Large Print Hymns: Free Printable Hymn Lyrics PDF

These are the words of well-loved hymns in large print, one hymn to a sheet. Choose 18, 24 or 28 point, download one hymn or the whole set, and print. Every hymn here has words first published in 1929 or earlier, so it is free to copy in the United States.

Quick facts
Songs	Amazing Grace, Abide with Me, Rock of Ages and more
Layout	One hymn per sheet, or all hymns in one PDF
Type size	18, 24 or 28 pt
Paper	US Letter, A4 or 11 x 17 in
Rights	Words published 1929 or earlier, public domain in the US

Which hymns are on this page?

Each hymn has its own section and its own download. The table shows who wrote the words and a date for them: the year they were first published where a source gives it, and otherwise the year they were written. Every date is well before 1929, which is how each one qualified for this page.

Hymn	Words
Amazing Grace	John Newton, 1779
Abide with Me	Henry Francis Lyte, written 1847
Rock of Ages	Augustus Toplady, first published in full 1776
What a Friend We Have in Jesus	Joseph Scriven, written 1855, published 1865
It Is Well with My Soul	Horatio G. Spafford, written 1873, published 1876
Blessed Assurance	Fanny Crosby, 1873
Holy, Holy, Holy	Reginald Heber, 1826
Be Thou My Vision	Old Irish; translated by Mary Byrne, 1905; English verse by Eleanor Hull, 1912
In the Garden	C. Austin Miles, 1912
Nearer, My God, to Thee	Sarah Flower Adams, 1841
Just As I Am	Charlotte Elliott, written 1835, published 1836

The sheets carry the words only, with no music. People who sing from memory and people who read the words while others lead are the readers we had in mind. If you need notation, or the hymnal your congregation uses, a bookshop or your church office can help. This page is for the printed words.

Every hymn has its own page with its history and one printable sheet: Amazing Grace, Abide with Me, Rock of Ages, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, It Is Well with My Soul, Blessed Assurance, Holy, Holy, Holy, Be Thou My Vision, In the Garden, Nearer, My God, to Thee and Just As I Am. Five more hymns have pages of their own: How Firm a Foundation, Blest Be the Tie That Binds, I Need Thee Every Hour, Sweet Hour of Prayer and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, and there are large print Bible verses for the bedside.

How do I print a large print hymn sheet?

Choose a hymn, choose a type size and a paper size, and press its download button. A hymn of four or five verses will run to two or three pages at 24 point. To print everything in one go, use the all-hymns button.

Eighteen point is the smallest size we offer, because the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) says print below 18 point is not large print. Twenty-four point is a good default for a group. Twenty-eight is for readers with more advanced sight loss. The page on what large print is sets out the reasons behind each choice.

The words are left aligned, in one column, in plain type with no italics, and each verse is separated by a blank line. Choose a cream background if white paper glares, and use matte paper.

If you need a hymn we have not included, or a prayer or a notice from your church, paste it into the large print maker and download it in the same layout. Check first that the text is free to copy.

How can a church or care home use large print hymn sheets?

For a service, print a few sheets of each hymn on the order of service at 24 point and keep them at the door. Offering large print quietly, with no announcement, lets people take it without being singled out. Print on 11 x 17 inch paper for anyone who sits in the front row and holds the sheet at arm's length.

In a care home, a hymn sing suits an afternoon or a Sunday visit. Choose four or five hymns that residents know, print one sheet each, and hand them out as you sing. Sheets in plastic sleeves survive being passed around and can be wiped clean. Small ministries that visit nursing homes can carry a folder of sheets and print more as they need them.

Some people would rather write than read. The large print lined paper has bold, wide lines for copying out a favorite verse by hand, or for a resident who wants to write a letter after the service.

In December, the large print Christmas carols page has carol words laid out the same way, so a single folder can serve for the whole year. Single-hymn pages such as Amazing Grace in large print and the wider large print prayers and hymns page help when you need just one sheet.

Each sheet has a line at the foot saying it may be copied freely for personal, family, church, library and activity-room use.

Are these hymns in the public domain?

In the United States, yes, for the words we list. A work published in the United States before 1931 is out of copyright, as of 2026. We use a stricter test and only include words first published in 1929 or earlier. The author and a date are in the table above so you can check.

A hymn has three parts that can each be protected: the words, the tune and the arrangement. According to the United Methodist Church, a hymn is in the public domain when all three parts are dated 1929 or earlier, and any part dated 1930 or later, or renewed, means the piece as published is still under copyright. The same page lists It Is Well with My Soul among well-known hymns in the public domain. We print the words only and no modern arrangements, so nothing from a later arrangement comes into these sheets. A recent translation or a new version of an old text can still be protected, so we avoid those.

A church license, such as the ones some congregations buy for songs still in copyright, is a separate matter, and you should not need one for words that are out of copyright. Rules outside the United States are different, and copyright often lasts for the life of the author plus seventy years, so readers elsewhere should check their own law. This is information, not legal advice.