
The Importance of Letterhead for Business
- Paul Venning-Pridham
- Blog
With the advancing technology and growing digitalization, today more and more businesses across the globe are going paperless. However, one thing which most businesses cannot do away with is using letterhead for business. Letterheads are extremely useful for businesses; they help in building and maintaining their professional image and good reputation.
In the olden days, businesses had to depend on using different types of printed stationery for their communication and administration needs. However with the introduction of computers and internet, now most offices and businesses have started to get rid of printed stationery and start using online mediums for communication and administration. Using technology for communication helps in saving a lot of money and at the same time it is an environmentally friendly solution.
However, businesses still are not able to completely stop using letterhead for business purposes. For decades all industries and businesses have been using letterheads for important communications. Professional letterheads help businesses in promoting themselves; they help in building and maintaining a more positive reputation, and in portraying a professional image each time a letter or communication is sent out on a professional letterhead. Letterheads are also the official means to contact a customer or any other business party or associate.
What are letterheads? What is a letterhead used for?
By definition, a letterhead is the heading at the top of a business paper. It includes the company name and address along with the contact details like email address, phone numbers and website address. The company’s logo is printed along with the other details. The letterhead is used for creating all official documents and letters for the business.
Some of the documents or letters which need to be printed on letterheads:
- Notices to issued to individuals, groups or companies
- Invoices and letters sent to the customers
- Job offer letters issued to job aspirants
- Cover letters attached along with the company’s proposals and presentations
- Minutes of meetings held
- Internal communication between different departments within the company
What is a professional letterhead? What should be included in it?
A professional letterhead needs to be planned and designed meticulously. Professional letterheads are used for sending across any confidential notice or document in hard copy format to your clients, business partners or other departments in the organization. Professional letterheads help in making a strong impression in the minds of the receiver. Below mentioned are four key elements which are important for creating a professional letterhead.
Basic details
An effective professional letterhead should include all the basic details of the company, like:
- Name of the company
- Company Logo
- Company address
- Contact details like email address, telephone numbers, fax numbers
- Website address
The name of the company is the vital element of a professional letterhead; the other details should be placed beneath the company name.
Layout of the letterhead
The layout of the letterhead should be able to attract the reader to read the name of the company which is at the top of the page. Therefore it is important to use a font which is clear and attractive for the letterhead. The font of the name should be the largest on the page, and the other elements of the letterhead should have font size between 10 to 12 points. One needs to ensure that the heading should not look crowded, it should be clear to read and pleasing to the eyes. Remember never to use two different typefaces in the letterhead. Choose a typeface which reflects your brand image. Times New Roman is the popular choice as it is considered a formal font.
Use of Colours
Use a white or cream based paper for your professional letterhead, as the plain base will help in highlighting the company logo and other details. Using inappropriate colors will distract the readers and their focus will shift from the actual message. Business experts suggest using a four-color letterhead for formal business letters. To save money it is suggested to use black and white letterheads and inks for day to day business purposes.
Paper Quality
The quality of the paper used for your letterhead plays an important role in creating a strong impression on the reader. The weight of the paper and the feel of the paper add to the richness of the paper quality. It is vital how you used the print against the tone and texture of the paper. The higher the quality and weight of the paper, the more important it makes the reader feel.
Why is a letterhead important?
- Professional and official: When communication is done through a letterhead, it makes the correspondence look official. Letterheads help in projecting a professional image to the outside world. If one would receive a letter claimed to be sent by a company, with no name or logo on the top, will it look authentic. Will the letter look important and trustworthy to the reader? No. Without the name and company logo the letter could have been sent by anyone, people don’t trust such letters. It is very vital for a business or company to have a strong professional image, and using letterheads for business helps in building it.
- Marketing tool: Using letterheads for communicating with prospective customers act as a powerful marketing tool. When a customer or prospective customer receives your letter, the first thing which will grab their attention is the name of the company and the logo. This helps in brand recalling and brand building. Each time you send out communication on a letterhead you are indirectly marketing your brand.
- Look and feel of the correspondence: Sending correspondence on a letterhead improves the look of the letter, as compared to sending correspondence on a black page. The letterhead for business reinforces a strong professional image of the company.
- Easy access to contact details: A letterhead has all the essential details of the business, the name, contact details, address etc. It is useful for clients or business associates to find all the information together easily on the letterhead. It helps them to easily contact you in case of any requirement.
Letterhead Printing
As we have seen above the quality of the letterhead is important in building your brand image. The quality of the letterhead printing is directly associated with the quality of your brand. It is very important to focus on letterhead printing, as the quality of the print determines your image and the impression you build in the minds of the customers and business associates who receive them.
Quickchilli offers professional and affordable in-house custom letterhead printing and designing services. If you do not have any artwork ready to be printed on the letterheads, we can help you design the letterhead and the content on it. We also can also print letterheads with preexisting designs provided by you in a print ready format. We have been servicing companies in Surrey and all across the country, providing them with our specialized designing and letterhead printing services.