Custom Letterhead Printing
Custom letterhead on a stock that a pen writes on and an office printer will feed, from 100 sheets. Full color, foil or a blind emboss at the head, margins set so nothing you type lands on the design, and a paper chosen for how the letter is going to be used.
Paper that has to survive a laser printer and a fountain pen
- Stock
- Uncoated wove, laid, cotton or recycled; 24–32 lb
- Sizes
- 8.5 x 11 in letter; 8.5 x 14 in legal; A4
- Full color offset or digital; one or two spot colors
Get a price for Letterhead Printing
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
The stock does most of the work
Weight matters as much as finish. Anything under 24 lb feels like copier paper; anything over 32 lb starts to fight an office printer's paper path. 24 to 28 lb is where letterhead lives.
| Wove uncoated, 24 lb | The office standard: laser-safe, takes a pen, feeds reliably |
|---|---|
| Laid uncoated, 24–28 lb | A ribbed texture that reads as traditional; professional firms |
| Cotton, 25–100% | Soft, substantial, the letterhead people keep; slower through a printer |
| Recycled uncoated, 24 lb | Slightly flecked, prints well, the default for many brands now |
Leave room for the letter
The most common letterhead fault is a design that leaves nowhere to type. A letter needs a clear inch at the top below the head, an inch at each side, and an inch at the bottom above any footer — and the footer is where most designs overreach, putting an address bar exactly where the last paragraph lands. We set the design against a live type area and send the margins with the proof, so whoever writes the letters knows where the text goes. Setting a file up to hold that area is covered in our guide to print-ready artwork files.
Most office laser printers cannot print closer than about 4 mm to the edge. A full-bleed letterhead is possible from us and will look wrong when the client reprints it themselves.
Finishes that survive being written on
What does not work is a varnish or a lamination anywhere the writer will write. Ink sits on top of a coating and smears for hours.
- Flat offset or digital color, which is the default and takes a pen anywhere.
- A blind emboss of the logo — no ink, just the impression — which is the finish that looks most expensive on uncoated stock and costs one die.
- Foil at the head, kept away from the type area so a pen never has to cross it.
- A letterpress impression, deep and tactile, for a firm that sends few letters and means each one.
The set, and matching the rest
Letterhead is rarely ordered alone: it goes with a second sheet (the continuation sheet, with no head or a reduced one), compliment slips, business cards and envelopes, all on the same stock so the set reads as one thing. Ordering them together means one make-ready and one paper batch, which matters because two runs of the same white paper months apart will not match exactly. The folder they get handed out in is on our pocket folders for proposals and documents page.
Letterhead Printing — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Stock
- Uncoated wove, laid, cotton or recycled; 24–32 lb
- Sizes
- 8.5 x 11 in letter; 8.5 x 14 in legal; A4
- Full color offset or digital; one or two spot colors
- Finishes
- Blind emboss, foil, letterpress; no varnish in the type area
- Margins
- Live type area supplied with the proof; 4 mm printer edge allowance
- Set
- Continuation sheets, compliment slips, cards and envelopes on matching stock
- Minimum
- 100 sheets
On every job
- Print process
- Digital below about a thousand, offset above it. Both sides as standard on cards, tags and leaflets.
- Color
- CMYK with spot colors for a brand match. Uncoated and cotton stocks print noticeably lighter than coated ones.
- Tolerance
- Trim plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut. Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding.
- Tooling
- A die only where the piece is shaped, perforated or drilled, made once and kept. A plain rectangle needs none.
- Food contact
- Food-safe inks on menus and counter print that will be handled where food is served.
- Sustainability
- Uncoated and unlaminated stocks recycle without separation, and FSC papers are available across the range.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build letterhead printing on
Sheet print is judged in the hand more than a box is: the weight, the surface and whether a pen works on it. These are the stocks we run for cards, folders, leaflets and stationery.
Coated card 300–400gsm
The workhorse. Sharp full-color print, matte or gloss, laminated where it is handled. Does not take a pen unless the finish is matte.
300–400gsmUncoated card
No clay coat. Colors read softer and warmer, a deboss goes deeper, and it writes on with anything. Photographs lose punch.
300–400gsmCotton and textured card
Soft, thick and fibrous. Takes a deep blind deboss and reads as an invitation. Foil sits beautifully; four-color does not.
400–700gsmDuplexed card
Two sheets bonded, often with a colored core, for a very thick card with a visible colored edge. The heaviest thing we print.
600–900gsmText paper 100–170gsm
Leaflets, folder inners and booklet pages. Folds without cracking and takes a full-color print on both faces.
100–170gsmManila and kraft paper
Unbleached, tan, and cheap. One or two colors read well; white ink gives a light mark. Envelopes, folders and tags.
90–300gsmSynthetic stock
Polypropylene sheet for tags and cards that get wet, torn or handled outdoors. Prints like paper and does not soften.
200–400 micronBoard-backed
A printed face laminated to grayboard, for a rigid card, a folder back or a display that has to stand up on its own.
1–2 mm boardNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
Sheet print takes the widest range of finishes of anything we make.
Matte lamination
Soft, fingerprint-resistant, and it still takes a pen. The default on anything handled.
Gloss lamination
Maximum color depth. Shows every fingerprint and refuses a ballpoint.
Hot foil
Gold, rose gold, silver, holographic or a color. The block is small so the die is cheap.
Emboss and deboss
Deepest on uncoated and cotton stocks; shallow and prone to cracking on gloss coated.
Spot UV
A gloss shape on a matte laminate. Best on a dark ground where the contrast reads.
Edge paint and colored core
Color on the cut edge of a thick or duplexed card. Only seen when the card is picked up, which is the point.
Soft-touch
A velvet laminate on a cover or a folder. Marks on white; excellent on dark.
Uncoated and textured
No film at all. Writes on, debosses deeply, and reads as considered rather than cheap.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing printed sheets, folds and the grain: letterhead printing
A printed piece is specified flat and finished folded, and the difference between the two is where mistakes live. Send the finished size you want and we work back to the flat.
- Finished size
- The size after folding and trimming. A6, A5, A4, DL, US letter and legal are standard; anything else is cut on its own die.
- Bleed and safe area
- 3 mm of artwork past every trim edge, and nothing important within 4 mm inside it. The guillotine drifts by a fraction on every stack.
- Grain direction
- Paper folds cleanly along the grain and cracks across it. We set the grain to the fold, which is why a sheet is not simply cut from the biggest sheet available.
- Fold allowance
- On a roll fold or a gate fold, the inner panels are cut a millimeter or two shorter so the piece closes flat.
- Creasing
- Anything over about 170gsm is creased before folding. Without it the fold cracks and the coating flakes along the line.
- Trim tolerance
- Plus or minus 1 mm guillotined, plus or minus 0.5 mm die-cut.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Letterhead Printing
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about letterhead printing? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Will it go through an office printer?
Yes, on 24–28 lb uncoated stock. Heavier than about 32 lb starts to fight a laser printer's paper path, and coated stock can jam and smear.
Can I write on it with a pen?
Yes — uncoated stock takes ink anywhere. Avoid a varnish or lamination in the writing area; ink sits on top of a coating and smears.
Where should the design leave space?
An inch below the head, an inch at the sides, and an inch above any footer. We send the live type area with the proof.
Can it be full bleed?
From us, yes. But an office printer cannot print to the edge, so a client reprinting the letterhead themselves will get a white margin.
Which finish looks most expensive?
A blind emboss on uncoated stock — no ink, just the impression. It costs one die and photographs beautifully.
Can I have foil?
Yes, at the head. We keep it out of the type area so a pen never crosses it.
Should I order matching envelopes?
Yes, and in the same run. Two batches of the same white paper months apart will not match exactly.
What is a continuation sheet?
The second and subsequent pages of a letter, on the same stock with no head or a reduced one. Most sets include them.
Is there a recycled stock?
Yes, a recycled uncoated with a slight fleck that prints well and is the default for many brands now.
What is the minimum order?
100 sheets. Digital print makes short runs practical; offset is better value from about a thousand.
How long does production take?
It depends on the stock, the finish and the quantity. We give a date with the quote.
Will you send a sample?
A printed proof on your chosen stock, so you can run it through your own printer and write on it before the order.
Same range
