What Belongs on a Letterhead
The question we are asked most is how to create a letterhead that looks considered rather than assembled. What goes on a letterhead is settled by regulation as much as by design: name, logo, address, contact details and the trade licence number.
Asked another way, what should a letterhead include, what should be on a letterhead, and what should be included in a letterhead all have the same answer. What should be on letterhead beyond that is restraint, because the page has to leave room for the letter itself.
What is a professional letterhead in practice is one that survives being photocopied, scanned and faxed without the logo filling in. That means avoiding fine reversed out type and heavy solid areas near the fold.
How to write a letter with letterhead is a layout question rather than a printing one. Leave the top third for the header, start the body below it, and keep the footer clear so contact details are never overwritten. A letter with company letterhead should never need a second sheet carrying the full header again.
Letterhead printing runs on an uncoated stock between 100gsm and 120gsm, because letterheaded paper has to take a pen and pass through an office printer. Executive letterhead size in a US format is available where a client works to a global template, and inspirational letterhead design work usually means restraint rather than decoration.
Envelopes That Match the Rest
Envelope printing is quoted by size and window position before anything else. An A4 envelope carries an unfolded letter, A5 envelopes suit a folded A4, and small envelopes cover compliment slips and cards. An A10 envelope is the long American format some corporate templates still use.
Custom printed envelopes and branded envelopes for daily correspondence are usually printed in one or two colours on the front only, since the reverse is rarely seen. An envelope cover with a full bleed design costs more and suits a mailing campaign rather than routine post.
Government departments, banks and law firms based in the capital order envelopes in larger and more regular quantities than any other sector, and capital envelopes of that kind need a secure tint inside so the contents cannot be read against a light.
Envelope printing in Dubai and custom envelope printing in Dubai run from the same floor as the letterheads, which is what keeps the ink matched across the set. Bubble padded envelopes are the protective format for anything with weight.
Folders, Certificates and Seals
Folder printing turns a stack of loose sheets into a presentation. Folder printing in Dubai is normally a 350gsm board with a matt laminate and a business card slit, and a leather folder is the executive version for board meetings rather than sales calls. A file folder box holds the same documents for archive rather than presentation.
Certificate printing in Dubai is ordered by training providers, schools and companies running recognition programmes. Certificate printing paper in a laid or cotton finish carries a foil seal well, and a certificate holder in board or leatherette is what turns a printed sheet into something worth framing.
A gift certificate and a gift card certificate follow the same production route with a serial number added, and gift certificate Dubai clients order for salons and restaurants are usually numbered in batches so redemption can be reconciled.
Company seal stamp work completes the set. A seal stamp embosses the paper rather than inking it, which is still required on certain documents here and is the detail most companies forget until the day they need it.
