How To Put An Obituary In The Paper | Quick Print Steps

Losing someone brings a rush of tasks and heavy emotions. One of those jobs is deciding how to put their story in front of friends, relatives, and the wider community. A printed obituary in a local paper still reaches neighbours, colleagues, and older readers who may not see online posts.

This guide walks you through how to put an obituary in the paper from start to finish. You will see what information you need, how newspapers charge, the role of funeral homes, and the simple checks that prevent awkward errors once the notice appears in print.

How To Put An Obituary In The Paper Step Checklist

The basic process is broadly similar across newspapers. You gather basic facts, write a short life story, pick a photo, then send everything through the paper or a funeral home along with payment details. The order below keeps things organised even when many people are giving input.

1. Gather personal and service details.
2. Decide where you want the obituary to appear.
3. Check the newspaper’s length, layout, and photo rules.
4. Draft the obituary text and ask another person to read it.
5. Confirm price, dates of publication, and any online listing.
6. Submit the obituary and approve the final proof.
7. Save copies and share the printed or online link.

Many newspapers now work through online partners that help you price and place a notice in multiple outlets. Platforms such as Legacy.com’s advice on submitting an obituary explain how to submit an obituary online and list participating papers by region, which can save time if relatives live in different cities.

Common Obituary Options And What They Include

Obituary Option	What It Usually Includes	Typical Cost Pattern
Basic death notice	Name, age, city, date of death, simple service details.	Short, line based fee; often the lowest price tier.
Standard paid obituary	Death notice details plus short life summary and close relatives.	Priced by length in lines or characters; mid range fee.
Extended life story	Richer biography, personal details, hobbies, and service information.	Higher cost as length grows and photos are added.
Obituary with photo	Standard or extended text with one or more images.	Base text fee plus extra charge per image or colour use.
Newspaper plus online listing	Print notice along with a guest book or memorial page.	Bundle price that covers print space and online hosting.
Funeral home handled notice	Funeral home staff draft, format, and submit for the family.	Folded into funeral package or billed as a separate line item.
Memorial or tribute ad	Message placed on an anniversary or special date.	Display ad pricing, often with a set size and flat fee.

Information You Need Before Contacting The Newspaper

A calm half hour spent gathering facts before you write saves time, reduces stress, and cuts the risk of later corrections. Keep a clean sheet of paper or a shared document where family members can add details.

Personal And Family Details

Start with the legal name of the person, including middle name or initial if that mattered to them. Note their age, city of residence, and date and place of death. If the family wishes, add place of birth as well.

Then list close relatives. Many papers expect a short list that includes spouse or partner, children, and sometimes grandchildren or siblings. Decide who is listed as surviving and who died earlier. AARP’s advice on writing an obituary points out that clear lists help relatives feel seen and reduce confusion among distant contacts.

Service, Donation, And Contact Details

Next, record where and when services will take place. That might mean a funeral, burial, cremation, memorial gathering, or a notice that events will be private. Include the full location of the venue and any special instructions on dress or attendance.

If the family prefers donations to flowers, note the name of the charity and its website or postal details. Also choose one contact person whose phone number or email contact can appear in the notice in case someone needs more information.

Writing The Obituary Text That Newspapers Accept

Newspapers combine paid announcements with news reporting, so they apply house style and set length limits. Reading a few recent obituaries in your chosen paper gives a quick sense of tone, sentence length, and how much detail fits in a normal notice.

Basic Obituary Structure

Most printed obituaries follow a loose pattern. You do not have to copy it word for word, yet using a familiar order makes the notice easy to scan.

• Opening line with name, age, city, and date of death.
• One or two sentences about family background and work life.
• A short line about interests, causes, or habits that people will recognise.
• Information on close survivors and, if you wish, those who died earlier.
• Practical details about the service, reception, and donation requests.

Legacy’s obituary writing guide suggests starting with plain facts, then adding personal touches such as achievements, humour, or small routines that capture the person’s voice without stretching the notice far beyond the word limit.

Finding The Right Tone

Grief has many shapes, and the style of the obituary can reflect that. Some families prefer a quiet, traditional tone; others add a line that reflects humour or a favourite saying. The main aim is clear, kind language that friends and neighbours can follow easily on a printed page.

Short sentences, active verbs, and clear time order help. Read the text aloud. If you stumble or run out of breath, shorten the line. Ask one or two people who knew the deceased in different parts of life to check the wording before you send it to the paper.

Submitting The Obituary To The Newspaper

Once the text feels ready, you can move on to the formal steps of placing the notice. This is the stage where deadlines, pricing, and verification rules come into play.

Choosing Where To Place The Notice

Think about where the person lived, worked, and spent time. Many families choose one paper in the town where the person lived and another in the place where they grew up or had a long career. Some newspapers run print and online versions together, so one placement reaches both formats.

To find submission instructions, visit the paper’s website and look for an “Obituaries” link. Legacy.com explains that many papers use its online tool, which lets you upload text and photos and see the cost before you pay. Local funeral homes often know which sites and papers work together and can either submit on your behalf or guide you through the forms.

Understanding Pricing, Deadlines, And Proofs

Newspapers usually charge by line or by column centimetre. Online platforms may charge by character count or offer a flat fee for a set word range. Extra photos, colour printing, and added days of publication raise the total.

Daily papers close obituary submissions at specific times, sometimes the afternoon before the issue date. Weekend editions may have earlier cut offs. Ask the clerk or online system to confirm which issue your notice will appear in so you can tell friends and colleagues where to look.

Many papers send a proof of the obituary by email. Read it slowly, check spelling of names and places, and confirm phone numbers, dates, and service times. Small mistakes are easy to fix at this stage and much harder once the paper is printed.

Checklist Before You Approve The Final Notice

Before you mark the proof as ready, pause for a moment and scan each piece of information one more time. A clear checklist reduces the chance of needing a second paid notice to correct an error.

Final Obituary Proof Checklist

Item To Check	What To Review	Helpful Reminder
Names	Spelling of the deceased and every listed relative.	Compare to official records or earlier family notes.
Dates	Birth, death, and service dates and times.	Line up with funeral home paperwork or death certificate.
Places	Cities, venues, and street directions.	Match against maps or the venue website.
Service details	Type of service, open or private, any dress requests.	Confirm with the person organising the event.
Donation notes	Charity name, website, or postal details.	Check spelling so funds reach the right group.
Contact line	Phone number or email for questions.	Test the number or send a short test email.
Overall length	Fits the paid space and keeps the main message clear.	Trim repeated details instead of names or dates.

Working With A Funeral Home Or Writer

Funeral homes handle obituary submissions every week and know the habits of local papers. Many include a standard death notice in their service package and will draft and submit the text once your family agrees on the wording.

Ask early about any package that already includes a notice, and about the newspaper section where it will appear, so you know whether friends should look in a local, regional, or national title.

If you choose this route, ask to see both the draft and the proof that goes to the newspaper. Check that names, spelling, and service times match what you gave them. You can still write a longer version for online use or for a printed memorial card while the funeral home places a shorter version in the paper.

Some families ask a relative or friend with writing experience to prepare the notice. If someone else writes it, make sure one or two close family members read the text with fresh eyes and confirm that it feels right and that no close survivor has been left out.

After The Obituary Appears In The Paper

Publication day can feel tender, especially when you open the paper and see the name of your relative in print. You may want to buy several copies to share with family members who live far away or to keep in memory boxes.

Clip the printed notice and store it with main documents. If the paper offers a digital version, save a copy or bookmark the page. Share the link by email or message with people who may not have access to the print edition.

Later, you can adapt the text of the printed obituary for a longer online tribute, a memorial program, or a family history project. The work you did to learn how to put an obituary in the paper often becomes the starting point for other ways of honouring the person’s story.

Most of all, hold on to the idea that there is no single perfect way to write about a life. A clear notice with accurate details, placed where the right readers will see it, already does the quiet job you need during a hard week for relatives.