Do it yourself, step by step.
How to make a church bulletin in Word
Word can make a perfectly good folded bulletin. The setup is only a few steps, but Word hides them well. Here they are, along with what to do once the words start moving around.
Updated November 5, 2026
The short answer
Open a new document, go to Layout, then Margins, then Custom Margins, and set Multiple pages to Book fold. Word turns the page sideways and keeps your pages in the right order. Choose Letter paper, print on both sides, flipping on the short edge, then fold. The total number of pages has to be a multiple of four.
Or skip the setup
Type your church’s name and see next Sunday’s bulletin, already set for folding, with the readings in.
No sign-up to try it. Ten services a year are free.
Set up the page
Do this before you type anything. Changing it later moves everything around.
- 1
Open a new document
A blank document is best. Paste your old wording in afterward.
- 2
Open Custom Margins
On the Layout tab, choose Margins, then Custom Margins at the bottom of the list.
- 3
Choose Book fold
Under Pages, change Multiple pages to Book fold. Word turns the page to landscape by itself.
- 4
Check the paper
On the Paper tab, choose Letter. Each finished page will be 5.5 by 8.5 inches, half of the sheet.
- 5
Leave room for the fold
Back on the Margins tab, add a small Gutter. A quarter of an inch stops words disappearing into the crease.
- 6
Press OK
You now see one half-letter page at a time, and Word looks after the page order when you print.
Build the page so it stays put
Most trouble in Word comes from things floating on top of the page. Keep everything in the flow of the text, and it will move together when you add a verse.
- Avoid text boxes. They are the part that drifts.
- Use Heading styles for Hymn, Reading and Prayers, so you can change them all at once.
- Line up hymn numbers with a right-aligned tab and a dot leader, not a row of spaces.
- Make what the congregation says bold, so people can find their place.
- Set pictures In Line with Text, or they will wander off.
Print it
- 1
Open Print
Go to File, then Print.
- 2
Print on both sides
Choose Print on Both Sides, then Flip pages on short edge. If your printer does not offer this, see below.
- 3
Print one sheet
Print a single test copy and fold it.
- 4
Check the order
If the second side is upside down, you have chosen the long edge. Change it and try again.
If your printer only prints one side, or something else goes wrong, our guide to printing a bulletin goes through each problem.
Keep to four or eight pages
One sheet folded makes four pages, and two sheets make eight, so the total must be a multiple of four. If you end up on five or six pages, you will get blank ones. Cut a verse, print readings as references, or move the announcements to a loose sheet.
Reuse it next week
- 1
Save a template
When a sheet looks right, use File, then Save As, and choose Word Template. Opening it always gives you a fresh copy.
- 2
Name each week by date
Something like 2026-11-08 sorts properly in a folder.
- 3
Write down the steps
Keep a note of the settings in a shared place, so someone else can step in.
Where Word gets hard
Word is fine for a sheet that hardly changes. It gets harder when the week does.
- A longer hymn pushes the page over, and you start cutting things to fit.
- You look up the readings yourself, and retype them.
- Changes reach you by email, and the wrong version gets printed.
- The file only really works for the person who built it.
If that sounds like most weeks, this is the job Hymnfold is for.
Or skip the setup
Type your church’s name and see next Sunday’s bulletin, already set for folding, with the readings in.
No sign-up to try it. Ten services a year are free.
Questions people ask
Why are my pages in the wrong order?
Book fold is probably off, or the file was printed in plain reading order. A folded bulletin needs its pages rearranged. Turn on Book fold in Word, or put any PDF through our free bulletin maker.
Is there a ready-made template for Word?
Microsoft has general bulletin templates, but it is usually quicker to set up Book fold once and save your own as a Word Template. Our plain template shows what to put on each page.
Can I do this in Google Docs?
Google Docs has no Book fold setting. You can write the sheet there, download a PDF, and use our free bulletin maker to arrange it for folding.
What about printing the words of hymns?
Words that are public domain are free to print. Most modern songs are not, and need your church’s license. Our hymn library only holds texts that are public domain.