Which Paper Should You Choose for Letterhead Printing?

Posted by Printstop on February 1st, 2019

A letterhead is the official bearer of your office correspondence. It must look elite, elegant and efficient. An element of dignity and prestige must exist for this official stationery. A lot of this depends on the paper you choose for Letterhead printing.

But what kind of paper should one choose for Letterhead printing and how to choose it?

Factors to keep in mind while choosing the right paper for Letterhead printing

A letterhead is different from a brochure or a flyer. It has its own qualities which make it a distinct and distinguished office stationery. So keep in mind these factors while choosing the right paper for Letterhead printing.

• The official letterhead is always in white or off-white but rarely in colour.

• Since the letterhead also serves many legal purposes, it is usually printed with all the company credentials like name, address and phone numbers on the top or at the bottom.

• Since the official documents printed on records are preserved as a record, a good quality paper with a sizeable thickness is used.

• The paper size normally used is standardized and conforms to the standard envelope sizes.

Choosing the right paper for Letterhead printing

1. Paper finish

Letterheads are a part of office stationery and they carry information that is handwritten or printed using an office printer. This is why uncoated papers are best used for letterhead printing as they absorb the ink quickly. This makes it easier to write to print on an uncoated paper.

Coated paper is best used for photo-printing or for leaflets and brochures and prevents writing on top. So it is best to use uncoated paper for letterhead printing.

2. Paper texture

Among uncoated papers used for letterhead printing, there are 3 different types of textures- woven, laid and linen

Woven- the Woven paper has a very smooth surface

Laid - This has textured lines and is often used for business letterheads

Linen - Similar to laid paper, the linen paper has textured lines but they are finer. This is also very popular among business stationery.

3. Paper color

A letterhead is always white. So what is in it for colour, you may ask. Well, there are different types of whites for letterhead printing.

Do you know that there is pristine white, off-white and blue-white kind of white papers used for letterhead printing?

The blue-white paper displays colours distinctly due to its brightness. The warm white which is less bright is more comfortable for reading. The off-white is usually found in Bond papers used for stationery along with pristine white.

4. Paper weight

The thickness of the paper matters a lot in letterhead printing as it affects both the printing and the budget.

The paper’s weight is expressed as "gsm" - grams per square metre. Good quality letterheads normally use a thickness of 100-120 gsm.

5. Paper size

The universal standard size used for letterhead printing is A4-210x297 mm or 8.3x11.7 in. Choosing the standard size is best as unconventional sizes will cause difficulty in enclosing the letterheads in regular envelopes.

6. Paper category

Among uncoated papers, there are 3 categories which determine its use for printing

Writing - This is usually used for Letterheads and may carry a watermark. Its thickness is 24-28lbs

Text - This is thicker than writing paper but not as thick as the cover paper.

Cover - This is the thickest and is heavy in weight and cannot be folded. This is ideal for use when a letterhead functions as a certificate as well.

What are the common types of paper used for Letterhead printing?

Usually Bond paper is considered ideal for Letterhead printing. In Bond paper, Executive Bond, Sunlit Bond etc are types which have names given by Indian paper manufacturers. Choose the best bond paper which is suitable for laser or inkjet printing and one that will suit your company profile and budget.

Entrust your letterhead printing to experts for economy and efficiency.