Letterhead second sheet: what page two should actually look like

Why page two is different

Page one has a job: establish who is writing before a word is read. Page two does not need to repeat that, because the reader already knows. Repeating the full header on every page wastes the top inch and a half of each sheet and makes a two page letter look like two separate letters.

What page two does need is continuity. It must look like part of the same document, which is a question of paper, color and margin rather than of logo size. A letter whose second page is printed on different paper looks assembled rather than written.

What belongs on a second sheet

There are three conventional treatments, and all three are correct.

Whatever you choose, keep it small. A second sheet mark should be visibly subordinate to page one, roughly half the visual weight or less. Do not repeat the address block, the phone number or the website: that information belongs once, on page one, and on the envelope.

If your profession requires a license or registration number on business documents, check whether it must appear on every page or only on the first. Licensing boards differ, so confirm rather than assuming.

Continuation lines and page numbers

For letters that run past two pages, a continuation line helps the reader and helps anyone who has to reassemble a loose stack. The convention is a single line at the top of each continuation page carrying the recipient name, the date and the page number.

Set it small, at 8 to 9 pt, in the same face as the body, flush with the left body margin. Keep it above the body text with a clear line of space, and include the page number as page two of three rather than just two, so a missing page is obvious.

• Recipient name, date and page number on one line.
• Same left margin as the body text.
• 8 to 9 pt, same typeface, no bold.
• Use the total page count so gaps are visible.
• Place it in the document header, not typed into the body.

Margins have to match, exactly

The most common second sheet failure is a body text block that starts at a different left margin from page one, or lines that sit at a different vertical rhythm. It is subtle and it reads as carelessness.

Set the side margins identically on both pages, normally 1 in for a business letter, and set the top margin on page two so that the first line of text sits at the same place as it would if the page one header were absent. Print both pages and hold them up to a window: the body text edges should line up exactly.

If you print letters in house, build page one and page two as a single template with different first page header settings, rather than as two documents. That way the margins cannot drift.

Paper, and the practical reason to skip printing

Second sheets must match page one in paper weight, color and finish. A 28 lb bond page one with a 20 lb copy paper page two is immediately obvious in the hand.

That is why so many businesses buy printed first sheets and blank sheets of the identical stock. It removes an inventory item, removes the risk of running out of second sheets while first sheets remain, and costs less. Letterhead here is single sided 8.5 x 11 in in standard white, premium linen or premium cotton, which makes matching straightforward if you buy the blank stock at the same time.

There is one caveat. Only the standard white stock is intended to run through laser and inkjet printers. If your letterhead is linen or cotton, page two has to be preprinted or handled the same way as page one, because you cannot simply feed the blank stock through the office printer.

Digital letters need the same discipline

Most letters are now sent as PDFs, and the digital version has the same page two problem. Build the template with a different first page header, put the quiet mark in the continuation header, and lock it so nobody drags it into the body.

Two checks before you call the template finished. First, add enough text to force three pages and confirm the continuation header appears on pages two and three but not page one. Second, export to PDF and print it on plain paper next to a preprinted sheet; the body text should land in the same place.

Folding and the envelope

A multi page letter folded in thirds is thicker than a single sheet, and thickness is the limit that matters in the post. Keep the whole sealed envelope under the letter thickness maximum and flexible enough to be processed. Three sheets in a No. 10 envelope is comfortable; ten sheets plus an enclosure is not.

If the letter is long, consider a 9 x 12 in envelope and send it flat. That changes the postal category from letter to flat, which costs more but keeps a long document uncreased and easier to read.

Second sheet checklist

• Use the identical paper weight, color and finish as page one.
• Keep any second sheet mark clearly subordinate to page one.
• Do not repeat the address block, phone or website on page two.
• Add a continuation line with recipient, date and page number for letters over two pages.
• Show the total page count so a missing page is obvious.
• Match side margins exactly and align the body text edge with page one.
• Build one template with a different first page header, not two documents.
• Remember that only standard white stock is intended for in house printing.
• Check total thickness before choosing the envelope.