How to make a funeral photo board, with photos from the whole family
You have been asked to put the photo board together for a funeral, memorial or celebration of life. This guide covers how many photos fit, how to choose and order them, board sizes, printing, and the part that takes the longest: getting photos from relatives who each have a few.
Eight steps from first photo to finished board
The same steps work for a memorial photo board at a service, a memory table at the reception or a board on an easel at a celebration of life. The first two save the most time, because other people hold most of the photos.
1
Decide where the board will stand. A board at the entrance, beside the guest book or at the reception is seen up close. A board on an easel at the front of a room is seen from a few steps back. That decides the size of the board and of the photos.
2
Ask for photos early. Send one message to the family with a link, a few days before you need to print. Relatives each have a handful of photos, and the older ones are often in a drawer or an album at someone else's house.
3
Choose more photos than you need. Pick about a third more than the board holds, then cut. Keep a mix of years, places and people, with the person in the centre of most of them.
4
Order them from childhood to recent. Starting with childhood and ending with recent photos is the easiest way for visitors to follow. Put the best portrait in the middle or top left, where people look first.
5
Lay it out on a table first. Arrange the printed photos on the board lying flat, move them until it looks right, then photograph the layout on your phone so you can put it back if something shifts.
6
Fix the photos in place. Photo corners, removable mounting tape or adhesive dots hold prints without marking them. If the originals are precious, print copies for the board and keep the originals.
7
Add a name and dates. A simple line at the top with their name and dates, in clear lettering, tells visitors who they are looking at. A short caption under a few photos (a place, a year) helps younger relatives who never knew that era.
8
Keep the photos for afterwards. The board goes home with the family or is taken apart. Keep the digital files, so the same photos can go into a slideshow, a book or a later tribute.
How many photos fit on a funeral photo board
This is arithmetic, not a rule. The table shows how many upright prints fit in a neat grid with half-inch gaps and a half-inch edge. If you overlap the corners or mix sizes, you can fit more, but a crowded board is harder to read. Leave room for a name and dates.
| Board size | 4 x 6 inch prints | 5 x 7 inch prints |
|---|---|---|
| 16 x 20 inches (small, one easel) | 9 photos | 4 photos |
| 22 x 28 inches (standard poster board) | 16 photos | 9 photos |
| 24 x 36 inches (large poster or foam board) | 25 photos | 16 photos |
Foam board is light and stands on an easel without bending. Poster board is cheapest but can warp under tape. Corkboard lets you pin photos and change them. Whichever you choose, check that your easel or table can hold it before you print.
Choosing and ordering the photos
Start with a portrait that looks like them, then add photos that show their life: with their family, with friends, at work, on holiday, doing what they loved. Include a few that make people smile. If you have a choice between a posed photo and a candid one, the candid one is usually the one people stop at.
Three layouts that work: a timeline in rows from childhood on the top left to recent photos on the bottom right; a large portrait in the centre with the rest around it; or sections by theme, such as family, friends, work and travel. A line of text, or a favourite saying of theirs, can sit at the top or bottom.
Gathering photos from the whole family
Getting the photos is rarely quick. Each relative has a few, in different places: a phone, a group chat, an old album. Asking one by one by text or email gives you compressed pictures and a lot of follow-up.
One practical way is a single private link and QR code. Our Event Album gives you both. Relatives open the link on their phone, choose photos from their camera roll and upload them to one album. There is no app and no account, so it works from any country on any phone. Guests can also leave a written message with their photos.
Send the link as soon as the date is set, so photos arrive before you have to print. Then download them all, choose the ones for the board, and print. Only people with the link or QR code can open the album, and it is not listed on Google. The full set-up is on the memorial photo sharing page.
Memorial photo board: printing and putting it up
Photos from a recent phone print well at 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 inches. Pictures saved from a messaging app or social media are often reduced in size and can look soft on paper, so ask relatives to send the original from their camera roll. A local print shop, a pharmacy photo counter or an online print service can all do this. Order a few days before you need them, in case something has to be reprinted.
Choose matte if the board will stand under bright lights, because gloss reflects. For an old print, photograph it straight on in daylight rather than at an angle, and print that copy so the original stays safe.
Funeral photo collage: one printed piece instead
A funeral photo collage is a single printed piece, such as a poster or canvas, with the photos already arranged. Online print services have templates for it. It looks tidy and is easy to keep, and you cannot move a photo once it is printed, so settle the final selection first and check names and dates carefully.
Whichever you choose, the photos come from the same place. Collect them once, then use them for the board or collage, a funeral slideshow and a funeral guest book.
One payment per event, no subscription.
Funeral photo boards, answered
How many photos should a funeral photo board have?
It depends on the board. The table on this page shows how many 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 inch prints fit on common sizes with small gaps. A standard 22 x 28 inch poster board holds about 16 of the smaller prints. Fewer, larger photos are easier to read from a distance, and overlapping the edges fits more if you have a lot you cannot leave out.
What photos should go on a memorial photo board?
Choose photos that show them as people knew them: with family and friends, doing what they loved, laughing, in the places that mattered. Include different decades if you can. A few candid photos next to the formal ones makes the board feel like them.
In what order should the photos go?
Childhood to recent is the simplest and the one visitors follow without being told. Some families lay it out by theme instead (family, friends, work, travel, hobbies), or in a mix with a large portrait at the centre and the timeline around it.
What is the difference between a photo board and a photo collage?
A photo board uses separate prints fixed to a board, often on an easel. A funeral photo collage is a single printed piece (a poster or canvas) where the photos are already arranged, usually by an online print service or a template. A board is easier to change at the last minute. A collage looks tidier and is easier to keep afterwards.
What size should the photos be?
4 x 6 and 5 x 7 inch prints are the usual choice because they are cheap to print and big enough to see at arm's length. Add one larger print, such as 8 x 10 inches, for the centre portrait.
How do we collect photos from relatives who each have a few?
Send one link or QR code. With Our Event Album, relatives open it on their phone, choose photos from their camera roll and upload them to one private album, with no app and no account. You can download everything when you are ready to choose. Older prints can be photographed or scanned by whoever holds them and added the same way.
Are phone photos good enough to print?
Photos taken on a recent phone print well at 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 inches. Pictures saved from a messaging app or social media are usually reduced in size and can look soft when printed, so ask relatives to send the original from their camera roll. For an old print, a photo taken straight on in good light is fine for a board.
Who can see the photos in the album?
Only people who have your link or QR code. The album is private and is not listed on Google.
How long are the photos kept online?
Six months from the date of the service. You can add 12-month hosting at checkout, and you can download everything at any time, so keep your own copy.
Related pages
More on collecting and showing photos for a memorial.
One private album for photos and messages from family and friends.
How long it should run, and how to show it at the service.
A digital guest book guests sign with messages and photos.
How scan-to-upload works, with printable signs.
