What are letterheads?
A letterhead is a piece of business stationery printed on a sheet of paper. Most commonly printed at A4 size, the design of letterheaded paper includes company name, address, telephone number, website and the corporate logo mark. It is often accompanied by a Compliment Slip in creating a suite of business stationery for corporate use.
Wikipedia Page on Letterheads – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterhead
What do I include on my letterhead design?
The common design elements on letterheads include:
- Logo or Word Mark
- Address
- Contact Details (Telephone Number, Website, Email Address and Fax)
Depending on the type of business you are in, there might be a legal requirement for additional information to be included on your letterhead design.
For example, if you are a Limited company you are legally required to include the:
- Company Number
- Registered Company Address
- The Place of Registration (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland)
The HMRC provide some excellent advice on adding information to your company literature and printed materials – https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/signs-stationery-and-promotional-material
What are the standard sizes of letterheads?
In the UK, the most common size of letterhead is A4 (210mm x 297mm). At kaizenprint.co.uk this A4 letterheads account for 95% of all letterhead printing orders. The second most common size is an A5 letterhead (148mm x 210mm). In North America, US Letter size is typically 8.5 x 11 inches (215 x 280 mm). While not too dissimilar in size, the extra width of the document does make the US Letter unusable in DL envelopes which are standard here in the UK.
Letterheads can be printed single sided or double sided and are almost always printed on an uncoated paper type. Using an uncoated paper, ensures that the letterhead can be over-printed when in use at your office for example. We recommend that all letterheads are printed on a laser guaranteed paper. This means that whatever model and make your office or home printer happens to be, that the letterhead any online printing company provides to you will not come off as the printer heats up. Most commercial printers and certainly all good printers will ensure their letterheads are printed on such a paper.
Examples of letterhead design
Having a fully fledged graphic design studio in-house, you can be sure we’ve seen the best of the best letterhead design. Having designed and printed many thousand different letterheads we know what works and what doesn’t on your letterhead design. We’d be delighted to update your letterhead or to create a totally new design for your organisation. Today though we’re showcasing some of our favourite letterhead designs that have passed through our business since 2009.
Why are letterheads still relevant?
Even in a digital world, letterheads are still relevant. Even if you solely transmit your letterhead through digital channels it is still technically called a letterhead. Within many of our clients businesses printed material is a legal requirement and for others sending a personalised document such as a high quality letter on headed paper is a great opportunity to cut through the noise of the digital world.
At kaizenprint.co.uk we are business stationery and headed paper printing experts. Check out our product page and choose from our range of printing options. If you need any assistance in choosing the right product for your needs, please do get in touch with us via our online chat function.
What size is an A4 Letterhead in mm?
An A4 Letterhead is 210mm wide x 297mm tall. When designing a letterhead for printing at a commercial digital printing company, please also add 3mm bleed to the outer border. This area will be trimmed off in the print finishing process and the finished size will be as above.
What is the difference between a letterhead and a continuation sheet?
A continuation sheet is a common form of letterhead with a reduced amount of information. Usually the continuation sheet is placed behind the first sheet in any document. The original letterhead has all legally required information and so the continuation sheet does not require this. This allows for a greater printable area and is particularly useful for businesses that create large printed documents.
What weight of paper should my letterhead be?
The most common weight of paper used for letterhead printing is 120gsm. On occasion some organisations request a heavy weight 160gsm or a lighter 90-100gsm. However over 90% of the letterheads we print are on a 120gsm uncoated paper stock.
