Letterhead design: layout, specs and what to include

What a letterhead is for

Letterhead is the frame around your most formal communication: proposals, contracts, engagement letters, invoices, recommendations and notices. The reader is focused on the words, not the design, so the letterhead should establish who you are in a second and then get out of the way.

That makes letterhead different from almost every other printed piece. A flyer competes for attention; a letterhead earns trust by being quiet, consistent and correct. The test is simple. If someone photocopies your letter in black and white, can they still find your name and phone number instantly?

What to include, and what to leave off

Keep the essentials and nothing more. Every extra line competes with the letter itself.

• Logo and business name. If the logo includes the name, you do not need both.
• Street or mailing address, including suite number and ZIP code.
• One phone number, the one you actually want people to call.
• A general email address, not a personal one that may change.
• Website address, written simply without https or www if space is tight.
• License or registration numbers where your profession requires them on business documents, such as contractors, insurance agents, real estate brokers and some healthcare providers. Check your licensing board.
• For law firms and partnerships, a list of partners or offices is common, often in a narrow side column or footer.

Leave off social media icons, slogans that change every season, photos and promotional offers. Those belong on marketing pieces. A letterhead may be kept in a file for years.

Layout zones and margins

Think of the page in three zones: header, writing area and footer. The header usually occupies the top 1.25 to 1.75 in, the footer the bottom 0.5 to 0.75 in, and the writing area the rest. Body text on a business letter is typically set with 1 in margins on the sides.

There are three common layouts. A centered header feels traditional and suits law, finance and hospitality. A left aligned header with contact details in the footer feels modern and leaves the top of the page clean. A narrow left column with contact information is distinctive but reduces the writing width, so it works best for short letters.

Whatever you choose, align the logo and contact text with the left margin of the letter body. That single alignment makes the page look designed rather than decorated.

Type, color and bleed

Use your brand typeface for the name and a clean, readable face for contact details at 8 to 9 pt. Keep contact lines on one or two rows, separated by spacing or a small dot rather than pipes and dashes. Limit color to one brand color plus black or dark gray.

If you want a color bar or pattern to run off the edge of the sheet, it must be professionally printed with 0.125 in bleed, because office printers cannot print to the edge. Design that version at 8.75 × 11.25 in and keep all text at least 0.25 in from the trim. If you plan to print letterhead yourself on a desktop printer, keep everything at least 0.25 in inside the edge, since most desktop printers have a non printable margin around the sheet.

Paper that feels right and runs well

Letterhead paper should feel better than copy paper without causing jams. The usual choices are bond and uncoated text stocks.

Choose uncoated paper so pens, signatures and office printers work reliably. Gloss coatings smear toner and resist ink. If you print letters on a laser printer, ask whether preprinted letterhead is laser safe, because the heat in a laser fuser can affect some inks and raised finishes. The paper stock guide explains weights and textures in depth.

First sheet, second sheet and envelopes

Long letters need a second sheet. A matching second sheet carries only a small logo or nothing at all, on the same paper, so the letter looks continuous. Many businesses skip printing second sheets and use plain paper of the same weight and color instead.

Match your envelopes to the letterhead. A No. 10 envelope, 4.125 × 9.5 in, holds a letter folded in thirds. Print your return address in the top left using the same type and color as the letterhead. For a coordinated set, pair colored envelopes with your letterhead and business cards, so a proposal package arrives looking like one brand.

Make a digital version that matches

Most letters today are sent as PDFs, so your letterhead needs a digital twin. Build a template in your word processor with the header and footer placed in the document's header and footer areas, not in the body, so text flows correctly on every page. Set body margins to match the print version and lock the header so staff cannot move it.

Save the logo as a high resolution image that looks sharp when zoomed. Test by exporting a letter to PDF and printing it on plain paper next to a preprinted sheet; they should line up. Store logo files, colors and fonts together in a brand kit so anyone creating documents uses the same assets.

For printed stock, order through the letterhead product page and keep a small supply near each printer for signed originals.

Get the free starter template pack

The free starter template pack includes 16 editable designs that open in the Voqado Studio, with layouts that already respect print margins, so you can build letterhead and matching pieces without starting from a blank page.

Letterhead checklist

• Logo and name in a compact header.
• One phone, one email, one website, one address.
• License or registration numbers if your profession requires them.
• Body text area with 1 in side margins.
• Nothing closer than 0.25 in to the edge unless professionally printed with bleed.
• Uncoated 24 lb or 28 lb bond, or 70 lb text.
• A matching digital template with the header in the header area.
• Envelopes and business cards in the same style.