There’s a big difference between writing business correspondence on a plain piece of paper and putting your words on stationery that’s anchored by your business’s official logo and info. There’s an air of authenticity you can achieve with official stationery that’s simply lacking on unadorned 8.5×11. It may seem silly, but it’s inarguably true. Letterheads make correspondence seem more legit, whether you’re a doctor, a florist, or a salesman.
Almost every professional can agree on this point, and many already use custom letterheads for most of their mail. But many are wasting tons of pricey color inks in printing their letterheads on their own printing equipment every time they crank out a note. By designing and printing custom letterheads with Elite Flyers, you save money, thanks to the low prices we can offer because of our high volume printing business. When you want to print a letter or a series of letters, you simply load your pre-printed letterheads into your printer’s tray and print on the pre-printed forms, saving you precious ink and therefore precious dollars.
So we’ve established that company letterheads – and personal letterheads, for that matter – make business seem more official. But what makes for a good letterhead design? What elements lend a letterhead an air of professionalism, and which ones look just so-so? Here are a few tips to consider in designing an effective, impressive letterhead.
Consider your alignment.
Traditional, conservative letterheads tend to line things up on the left side, whereas bolder, more modern letterheads are marked by center alignments. Depending on your company logo, a center alignment can either look noble and regal, or modern and edgy. In certain cases, it works to have your letterhead right aligned. Just be sure to experiment with all to find the best fit for the aesthetic you desire.
Use colors.
Elite Flyers prints full color letterheads, and since it’s not your ink, why not have a little fun? Obviously you don’t want your letterhead to appear clownish, but using splashes of color in your fonts, background, and logo is a good way to make your correspondence stand out amid a sea of mail.
Keep it sizeable.
If your letterhead is crawling all over the page, you’re going to have to be careful when you print on the stationery, for fear that the text of your letters will creep into the design. If you keep the letterhead design on the outskirts of the page, you can print without needing to adjust your letter writing too much.
Fonts are important.
If your company is heavily branded, make sure to choose the same font for your letterhead as you do your other materials. And if your company is not heavily branded, you might want to consider creating a consistent image for your company by continuously choosing the same fonts and color schemes. This makes your brand or business more recognizable – think the Nike swoosh or the Energizer bunny. These brand images never change much, and that is why they are indelibly burned into our brains.
Print matching envelopes.
Even before they open your mail, customers will be forced to take you seriously if you have an official printed envelope bearing your company name and address. Create a custom envelope and letterhead and print the two together so that your business has everything it needs to get the word out in style.
Use them.
Once you print your custom letterheads and envelopes, get everyone on your staff in the habit of always printing on your letterheads and using the proper envelopes. This will ensure that your customers are always seeing your company’s best face, and it will make it easier to recognize and ascertain that correspondence supposedly from your company is authentic.
About Jenny DixonJennifer has been apart of the EliteFlyers.com team for over 15 years. She brings a deep understanding of web marketing, thoughtful strategies, that she's able to design, manage, print, deliver multi-media campaigns to meet all client's goals. Her personal portfolio includes high-end design and printing of business cards, flyers, post cards for elite businesses and individuals from all over the world.
