not this online company is a professional designer or so called designer.

Anyone can call themselves a graphic designer. People who create one desktop publishing flyer can call themselves a designer. So unless there is evidence in the quality of their work and samples of their work to back that up, I wouldn't put a lot of weight into that title.

If you follow these major guidelines, your sure to get a great template for you to use for any funeral or memorial service.