A funeral welcome sign template is one of the simplest ways to greet guests with a warm, personal tribute as they arrive at a service. If you've never used PowerPoint for anything beyond a slideshow, don't worry — creating a welcome sign is far more straightforward than it sounds, and you don't need any design experience to get a beautiful result.
Why Use a Welcome Sign Template?
A few practical reasons a template makes this easier than starting from scratch:
- PowerPoint is already familiar to most people. Unlike specialist design software, there's a good chance you've opened PowerPoint before, even if only for a work presentation or a school project — so there's very little learning curve.
- Your title will always look exactly as designed, on any computer. The main titles (like "In Loving Memory" or "Celebrating the Life of") are inserted as images rather than typed text. That might sound like a limitation, but it's actually a benefit: it means the carefully chosen font and styling will display exactly as designed, no matter whose computer opens the file — you won't run into the common problem of a font substituting itself with something plainer because it isn't installed on your device.
- You're not left to figure it out alone. Every template comes with a Help Guide with clear instructions on editing and printing, so if you get stuck at any point, there's guidance built right in.
Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create your own.
1. Choose a Welcome Sign Template
Start by choosing a design that reflects your loved one's personality or the tone of the service — floral, classic, photo collage, or a simple color-based design. Most welcome sign templates come in a few standard sizes, typically Large (24 x 36 inches), Medium (18 x 24 inches), and Small (8 x 10 inches), so you can pick whichever fits where it'll be displayed, whether that's an easel at the entrance or a smaller table setting.
Browse our Funeral Welcome Sign templates →
2. Open the Template in PowerPoint
Once you've downloaded your template, open the PowerPoint file on a laptop or desktop computer using the full version of Microsoft PowerPoint. This is worth double-checking before you get started: welcome sign templates are built for the desktop app specifically, so they won't open or edit correctly in the mobile app, a tablet, a Chromebook, or PowerPoint Online.
3. Add Your Title
Most welcome signs come with ready-made titles like "In Loving Memory" or "Celebrating the Life of," inserted as images rather than editable text. This is a deliberate design choice: it guarantees the title always appears in the exact font and style the designer intended, with no risk of it reformatting or defaulting to a plain system font if that particular font isn't installed on your computer. You can:
- Keep the title as-is
- Move it to reposition it on the page
- Delete it and add your own text box with your own wording and font
If you'd like to use your own title, simply click Insert > Text Box, draw the box where you'd like the text, and type your title using a font already installed on your computer. Just keep in mind that a custom text box will use a standard system font rather than the decorative styling of the original image-based title, so it's worth previewing how it looks before finalizing your design.
4. Add Your Photo
Click on a green shape and select the Shape Format tab > Shape Fill > Picture to insert your own photo. Choose a clear, high-resolution image — since welcome signs print quite large, a low-resolution or heavily cropped photo can look blurry once it's enlarged. If your template includes a photo collage layout, take a moment to select photos that work well together in tone and lighting so the finished sign feels cohesive.
5. Personalize the Details
Add your loved one's name and any dates directly onto the template, and adjust text color or font size if needed to keep everything easy to read from a distance — remember, guests will typically view this sign from several feet away, not up close.
6. Save and Prepare for Printing
Once you're happy with your design, save your file, then save it again as a PDF (File > Save As > PDF) before sending it to print. Saving as a PDF locks your layout in place so fonts and spacing won't shift if the file is opened on a different computer, which is especially important if you're sending it to a print shop rather than printing at home.
As one customer, Ann, shared after using one of our welcome sign templates: "This was so easy to use... completed it and saved it as a PDF and was therefore able to send to the printing company abroad." Saving as a PDF is exactly what makes this kind of flexibility possible, whether you're printing locally or sending your file elsewhere.
7. Print Your Welcome Sign
Most welcome signs are best printed at a local print shop or online printing service, since home printers typically can't handle the larger sizes (18 x 24 inches and up). If you're printing at home, a Small size (8 x 10 inches) will usually work well; anything larger is generally best left to a professional printer for a crisp, properly sized result.
If you'd rather not track down a local print shop, we've partnered with Prints of Love, a 5-star rated print shop offering fast, high-quality, affordable printing with free shipping within the US. Use code FTTEN at checkout for 10% off orders of $49 or more — and for every order placed, they plant a tree in your name.
Prefer to Edit on Mobile, or Want a Photo Collage? Try a Canva Alternative
We don't currently offer a welcome sign template built specifically for Canva — but our Funeral Poster templates serve the same purpose and are fully editable in Canva, including on a phone or tablet. They're a great option if you'd like to include a photo collage rather than a single photo, or if you simply prefer working in Canva over PowerPoint.
One option worth a look is our Classic Funeral Poster Bundle (Canva Templates), which includes 20 poster designs and 16 photo collage layouts (holding up to 120 photos combined) across 11 sizes — and as a bonus, it also includes a free matching 4-page funeral program and a digital funeral invite, making it a well-rounded option if you're looking to create a coordinated set of stationery rather than just a single sign.
If you'd rather stay in PowerPoint but still want more photo collage options, our Funeral Photo Displays collection follows a similar bundle approach — a central welcome sign design alongside coordinating photo collage posters, all editable in PowerPoint.
What Our Customers Say
"It was so easy to use the template. It was totally worth it to try it out! Thank you!" — Donna Thiessen
"Very easy to use. The video was easy to understand and helpful. I would definitely recommend!" — Deborah
"The file was delivered immediately and was exactly what we wanted." — Lise
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I edit a funeral welcome sign on my phone or tablet?
No — welcome sign templates need the full desktop version of Microsoft PowerPoint and won't open or edit correctly on phones, tablets, or Chromebooks.
Can I change the title on my welcome sign?
Yes. The included titles are images, so you can move or delete them, then add your own wording using a text box in your chosen font.
What size welcome sign should I choose?
It depends on where it'll be displayed. Small (8 x 10 inches) works well for a table setting, Medium (18 x 24 inches) suits an easel near the entrance, and Large (24 x 36 inches) makes a strong statement for a bigger venue or a more prominent placement.
Where should I print my welcome sign?
For anything Medium size or larger, a local print shop or online printing service will give you the best, most reliable result. Small signs can often be printed at home if you have access to a good quality printer.
Do I need design experience to use a welcome sign template?
Not at all — templates are fully pre-designed, so you're simply swapping in your own photo and text rather than building a layout from scratch.
Why is the title on my welcome sign an image instead of editable text?
This ensures the title always displays in the exact font and styling the designer chose, no matter what computer opens the file. If a decorative font isn't installed on your device, an editable text title would default to a plain substitute — an image avoids that problem entirely, while still letting you move or delete it if you'd prefer your own title.
Is there a Canva version of the funeral welcome sign?
Not under that name, but our Funeral Poster templates serve the same purpose and are fully editable in Canva, including on mobile devices. Some also include photo collage layouts if you'd like to feature more than one photo.
Related reading: How to Make a Funeral Template in Word · Canva vs Microsoft Word for Funeral Program Templates
