Every business should have a variety of stationery for communications with customers and contacts. Each type of business stationery has its function, but all types of your business stationery should share some characteristics:
High-quality paper: Paper for business letters should contain some rag-cotton content — typically, about 25 percent. You also want paper that is watermarked.
Uniform: In color, weight, and letterhead across sizes. Your company needs an identity, and one way to establish identity is through stationery.
Here are the types of business stationery you should have:
Corporate letterhead: Should be 8 1/2 x 11 inches, with the following relevant information printed on it:
Business name
Business address
Business telephone number
Business fax number
Business e-mail address or Web page, if appropriate
Envelopes are printed with the company name and address.
Plain sheets of paper: Should be 8 1/2 x 11 inches and of the same quality as corporate letterhead.
This paper is for letters longer than one page. (Second and subsequent pages are not presented on letterhead.)
Monarch paper: Should be 7 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches. The sheets are used for personal business letters and have the following information printed on them:
Person’s name, but not the business name
Business address
Envelopes are printed with the person’s name and business address.
Correspondence cards: These small (typically, 4-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches), non-foldable cards are used for personal messages and thank-you notes. They have the same information as the monarch paper.
Business cards: Generally 3 1/2 x 2 inches. The card should contain the following information:
Person’s name and title
Business name
Business contact information (such as address, telephone number, e-mail address, and so on)
