Letterhead Design: Templates and Best Practices

Effective letterhead design is restraint with purpose: a branded header and footer that frame a letter without crowding the words it carries. Done well, it makes invoices, proposals, and correspondence look credible and unmistakably yours. This guide covers the correct sizes and margins, what to include, paper choices, and the layout best practices that keep your letterhead clean and print-safe.

Letterhead is one component of a wider identity. For how it sits alongside business cards, envelopes, and promo pieces, see our complete stationery design guide.

Standard Letterhead Sizes and Margins

Letterhead matches your region’s standard letter paper so it runs through any office printer.

Region	Size	Matching envelope
US / Canada	US Letter, 8.5 × 11 in	#10 (4.125 × 9.5 in)
International (ISO)	A4, 210 × 297 mm	DL (110 × 220 mm)

Keep margins of at least 1 in (25 mm) on all sides for the body text. The branded elements live in the header (top 1–1.5 in) and footer (bottom 0.75–1 in), leaving a clean writing area between them. Never let graphics intrude into the body space — they will collide with the letter text.

What to Include on a Letterhead

Letterhead carries authority precisely because it is restrained. A letter on clean, well-set letterhead reads as official; the same letter on a busy, over-designed page reads as marketing. The design’s job is to identify the sender and frame the message, not to compete with it. Include only what a recipient needs:

• Logo — usually top-left or centered in the header.
• Company name — if not already part of the logo.
• Contact block — address, phone, email, and website, often in the footer.
• Optional: tagline, registration or VAT number, social handles, a thin brand-color rule.

Resist adding everything. A crowded header competes with the letter. The body of the page should feel open and writable.

Layout Best Practices

1. Anchor the header and footer. Give the brand a top zone and a detail zone at the bottom, and keep the middle clear.
2. Align to a grid. Line the logo, contact block, and any rules to consistent margins.
3. Use one or two typefaces. Match the rest of your stationery; pair a neutral body face like Source Serif or Inter (both free) with your brand display face.
4. Keep type small and quiet. Contact details at 8–9 pt; the letter content is the star.
5. Use restraint with color. A single brand accent rule or logo color reads more professional than a full-color background.
6. Design a second-page version. A lighter header (or just the logo) for continuation pages keeps multipage letters tidy.

Paper Stock and Finish

Letterhead is meant to be written on and run through printers, so choose 90–120 gsm uncoated stock. Uncoated paper accepts pen ink and laser toner cleanly and feels appropriately formal. Heavier than about 120 gsm and it may jam desktop printers or feel like card; lighter than 90 gsm and it reads as flimsy. A subtle wove or laid texture adds a premium touch for legal and professional firms.

Digital vs Print Letterhead

Most letterhead today is used digitally — as a Word or Google Docs template, or a PDF overlay — more often than it is preprinted. Plan for both:

• Print version: design in CMYK with 0.125 in bleed if any element reaches the edge, and export a press-ready PDF.
• Digital template: build it in RGB for screen, embed the header/footer in a document template, and lock those elements so the writing area stays clear.

Keep the two versions visually identical so a printed letter and an emailed PDF look the same.

Header and Footer Anatomy

Almost every professional letterhead resolves into two zones plus a clear middle. Treat the header as the identity band: logo, and optionally the company name and a tagline, set in the top 1–1.5 in. Treat the footer as the reference band: the full contact block, registration or legal details, and sometimes social handles, set in the bottom 0.75–1 in at a small, quiet size.

The space between them is sacred. It is where the letter lives, so keep it free of graphics, watermarks heavy enough to interfere with reading, or decorative borders that fight the text. A common and elegant device is a single thin rule in a brand color separating the header from the body — enough structure to feel designed, restrained enough to stay out of the way.

A useful test: print a sample letter of real length onto the layout and read it. If the eye snags on a graphic, if a line of body text crowds the footer, or if the header pushes the salutation halfway down the page, the framing is too heavy. The body should feel like an open, comfortable writing area with the brand quietly present at top and bottom.

Letterhead for Different Industries

The same structure flexes to tone. Professional services — law, accounting, consulting — lean conservative: a serif or refined sans, generous margins, a muted palette, and a subtle laid or wove stock that signals seriousness. Creative studios and startups can push further with asymmetric layouts, a bolder accent color, or the logo anchored bottom-right rather than top-left.

Whatever the field, the body area stays clean and the contact details stay legible. Personality belongs in the header treatment and color, not in clutter that competes with the letter itself.

Common Letterhead Mistakes

• Graphics in the body area. Watermarks or images behind the text reduce legibility and collide with letter content.
• Margins too tight. Less than 1 in leaves no breathing room and risks clipping on some printers.
• Oversized headers. A header eating the top third of the page leaves too little room for the actual letter.
• Mismatched digital and print versions. A Word template that looks different from the printed sheet breaks brand consistency.
• Tiny or low-contrast contact details. The footer should be quiet but still readable.

Tools and Templates

For the master artwork, InDesign or Affinity Publisher give you precise margins and a paragraph style for the body area. Illustrator works for a single-page vector layout. To deliver an editable office template, rebuild the header and footer in Word or Google Docs, or start from a Canva letterhead template and export. Once your letterhead is set, carry the same header style into your email signature design and match the contact block on your brochures for a unified look.

Frequently Asked Questions

What size should a letterhead be?

Match your region’s standard letter paper: 8.5 × 11 in (US Letter) in North America and A4 (210 × 297 mm) internationally. This ensures the letterhead runs through standard office printers and fits standard envelopes such as the #10 in the US or the DL envelope for A4.

What should go on a letterhead?

Include the logo, company name, and a contact block with address, phone, email, and website. Optionally add a tagline, registration number, or a thin brand-color rule. Keep it minimal so the header and footer frame the letter without crowding the writable body area in the middle of the page.

What paper is best for letterhead?

Use 90–120 gsm uncoated stock. It accepts pen and laser toner cleanly, feels formal, and runs through desktop printers without jamming. Heavier stock behaves like card and can jam printers; lighter stock feels flimsy. A subtle wove or laid texture adds a premium touch for professional firms.

Should letterhead be designed in CMYK or RGB?

Design the print version in CMYK with 0.125 in bleed for any edge elements, and export a press-ready PDF. For a digital template used in Word, Google Docs, or as a PDF overlay, build in RGB for screen accuracy. Keep both versions visually identical so printed and emailed letters match.