A family tree poster for your reunion
One A1 poster that shows everyone in the room how they are related, and a family link so every relative can order their own copy.
At many reunions, half the guests are not quite sure how they are related to the other half. A descendant chart on the wall answers that at a glance. Start with the oldest ancestor the family still talks about, such as the great-grandparents who emigrated or the couple who bought the farm, and let the tree grow upwards through every child, grandchild and great-grandchild. People look for themselves first, then for their cousins, and then find the branch they had never heard of.
With RootsOnPrint you turn your data into that chart in a few minutes. Upload the GEDCOM file from your genealogy program or type the family in by hand. The Heritage Oak template arranges the descendants on a painted tree (oak, olive, linden or apple, in four styles), and A1 (84.1 × 59.4 cm) fits the whole clan. After the order you get a family link: every relative can order their own copy in any size, framed or not, without uploading anything.
How it works
Step 1
Start with the eldest
Upload your GEDCOM file or enter the family by hand and pick the oldest known ancestor as the root person.
Step 2
Descendant chart
The Heritage Oak template grows the family upwards from that root: children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all on one sheet. A1 fits the whole clan.
Step 3
One poster, many copies
After your order you get a family link: every relative can order their own copy of the same poster, shipped to their door.
Tip: order the A1 poster for the reunion wall and send the family link around beforehand, so the copies arrive in time for the party.
How many descendants fit on one poster?
The descendant layout places each generation on its own row and stacks the youngest generation as leaves, so the chart stays readable even when one branch has many children. How many people fit depends on how the family branches and how long the names are: A1 carries the largest families, often around a hundred people over several descendant generations in the Heritage Oak template, A2 and A3 correspondingly fewer. The live preview shows exactly how your family fits. If names get small, drop the youngest generation, or exclude a branch and print it as its own poster.
Partners can be shown next to each descendant or left out to save space. Living relatives appear with their birth year only when you want them to; the “protect living” option prints names without dates.
Which chart for which reunion?
A descendant chart from a single ancestor couple is right when the reunion gathers one surname or one line, as in the classic “descendants of Johann and Maria” meeting. If two or three lines meet, print one poster per line and hang them side by side; the shared family link makes copies of each. For a smaller gathering of parents, children and grandchildren, an hourglass chart (Modern Clean) with two generations up and two down shows the hosts’ family on one sheet.
- Heritage Oak, A1, descendants: the wall poster for the venue
- Heritage Oak, A2 framed: the keepsake for the hosts or the eldest relative
- Modern Clean, A3: copies for each household via the family link
Collecting the data before the reunion
The reunion itself is the best place to fill gaps: bring a printed copy of the current tree, hand out pencils and let people add birth years and the newest babies in the margins. If the family has no genealogy file yet, download our free blank pedigree chart, fill it in with the older generation over coffee and type the names into the wizard afterwards. Three to four generations take ten minutes.
Timeline before the party
4 weeks before
Export the GEDCOM file or finish the wizard, check the preview, order the wall poster.
2–3 weeks before
Poster arrives (from payment, printing included: 3–5 business days in Germany, 7–12 to the USA and Canada, framed A4 only); send the family link to all guests.
2 weeks before
Relatives order their copies via the link so they arrive before or shortly after the reunion.
Reunion day
Hang the A1 poster near the entrance, keep a pencil copy for corrections and new arrivals.
After
Update the file with what you learned and print the next edition for the next reunion.
Frequently asked questions
How many descendants fit on an A1 poster?
It depends on how the family branches and how long the names are — in the Heritage Oak template often around a hundred people over several generations; the preview shows your actual family and warns when cards would get too small.
Can relatives order without the GEDCOM file?
Yes. The family link opens the finished poster; each relative chooses size and frame and pays for their own copy. Nothing needs to be uploaded or typed again.
How long is the family link valid?
90 days from your order. The shared tree data is deleted when the link expires, or earlier if you deactivate it.
Can I hide living relatives’ dates?
Yes. The “protect living” option prints living persons with their name only, no birth year.
Does the poster need a frame for the venue?
No. The unframed A1 ships rolled in a sturdy tube, and two strips of poster tape or a clip rail are enough for the day. The framed version is better for a copy to keep. To the USA and Canada we currently ship framed A4 posters only.