Business stationery · Stationery
Letterhead Printing
Company writing paper, pre-printed with the brand and set up to go through an office printer again.
Also ordered as: Letterhead Paper · Company Letterhead · Letter Head
- Standard7–14 working days
- ExpressSame-day and urgent printing available
Quotation builder
Letterhead: what the quotation builder offers
From the Stationery specification
Read from Business stationery, where the whole specification is set out.
Letterhead: the specification
Letterheads are A4 210 × 297 mm on 80 gsm or 100 gsm, printed in full colour on one side, with a 10 mm clear margin all round so an office laser printer can grip the sheet.
Compliment slips are DL 99 × 210 mm on the same stock as the letterhead so the set matches.
A letterhead has to go through a second printer, so it cannot be coated, cannot be too heavy and cannot be laminated.
Order the letterhead and the envelope together on matched stock.
A letterhead is deliberately the least finished thing in this catalogue.
Keep 10 mm clear on all four edges of a letterhead.
A letterhead is the only printed thing designed to be printed on again, and every specification decision on it should be made for the second printer rather than the first.
Everything unusual about a letterhead file comes from the fact that it is going to be printed on again.
Send the envelope type with the letterhead file, and the address block is checked against the actual window position before either is printed.
| Letterhead | A4 210 × 297 mm, 80 gsm or 100 gsm, full colour on one side, 10 mm clear margin all round. |
|---|---|
| Compliment slips | DL 99 × 210 mm, on the same stock as the letterhead. |
| Stocks | 80 gsm and 100 gsm for letterheads; 300 gsm uncoated for slips that stand alone. |
| Window position | Confirmed against the envelope supplied for the job before the letterhead is printed. |
| Letterhead · A4 210 × 297 mm | 80 gsm or 100 gsm. Folded twice into a 114 × 241 mm envelope. 10 mm clear margin all round. |
| Artboard | A4 at 210 × 297 mm. No bleed on a letterhead unless a bleed is genuinely wanted. |
| Colour mode | Letterheads in full colour on one side; ready-made envelopes in one or two colours. |
Letterhead paper
A4 210 × 297 mm at 80 gsm or 100 gsm.
Light enough for an office printer to feed, which is the whole specification of a letterhead.
Printed in full colour on one side (4C + 0C).
The reverse is left for the letter.
Letters, quotations, invoices and anything typed on afterwards.
Ink inside the 10 mm clear margin, which the office printer grips.
Pairings that work
- A blind emboss on the compliment slip and nothing on the letterhead. The relief lives on the piece that never meets a second printer.
- Letterhead and envelope ordered together as one job. One order, one white, one identity.
Combinations that fail
- A coated or laminated letterhead. Toner does not fuse to a coated surface and the text rubs off with a thumb.
- A full-bleed colour band across the top of a letterhead. The gripper edge is inside it, so the office printer smears the band on every sheet.
- A letterhead over about 120 gsm. Most office printers will jam, and the ones that do not will curl the sheet.
A specification written out
- 1,000 A4 letterheads and 1,000 DL envelopes
- 100 gsm letterhead, DL envelope with window
- Letterhead printed 4C + 0C, full colour on one side
- 10 mm clear margin all round on the letterhead
Questions
Asked about letterhead
What gsm should a letterhead be?
80 gsm or 100 gsm, the two weights letterheads are printed on. Much heavier and most office laser printers will jam or curl the sheet, which defeats the point of a letterhead. If a heavier feel is wanted, put it into the compliment slip and the card rather than into the letter paper.
Why does a letterhead need a 10 mm clear margin?
Because an office printer grips the sheet at the edges to feed and release it, and toner does not fuse reliably over printed ink in that band. A full-bleed colour band across the top of a letterhead smears on every sheet the office prints.
Can a letterhead be laminated or coated?
No. Toner will not bond to a coated or laminated surface, so the typed text rubs off. A letterhead is deliberately the least finished piece in a stationery set.
Should letterhead and envelopes be ordered together?
Yes, if they are meant to match. Paper whites shift between batches, so a letterhead and an envelope bought six months apart are visibly different shades on a desk. Ordering them as one job removes the problem entirely.
Request a quote for letterhead.
Every job is quoted from its specification — stock, quantity, sides, finish, size and deadline.
- Quantity
- Stock — or the feel you want, if you do not know the stock
- Sides printed
- Finish
- Flat and finished size
- The deadline
Artwork is welcome but not required to start. Email sales@ezprint.com.sg if you would rather attach files.