Proof four, and a hymn in the wrong place
The family send photographs, the hymns, a poem the grandchildren chose and the running order agreed with the celebrant. Your team, or the printer, produce a first proof. It goes by email to the daughter. She forwards it to her brother, who replies with a different photo for the cover. Her aunt phones your office to say the date of birth is wrong. The daughter emails a new version of the poem.
By proof four, nobody is quite sure which changes have been made. The printer's deadline is tomorrow. The booklet goes to print with the second hymn and the reading in the wrong order, because that change came by phone.
Too many channels, too many versions
Proofing involves the family, often several members of it, your arranger, sometimes the celebrant, and the printer. Each uses whatever channel is easiest.
- Proofs are sent as PDF attachments and forwarded around the family.
- Changes arrive by email, phone and text, to different people at your firm.
- Photographs come in varying quality and sizes.
- Nobody is clearly the person who approves the final version.
- The running order must also match what the celebrant or minister has been told.
Why errors hurt more here
An order of service is kept by families and friends for years. A misspelt name, a wrong date or a hymn in the wrong place is noticed by everyone at the service, and it is the kind of mistake families remember.
Reprinting at the last minute is stressful and sometimes impossible. Your staff then carry the weight of explaining to a grieving family how it happened.
A proof portal with one version
What we build is a simple proof portal that gives the family one place to see, comment on and approve the booklet.
- The family receive a private link, not an attachment. It always shows the current proof.
- Family members your arranger invites can leave comments pinned to a page or a line, and upload photographs directly.
- Changes made by phone are added as comments by your staff, so everything is in one list.
- Each new proof shows which comments have been dealt with, so the family can check their changes were made.
- One named family member is set as the approver. When they approve, the proof is locked and sent to the printer with a record of who approved it and when.
- The running order in the booklet is compared with the service details on the funeral record, and differences are flagged for the arranger.
| Step | Before | With the portal |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing the proof | PDF forwarded around | One private link, always current |
| Changes | Emails, calls and texts | Comments on the proof |
| Checking changes were made | Compare PDFs by eye | Comments marked done |
| Final approval | Unclear | Named approver, recorded |
If you design booklets in-house or use a printer with their own proofing system, we connect to how you work rather than replacing it.
The same booklet, one link
The daughter is set as the approver. Her brother and her aunt comment on the same proof. The aunt's phone call about the date of birth is added by your office as a comment. Proof two shows every comment marked done. The running order check highlights that the reading and the second hymn are the other way round compared with the celebrant's order, and the arranger asks the daughter which is right. She approves on Tuesday evening, and the printer receives the locked file.
Is proofing a worry for you?
- Proofs are sent as email attachments and forwarded around families.
- Changes arrive by phone and text as well as email.
- You are not always sure which family member has the final say.
- Errors have made it into printed orders of service.
- The booklet and the celebrant's running order have not matched.