What to include on a letterhead

What it needs

• The name of the organization, or your own name if you work alone.
• At least one way to reply: a postal address, a phone number, or an email address. Two is better. Three is enough.

If a reader cannot tell who you are or how to write back, it is not a letterhead yet.

What usually helps

• A physical address, if you receive mail or if your field expects one.
• A website, written without the https:// so the line stays short.
• A logo, if it is sharp at the size of a postage stamp.
• A short description of the work, in a few words, not a paragraph.

What is situational

• A confidentiality line. Common for law firms. It does not replace the notice that belongs in the letter. Confirm the wording with the rules of your own profession.
• A license or registration number, when your field requires it on correspondence. Real estate and some clinical practices are the usual cases. Put it in the footer note.
• A second office, only on the letters that office sends.
• The legal name of a nonprofit or a startup, in the footer, when it differs from the public name.

Industry pages cover the judgment calls: law firms, medical practices, real estate, and nonprofits.

What to leave off

• A list of every service.
• A slogan you will change next quarter.
• A row of social icons. They date the sheet and they rarely get used from paper.
• Several phone numbers. Pick the one a stranger should call.
• A low-resolution logo, or a logo that is white on a white page.
• A tagline in all capitals that shouts across the header.

Logos

PNG and SVG are the useful formats. A square or horizontal mark fits the templates. If your only logo is white, export a dark version first. The editor keeps the logo in your browser and draws it into the PDF, SVG, and PNG. It is not uploaded to an account.

Questions