Oliver Bennett
Why a Personal Letterhead Still Earns Its Place
There is something quietly satisfying about sitting down to write a thank-you note on your own paper. Not a card from a multi-pack, not a scrap torn from a notebook, but a sheet that carries your name and the sense that a bit of thought went into it. A personal letterhead does that job beautifully, and it costs far less than most people imagine.
The trick is getting the balance right. A design that looks smart enough for a formal note of condolence should still feel relaxed enough for a quick line to a friend. Get the proportions wrong and you end up with something that looks like a solicitor's invoice or, at the other extreme, a novelty notepad. Here is how to find the middle ground.
Decide What Actually Goes On It
Start by writing out everything you could include, then cross most of it out. A personal letterhead needs far less information than a business one.
- Your name as you would like to be addressed. Full name if you write formally, first name only if you never do.
- An address. You do not have to give the full postcode and house number. Many people use just the town and county, which is elegant and keeps a little privacy.
- One contact line. An email address, or a phone number, or nothing at all. Two is plenty; three starts to look like a CV.
- Nothing else. No job title, no social handles, no inspirational quotation. If you want a quotation, put it on the back in small type.
A good test: if a stranger found the sheet in a pub car park, would they have everything they need to write back, and nothing more?
Lettering and Layout That Survives Home Printing
Choose one typeface for your name and one for the details, or a single family used at two different weights. A serif such as a classic book face reads well for names; a clean sans-serif works for the small address lines.
Sizes matter more than you might think. Set your name somewhere between 14pt and 18pt depending on letter spacing, and the address lines at 8pt to 9pt. Anything below 7pt will clog on an inkjet and look grey rather than crisp. Letterspacing your name very slightly — around 40 to 80 units, or 0.5pt to 1pt depending on your software — gives that engraved, considered feel.
On an A5 sheet, leave margins of at least 18mm, and 25mm if you plan to trim the paper down afterwards. Three arrangements cover almost every taste:
- Centred block at the top, name above address. Classic, formal, symmetrical.
- Left-aligned at the top, with your name largest. Modern, friendly, easy to align.
- Name at the top, address in a small block at the foot, separated by a hairline rule. Uncluttered and rather stylish.
Simple Graphics: One Idea, Done Well
The moment you add a second graphic, the design starts to wobble. Pick one motif and let it do the work.
- A hairline rule, 0.25pt to 0.5pt, in a warm grey or a muted ink colour.
- A monogram — two or three initials set in a circle or a simple diamond.
- A thin border, either a full frame or just a partial one along the left edge.
- A small linocut or rubber stamp motif. A leaf, a bee, a small architectural detail. Keep it under 20mm wide and print it in the same colour as the text.
If you would rather not commit the motif to the printed sheet, print a plain letterhead and add the stamp or linocut by hand afterwards. The slight variation between sheets is part of the charm, and it means a single design suits both casual notes and more formal correspondence.
Choosing Paper and Getting a Clean Print
Paper choice affects the finished look more than any other decision. A 100gsm to 120gsm uncoated sheet is the sweet spot: substantial in the hand, but still flexible enough to fold into an envelope without cracking. Smooth white or soft cream works for most designs. Laid or textured papers look wonderful but demand careful handling in a home printer.
Inkjet printers give you rich colour and fine gradations; laser printers give you razor-sharp text. If your design is mostly black type on cream, a mono laser is hard to beat. Whichever you use:
- Feed sheets one at a time through the manual feed for the flattest result.
- Print a test sheet on plain copier paper first and check the margins by eye.
- Allow inkjet output to dry for a full ten minutes before stacking, or you will get ghosting on the reverse.
- Trim to size with a steel rule and a fresh blade, or a guillotine if you have one. Cut on a cutting mat, not the kitchen table.
Print in batches of twenty or thirty so you always have a tidy stack to hand.
Suiting Every Occasion From One Design
You do not need two letterheads. A single well-judged design flexes nicely if you plan for it.
Print the main run on A5 for everyday notes and thank-you letters. Then print a smaller quantity on A4, or on a heavier 150gsm sheet, for formal correspondence — the same artwork simply has more presence at a larger size. Match your envelopes by folding A4 in thirds for a DL envelope, or using C6 for A5 sheets, and write the address by hand unless your handwriting genuinely lets the side down. A printed address label is fine if it matches the letterhead typeface.
Finally, write down your settings: paper type, printer profile, margins, and the file name of the final version. Six months from now, when you need another fifty sheets, you will be very glad you did.
