Tuesday, March 13, 2018

STATIONERY AND LETTERHEAD

Business stationery - including business letterhead and envelopes has become a major aspect of corporate branding and image. The way you design your corporate identity pieces, including your logo, is the way your customers will remember you for a long, long time.

First impressions are often the most important. So make sure your impression is a good one. Graphic design, choice of paper stock, quality of printing - it all counts. Once a customer has an impression formed about your company, it will stick.


Stationery and Image

No one needs to tell you how competitive business is today. How customers view your company may very well be the most significant reason they choose to do business with you rather than with someone else. Therefore, first impressions and all subsequent impressions are extremely important.

It is often your business stationery that delivers that first impression. Pay attention to paper stock, color, print quality, and design. Even with current or long-term clients, appearances count, even down to your business stationery.

Stationery Design

Because appearance counts, you will also want your corporate identity package and promotional documents to appear consistent. This maintains a sense of unity and professionalism in your marketing materials. If your design is inconsistent from piece to piece, it can come across as amateurish, or that your company doesn't have it together internally.

In addition, you want to pay a lot of attention to logo design — the design of the graphic elements that represent your company's "shield". Ideally, the logo will reflect exactly what your company is about. It will become recognizable and important to your customers.

Once you design the look of your stationery, make sure this design is consistent on all of your corporate identity materials such as letterhead, business cards, brochures, catalogs, booklets, sell sheets, flyers, invitations, postcards and newsletters, etc.

Paper Selection

The paper on which you print your stationery can make a big difference in the impression your stationery creates. The look, feel, and weight of the paper you choose all convey different images to the customer.

Types of Stationery

Letterhead and stationery represent an organizationís corporate identity. Printed in one color, two colors, or four-color process, they are generally produced on a high cotton content paper such as Strathmore.

There are several varieties of letterhead and stationery, depending on: 

Application - Business letters, invoices, purchase orders, corporate communication, marketing communication, client letters, supplier letters, personalized letters, and direct mail letters.

Industry - Corporate letterhead, non-profit organization letterhead, association letterhead, educational letterhead, health services letterhead, and financial services letterhead.

Specifications — Offset, digital, and direct image printing of letterhead, four-color process letterhead, two-color letterhead, one-color letterhead. Strathmore letterhead, Finch laser letterhead, 8.5x11, 8.5x14, letterhead, A2 and A4 letterhead.

When designing your stationery, don't forget to include the envelopes. Typically, envelopes and stationery come as a matched pair.

Ordering Stationery

Before ordering corporate identity materials like stationery, letterhead, and envelopes, you will want to keep the following specifications in mind:

  • Paper selection
  • Ink color
  • Proofing method
  • Number of sets
  • Quantity

Corporate identity materials are easy to order online. Ordering online is quick and easy and, in many cases, it can save you money. There are a growing number of printers such as Sprint Graphics that specialize in taking orders over the Internet, saving their customers time and money.

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