Large-Print and Accessible Church Bulletins: A Practical Guide

October 21, 2026 · LanternLetter Co.

A bulletin only helps people if they can read it. For many people, a standard bulletin with small type, light gray text and decorative fonts is hard or impossible to follow: people with low vision, older members, people with dyslexia, and anyone sitting in a dim sanctuary. A few changes to the regular bulletin, plus a large-print version on request, make worship easier to follow for everyone.

This guide covers the practical side: sizes, fonts, contrast, layout, paper and digital versions. It is general guidance, not legal advice. If your church has specific accessibility obligations, check them with your denomination or a qualified adviser.

Start by improving the standard bulletin

Before making a separate large-print edition, look at the regular one. Many readability problems come from choices that can be fixed for everybody:

Body text below 11 pt
Light gray or colored text on a tinted background
Script or condensed fonts for anything people need to read
Text placed over photos or patterns
Long lines in all capitals
Crowded pages with little white space

Fixing these in the standard bulletin often helps more people than a large-print edition alone.

Choosing typefaces

Use a clear, plain typeface with open letter shapes. Common sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana or Atkinson Hyperlegible (a free font designed for low-vision readers) work well, as do sturdy serif fonts with even strokes.
Avoid scripts, thin weights, condensed fonts and heavy italics for running text.
Use bold for emphasis instead of italics or underlining.
Use sentence case. Text in all capitals is harder to read in long stretches.
Limit yourself to one or two fonts in the whole bulletin.

Contrast and color

Use black or very dark text on white or off-white paper.
Avoid placing text over images, gradients or patterns.
Do not rely on color alone to carry meaning. If responses are in red, also make them bold, or label them "All:" or "People:".
Be careful with pale liturgical colors (rose, light blue) for text; use them for borders and accents instead.

Layout

Left-align text. Justified text creates uneven gaps between words.
Use generous line spacing, around 1.2 to 1.5 times the font size.
Keep lines short enough to track easily; very wide columns are tiring.
Keep each part of the service together, and avoid breaking a prayer or response across pages.
Put a clear heading on each section ("Readings," "Prayers," "Announcements") so people can find their place again.
Use the same order every week so regular readers know where to look.
Number pages, and use the page numbers in spoken instructions ("we continue on page 3").

Making the large-print edition

The easiest large-print bulletin is the same content as the standard bulletin, reflowed to a larger size, not a separate document someone has to keep in sync. Some practical options:

Letter-size, unfolded pages instead of a half-letter booklet. Stapled in the corner, they lie flat and give the larger type room.
Separate styles in your template (in Word, Google Docs or Canva) so you can switch sizes rather than retype.
Leave out decoration in the large-print copy: keep the content, drop the artwork.
Include hymn or song words when your church's licence allows it, because a large-print bulletin is useless if the hymnal is not large print. Many publishers sell large-print hymnals; ask your publisher what is available.
Keep a few copies with the ushers, and say in the regular bulletin that large print is available.

Paper and printing

Use matte paper. Gloss reflects light and can make reading harder.
Choose paper heavy enough that text does not show through from the other side.
Check that the printer is not running low on toner; faded type is a common and easily missed problem.
For candlelight services, print large-print copies of the full program. See our Christmas Eve program guide.

Digital bulletins

A digital version lets people zoom in or use a screen reader. A few basics:

Post the bulletin as a web page or an accessible PDF, not as an image of the printed page.
Use real headings, so screen-reader users can move between sections.
Add alt text to meaningful images, and mark decorative ones as decorative.
Make link text describe where it goes ("Sign up for the food drive") rather than "click here."
Test that the PDF text can be selected and read aloud by your device.

Beyond print

The bulletin is one part of an accessible service. It is worth mentioning other provisions in the bulletin itself, so people know they exist: a hearing loop or assistive listening devices, accessible seating and entrances, an accessible restroom, gluten-free communion if offered, and who to ask for help. Our church bulletin ideas post includes an accessibility note among its content ideas.

Ask the people who use it

The best guide to what works is the people who need it. Ask members who use large print what size and layout they prefer, and whether the hymnal or the screen is the bigger problem. Small changes based on their answers are worth more than any general rule.

Accessible bulletin checklist

Body text at least 11-12 pt in the standard bulletin; 16-18 pt in large print.
Plain typeface, no scripts or thin weights for running text.
Dark text on a light, plain background.
Bold, not color alone, for responses.
Left-aligned text with generous line spacing.
Clear section headings and page numbers.
Matte paper, fresh toner.
Large-print copies available, and the bulletin says so.
An accessible digital version online.

Need help?

Every template in our shop comes in editable Word files, so sizes and fonts can be changed for a large-print edition. On our Standard and Plus plans we prepare your weekly bulletin for you; tell us if you need a large-print version and we will discuss it with you. For seasonal planning, see our Christmas bulletin ideas.