What a letterhead is
A letterhead is the branded header area of your official documents—letters, proposals, quotes, contracts and formal notices. It usually carries your logo, business name and contact details so every page is identifiable without repeating a full signature block.
Creating a letterhead is a practical stationery task: define the information, place the brand mark, set readable typography and leave a clear writing area. For a commercial overview of finished stationery, see letterhead design.
What information belongs on a letterhead
- Logo or wordmark
- Legal or trading business name
- Postal address and phone number
- Email and website
- Optional: tagline, department name, licence or registration line
Keep secondary details light. Overcrowded headers push body copy down the page and look less professional than a calm, aligned layout.
Logo placement and business identity
Place the logo where the eye expects a brand mark—typically top left or centred at the top. Give it clear space so it is not cramped against the page edge or contact text.
Set the business name in a typeface that matches your brand guidelines. Contact details usually sit in a supporting style under the header or in a slim footer, not competing with the logo. For related layout principles beyond this how-to, compare how to design a letterhead.
Typography, brand colours and hierarchy
Use two type roles at most on the letterhead itself: a brand name style and a smaller contact style. Body text for the letter should stay in a readable serif or sans chosen for long correspondence, separate from decorative display fonts.
Apply brand colours sparingly—often as a thin rule, accent bar or logo colour only. Full-bleed colour blocks can look heavy in Word templates and raise print cost. Ensure contrast remains strong when the file is printed in greyscale.
Margins, spacing and alignment
- Leave a generous margin from each page edge
- Align logo, name and contact stacks to one grid
- Reserve consistent left/right margins for the letter body
- Keep header height modest so page one still has writing space
Uneven gaps and mixed alignments are the most common DIY letterhead problems. Measure spacing once and reuse it across stationery. For business-focused variants of this system, see business letterhead design.
Common page sizes
Most US teams create a letterhead on Letter (8.5 × 11 in). Teams that send documents internationally may also need A4 (210 × 297 mm). Design the header so both sizes can share the same identity system with only minor repositioning.
Decide early whether you need a Word-ready master, a locked PDF background or both. That choice affects how tightly the header can use the top edge.
Digital versus printed letterheads
Printed letterheads need colour accuracy, paper choice and optional finishing. Digital letterheads need crisp logos at screen resolution, light file size and headers that still look clear after PDF compression or Word insertion.
Many businesses use one design system exported two ways: print PDF for stationery stock, and a digital master for proposals and email attachments. Avoid treating a scanned printout as your only digital file—it often looks muddy and does not scale cleanly.
Word, PDF and print-ready considerations
- Word/Google Docs: keep headers editable; lock logo proportions; test that wrapping text does not collide with the footer
- PDF: embed fonts, use vector logos where possible and check that links (website/email) work if included
- Print: provide CMYK or printer-ready colour; if artwork runs to the edge, include bleed as your printer requests—often about 0.125 in / 3 mm
If you need a broader stationery set—cards, envelopes and matching paper systems—browse stationery design or related business stationery design guidance.
Common letterhead design mistakes
- Stretching or low-resolution logos
- Contact text too small to read on printouts or phone PDFs
- Decorative backgrounds that fight body copy
- Inconsistent left margins between header and letter body
- Outdated phone numbers or missing website after a rebrand
- Building everything in a raster image so text cannot be edited
Use cases and examples
- Client correspondence: short formal letters and notices
- Sales and proposals: cover letters attached to quotes
- HR and operations: offer letters and internal policies
- Professional services: engagement letters and reports
When a unique brand system matters more than a quick starter layout, custom letterhead design is the better path than adapting a generic template.
Template versus custom design
Templates are useful for early drafts, student projects or temporary use. Custom design is appropriate when your logo, colour system and type already exist—or when several staff must issue documents that look identical across Word and PDF.
When professional letterhead design is appropriate
Hire design support when you are rebranding, launching a company identity, aligning a full stationery suite, or fixing a header that consistently breaks in Word and print. Clear brand files and a short content list (logo, address, phones, urls) speed the process.
Conclusion
To create a letterhead that works, start with the right details, place the logo with breathing room, keep typography and colour restrained, and export formats that match how you actually send documents. A calm layout beats decorative clutter for everyday business use.
Ready to turn your brand assets into a print- and digital-ready letterhead? Request a free design quote from Graphic Digits.
Frequently asked questions about creating a letterhead
What should I include on a letterhead?
Most letterheads include a logo, business name, postal address, phone number, email and website. Optional additions are a tagline, registration or licence details, and a small secondary brand mark used with restraint.
What size should a letterhead be?
US businesses commonly use Letter size (8.5 × 11 inches). International correspondence often uses A4 (210 × 297 mm). Keep header and footer bands consistent so the design works on both when needed.
Should I use a template or custom letterhead design?
Templates work for drafts and simple needs. Custom design is better when you have established brand guidelines, multiple departments, or documents that must match business cards and other stationery.
Can one letterhead work for print and digital files?
Yes. Design the layout once, then export a print-ready PDF for paper and a clean PDF or Word template for email attachments and editable documents. Avoid heavy backgrounds that hurt screen readability or printing cost.
