A family tree that looks readable on a large monitor can become a page full of tiny names when squeezed into a book. The fix is usually not a smaller font; it is to redesign the chart for the page and give readers a clear way to follow branches across pages.
This guide shows how to turn research charts into a book-friendly family history. It also covers source notes and privacy checks so the printed chart can be understood and shared responsibly.
1. Decide what the chart needs to explain
Before choosing a layout, write down the reader’s question. Are you showing ancestors of one person, descendants of a couple, or relationships among several family branches? One chart rarely does all three clearly.
- Pedigree chart: starts with one person and moves back through parents and earlier generations.
- Descendant chart: starts with an ancestor or couple and follows children and later generations.
- Family group sheet: records details about a couple and their children; this is useful as a reference page but is not a whole-tree overview.
The U.S. National Archives provides separate blank forms for ancestral charts, family group sheets, and tree formats. Use the form that matches the relationship story you want readers to follow, then build your book layout around that purpose.
2. Test the chart at the actual book size
Print one draft page at the intended finished size before styling the whole book. Can someone who has not seen your research read every name, date, and relationship without magnification? If not, do not keep shrinking labels to force another generation onto the page.
- Choose the book’s finished size before making the chart.
- Print the chart at 100% scale on paper close to that size.
- Ask a relative unfamiliar with the layout to find one person and explain how they connect to the starting person.
- Mark every spot where they hesitate, misread a name, or lose the branch.
- Split the chart or change its structure before final design if any label is too small.
Library and Archives Canada notes that its own family-tree templates work best on larger ledger-size paper. The exact size will depend on your book and content, but the lesson is practical: a broad chart needs room. A normal book page may need a simplified extract plus continuation charts.
3. Split a large tree into linked charts
When the full tree no longer fits at a readable scale, make a short overview and then one detailed chart per branch. Give each person a stable ID, such as A12, and repeat that ID in the overview and branch chart.
For example:
- Place a simple four-generation overview near the beginning of the book.
- Assign an ID to each ancestor at the edge of the overview.
- Start a later page with that person’s ID, full name, and dates, then expand that branch.
- Add a “continued on page” note beside the connection point.
- Check every ID and page reference after pagination is final.
Do not use color alone to distinguish branches. Color may be hard to distinguish for some readers and may disappear in a grayscale print. Pair color with labels, line styles, or a small legend.
4. Keep names and dates consistent
Choose one convention and apply it throughout the book. Decide how you will represent uncertain dates, alternative spellings, married names, transliteration, and locations. If a name appears in multiple languages or scripts, explain your convention once and retain the original spelling in a note where it helps identification.
- Use the same date order everywhere, such as day–month–year or year–month–day.
- Label uncertain information with a note or symbol and explain the symbol in a legend.
- Distinguish documented facts from family recollections.
- Use consistent person IDs on the chart, narrative pages, and source list.
Keep text inside boxes short. Put longer biographies in the narrative or in a linked person index rather than shrinking each chart box until its content is difficult to read.
5. Connect each important claim to a source
A chart is a map, not the evidence itself. Give each person or relationship a source note that points to the record or interview supporting it. A compact numbered note can refer readers to endnotes, but the note number must remain legible and must match the list at the back.
For each source, record enough information for a relative to find it again: creator or record title, date, repository or website, page or image number where available, and access date for online material. FamilySearch’s source-entry guidance similarly recommends enough context and a web address so another researcher can locate a source.
6. Protect living relatives before sharing the book
Ask living people for permission before including identifying details, photographs, health or immigration information, or private family stories. Decide whether the book is intended only for a small family group or for public sale, because the audience changes the privacy risk. FamilySearch explicitly advises permission and caution when recording information about living people.
Make a final privacy pass on the exported PDF, not only on the editable file. Check chart labels, captions, acknowledgements, photo metadata, and appendices. Remove material that a person has not agreed to share.
7. Review the exported PDF and print proof
- All names, dates, branch IDs, arrows, and legend symbols are readable at final size.
- Every “continued on page” reference points to the correct page.
- No chart line, name, or source number sits too close to the trim or inner margin.
- Black-and-white printing still distinguishes branches.
- Source notes match the claims and use one consistent style.
- Living-person details and record images have permission for the planned circulation.
- A printed proof has been checked by someone who did not create the chart.
When a foldout or large page may be better
A single wide family chart can work as a separate large-format print, but a foldout inside a book introduces production and handling considerations. Ask the printer about available formats and whether a foldout is supported before designing around one. For many family books, a readable overview followed by branch charts is easier to consult and maintain.
Your Book Bound offers a $99 package for one hardcover book, including manual file review, layout and cover support, proof revisions, and standard tracked worldwide delivery. Unusual chart sizes or foldout requirements need to be checked for the specific project. Submit your PDF for a free file check at yourbookbound.com/submit-your-book/.