Letterheads

For most offices, choose the 100gsm uncoated, laser-safe stock in the builder: it runs cleanly through office printers and takes a pen and signature well. Cotton and 120gsm premium writing stocks are available as quoted work.

gsm is paper weight. A higher number is heavier and stiffer.

100gsm uncoated, laser safe. This is the stock in the builder. It has a natural, writable surface that takes a pen and a signature well, and it is chosen to run cleanly through office printers. It is a good weight for a letter that is printed in the office, folded and posted.

There is only one stock in the builder, by design. A letterhead has to work in your printer as well as look right, and this is the sheet we can specify with confidence for most offices.

If you want something heavier or more tactile, cotton and 120gsm premium writing stocks are available as quoted work (see below). They feel noticeably more substantial, but heavier and textured sheets can behave differently in some office printers, so we post a test sheet before the run.

Every letterhead is checked by a person against our written proof checklist. For letterheads, the points that matter most are:

• Printer-safe areas. Office printers cannot print to the edge of the sheet, and your typed letter needs room. We check that your Word template's margins sit clear of the printed logo, address block and footer, so text never prints over your design.
• Trim size, 3mm bleed and safe area, for any colour or graphic that runs to the edge.
• Colour space and brand colour values. Uncoated paper absorbs more ink than a coated card, so colours print softer. We check your CMYK and Pantone references and tell you what to expect. If you need your brand colours matched to a printed reference, brand colour match is $95 per design.
• Fonts embedded or outlined.
• Fine text and hairlines, which can fill in slightly on uncoated stock.
• Phone numbers, emails and web addresses formatted consistently, and matching your cards and compliment slips.
• Sector details you would expect on a letterhead, such as ABN or ACN, licence numbers or a professional standards scheme line. We flag gaps; it is not legal advice.

Our target for letterheads is 5 to 7 business days after you approve the proof. Delivery to metro Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Adelaide and Canberra is included in every price. Perth, Hobart, Darwin and regional addresses are quoted at cost before you pay.

Priority turnaround adds 25% (minimum $95) and dispatches one business day sooner where the product allows. Your consultant confirms the date before you pay. A posted hard-copy proof is $75 and adds 2 to 3 business days, which is worth it if you want to run a test sheet through your own printer.

Yes, as quoted work: cotton and 120gsm premium writing stocks are quoted by your consultant. Tell us how the letterhead is used (printed in the office, handwritten, or both) and we will recommend a stock and post a sample sheet before you commit.

Letterheads are usually ordered with matching compliment slips and DL envelopes. If you are setting up a complete suite for a firm, The Practice Suite brings cards, letterheads, slips, envelopes and folders together with one design direction.

If your firm reorders on a cycle, storage and scheduled reorder is $29 a month: we hold the approved artwork and up to four cartons of stock and reorder when you tell us to.

If you print letters on an office printer and only need a simple template, you may not need printed letterheads at all. If you need a small run quickly at the lowest price, an online printer will suit you better. Ours suit practices and firms that want a matched suite, with practising details and scheme lines checked by a person.