Company letterhead: what it should include and how to print it

Which details to put on a letterhead

The checklist we usually go through with a client at the design stage:

• Logo: as a vector, in the colour version. If you only have a file from your website, vectorisation will help.
• Full company name: as registered, not just the trading name.
• Registered office address, plus a correspondence address if different.
• Phone, email, website.
• VAT number and any other tax or business identifiers you use.
• Company registration details: more on these below.
• Bank account number: optional, often useful on payment reminders.
• Space for the content: clearly defined, with margins matching the template in your word processor.

Do not cram everything into the header. A layout that works well: logo and name at the top, registration and contact details in the footer in small but legible type (8–9 pt).

What the rules say, in general terms

Company law in most European countries requires limited companies to show certain details on business letters and order forms, on paper and electronically. In the UK, for example, these include the registered company name, the registered number, the part of the UK where the company is registered and the registered office address. In Ireland the directors' names must also appear, and in several EU countries the register court and the share capital are listed. Public limited companies and some other legal forms have similar obligations.

For sole traders the requirements are different, but the owner's name, the business name, the address and the VAT number are usually shown anyway: clients and suppliers expect them.

Do not treat this as legal advice. Check the exact details required for your legal form and country in current law, or ask your accountant or lawyer. We will design and print the letterhead with the details you give us; before printing we always send the file for approval, so there is a moment for a final check.

What letterhead printing costs

The difference between 500 and 1,000 sheets is only about €11, so for a business that sends a lot of letters, a thousand pays off. Letterheads are worth ordering together with business cards, envelopes and presentation folders: all your correspondence then matches in colour, and there is one delivery charge. An A4 folder printed 4/0 on 350 gsm coated board with matt lamination is approx. €135 net for 100.

More options are on the printed letterhead page. If you need printed envelopes, we quote them from a description; see printed envelopes.

We print it, you print the letters: making it work

It usually works like this: we print the header, footer and graphic elements, and the company prints the letter text itself on an office printer. For this to run smoothly, we pay attention to a few things.

1. 90 gsm uncoated paper. It is close to office paper, takes toner and ink well and does not jam in the tray. Coated paper looks nicer but causes problems in many office printers.
2. No large solids where the text goes. A coloured background under the text makes it harder to read and can mark in the printer. Keep graphic elements in the header, footer or margin.
3. A word processor template. Set up a template with the margins fixed so the text never runs into the footer. We can give you the exact dimensions of the areas with the design.
4. A test in your printer. Before printing a thousand letters, run a few sheets through your printer. Every machine behaves slightly differently.
5. An electronic version. The same design is useful as a background for PDF letters sent by email. Ask for it when ordering.

Graphics running to the edge of the sheet need 3 mm bleed and trimming after printing; we explain this in our guide to print bleed.

The mistakes we correct most often

• Out-of-date details. An old phone number or the address before you moved. Letterheads are ordered for a long time, so check the details twice.
• A footer that is too small. Registration details set in 5–6 pt are illegible after printing and scanning. A safe minimum is about 7–8 pt.
• A low-resolution logo. It looks fine on screen but has jagged edges on paper.
• Light grey text. It looks nice in the design, but disappears when the letter is photocopied or scanned.
• No room for a signature and stamp. When creating the letter template, plan where the text ends.

We catch all of these during the file check before printing, but it is easier to avoid them at the design stage.

Designing your letterhead

A letterhead is best designed together with your business card and folder: the same colours, the same typefaces, the same logo position. That way a proposal sent to a client looks considered.

If you are starting a business and have no material yet, see the guide advertising for a new business. Our in-house studio in Wieluń does the design, and design work is charged at approx. €35 net per hour. For a simple letterhead with a ready logo it is usually a short job. Logo vectorisation, if you only have a raster file, is approx. €26 net.