The Importance of Letterheads

The Importance of Letterheads

It is said that a good first impression helps to open doors.

With professional printed business stationery like letterheads, you have the chance to impress potential clients and get your foot in the door.

A letterhead provides one of the most important parts of any brand’s image and communication.

It does this by using a simple and careful placement of the company logo and layout that matches your corporate design.

Your letterhead is an important legal document and it must not be underestimated when working on the design of a company’s corporate identity and stationery printing.

If you are a company you will usually include –

• ·        the name of the business
• ·        the legal status of the organisation
• ·        the company registration number (if a Limited company)
• ·        the registered office – if different from trading address.
• ·        The names of directors or partners

If letterheads are also used as invoices some companies like to have their VAT registration number printed.

This information is not required on compliment slips or business cards.

A striking design for your business stationery can make your business look a lot more professional and memorable.

For businesses, co-ordinating the letterhead printing with your compliment slips and business cards will make your company stand out from the crowd.

And by continuing the co-ordination with all your other business print products is another way to impress your clients.

Full colour printing is now very cost-effective for small order quantities with digital printing and digital letterheads are now suitable to be over printed on laser printers.

This often saves you money on toner cartridges – as your text is usually just in black so you can use a mono printer or copier for your letters.

.

Writing letters is still a main part of business communication and is a skilled art form in these days of electronic communications.

There are still many individuals who prefer to write than send emails because it is more a more personal form of keeping in touch.

We may not use as many letters now – but they are still a pre-requisite for most of us as an individual or a business.

The traditional letterhead paper brands like Conqueror and Distinction have declined rapidly and have been replaced by largely unbranded digital papers.

We still print here by traditional methods on textured papers like laid, linen or hammer embossed finishes – and even some of these work well on a digital press.

The range of colours has declined dramatically as the paper mills have found it no longer economically viable to carry a wide range of stocks – and more particularly their matching ranges of envelopes.

Most paper supplied is now either smooth white paper in either a 100gsm or 120gsm thickness.  Envelopes are easier to match up and more economical to buy if they are just white.

But letterheads, remember, are there not just to make your content stand out; a letterhead can set you and your business apart from your competition.

There are some nice finishes that can still be ordered – such as foil blocking, embossing or thermography – but they usually involve a considerable extra cost.

So the design element is very important. Good design gives you a competitive edge – if you stick to the guidelines you won’t go far wrong!

5 Top Tips for the design and print of letterheads

A well designed letterhead can portray your brand as professional and will always give the best first impression to your business. You must ensure it incorporates your brand and uses consistent fonts and colours.

1.   Define your letterhead text.

First you must determine exactly what text you’ll use within the layout. Company name and logo are essential elements to include together with all relevant legal information and key contact details. Telephone, website and email are usually essential. Mobile numbers are included according to their importance in your business. Try and exclude anything that will date the letterhead.

2.   Select your letterhead font.

If a particular typeface had been utilised elsewhere within the corporate identity it may be appropriate to use that typeface within the letterhead design. Fonts should be selected to remain consistent with the company image at all times.

3.   Keep your layout design simple.

It is advantageous to have a professionally designed letterhead created by a graphic designer however you must ensure it’s easy to read for clients. Remember – simple is always best! 

It’s advised to leave plenty of white space for letter content.

4.   Use company colours.

Company colours are typically used to ensure the letterhead design remains consistent with other corporate branding. Use colour selectively for the purpose of emphasising the company name. With spot colour printing you should know the pantone reference colour – this makes your colour more consistent throughout the business and when you re-order your printing.

5.   Test your proof copy.

Before taking action it’s advised to print out a proof copy and carefully review it. Ensure all contact details are correct and ask for feedback off others on your design. Always ask for a printed proof on your first order. The great benefit of digital printing is that you can get a printed sample that will be exactly the same as your printed letterheads. Try this sample in your printer to see how it works.

Remember we have our own graphic designers if you need to get specialist help in this vital area of corporate design.

We also continue to offer a number of printed options and can quote for any quantity or specification.

If you want quick printing we are now printing letterheads in smaller quantities online – go to http://direct2print.co/portfolio/letterhead-printing/ for more information on the prices and the alternative types of paper!

If you take this option we can supply the design of the letterheads for a fixed cost of just £40 plus VAT.

Contact me for any advice on the design and print of your letterheads or other items of business print – your call is free on 0800 0346 007.