Open that link by clicking the button, copying it into your web browser, or, on some designs, scanning the QR code. Sign in to Canva, or create an account. A Canva account is enough, and Canva Pro is not needed. Then click Use template. That makes your own copy in your Canva account. Your edits are kept in that copy. The original stays unchanged, so you can start fresh from the link.
To browse designs that include Canva, start with our Canva funeral program templates. The Quiet Shore bifold, the Floral Bouquet Frame bifold, the Pastel Memories bifold, and the Olive Branch bifold all come in Word and Canva. Those four do not come in Apple Pages.
If you are editing a Word file instead, see funeral program templates for Word and how to insert your cover photo. For help choosing a picture, see Funeral program pictures and Selecting photos for funeral programs.
Edit the text
Click a text box, select the sample text, and type your own. All of the text is editable, including headings, the name, the dates, the order of service, the obituary, and poems.
If a name or an obituary is longer than the sample, use a smaller font size so the words stay inside the border or panel, and clear of the fold. You can also swap in any font you like. The instruction PDF for your design may name the fonts it starts with, and all of that text stays editable.
Replace the photos
Click Uploads, then Upload files, and choose your photo.
To place it in the design, click the photo frame or the placeholder picture, then click Replace in the top toolbar and choose your uploaded photo. Or drag the uploaded photo onto the frame and drop it there.
Drop the photo onto the frame, not onto the open page. The paper background is often a full-page layer, and a photo dropped there may replace the background instead of filling the frame. If that happens, press Undo (Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z) and try again over the frame.
To move or zoom a photo inside its frame, some designs use a double-click on the photo. Some designs use Crop in the top toolbar. Click the photo, then Crop, and move or zoom it within the frame.
Some designs have more than one photo frame. Put a photo in each frame you want to use.
On some designs
Some prayer cards, such as the Modern Botanical prayer card, print several card fronts on one sheet. Put the photo and the text on each front so every card on the sheet matches. The instruction PDF may also suggest finishing one card, then copying its text into the others.
Some designs include an optional emblem or medallion, such as the American Memories bifold. You can replace it with your own image, keep it and delete only the caption, or remove it completely, as the instruction PDF for that design describes. A square image with a transparent background works best if you are adding your own emblem.
On some designs a fade or overlay sits on top of the cover photo. If clicking the cover selects the overlay instead of the photo, open Position, then Layers, and select the photo frame under the fade before you click Replace. The instruction PDF for that design will say if this applies.
Follow the PDF you downloaded with your order for any layout note that is specific to your design.
Change text colors
Headings and other text are text. Click the text, click the A text-color button, then pick a swatch or enter a hex color.
Leave Change all alone unless you want every matching-color item changed. Just click a swatch to change the item you selected.
The artwork, borders, and backgrounds are pictures, so they do not have a color picker like text does. On some designs the instruction PDF says those colors cannot be changed. On some designs you can still adjust or filter a picture (click the image, then Edit), or delete one if you do not want it. If an item shows a lock icon, unlock it first.
Optional: print on plain paper
On many designs the paper texture or tint is a separate layer. To print on plain paper or save ink, you can remove it. Some instruction PDFs say to click an empty area of the background and press Delete. Some say to open Position, then Layers, click the background layer, and press Delete. If you see a lock icon, unlock it first. Do this on each page.
The photos, text, and artwork stay in place. This is optional. Keep the background if you want the paper look.
Working on it with family
You can share your personalized copy with family so they can help with the wording or photos. Use the Share button in your own Canva copy, the one you made with Use template, to invite them. Please keep the private template link from your instruction PDF to yourself. That link is licensed for your personal use, so it should not be shared, resold, or passed along.
When you are ready to download
When you have a version you are happy with, click Share, then Download, and choose PDF Print. You can then print at home or take the file to a local print shop.
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