Why spend hundreds of dollars on expensive letterhead (and envelopes) when you can make it yourself with a word processing program? Quickly and professionally creating letterhead paper is easy with the Microsoft Word 2007 program. Once you have created a template, you can print it on paper. Read on to learn how to do it.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: with Microsoft Word
Step 1. Sketch the layout of the letter paper
Before designing it with Word, it is a good idea to create a sketch to understand how the various elements will fit together. Draw the layout of the letterhead on a blank sheet of paper.
- Remember to leave some space for your company logo, address and other contact information.
- If it exists, you should enter the company's slogan. Generally, companies should have a slogan if the name does not refer to the main product / service they are dealing with.
Step 2. Open Microsoft Word
This program has all the tools you will need to make a perfect model. You will have no difficulty in recreating your layout sketch.
Step 3. Open a new document and save it as a template
Name it "letterhead template 1", or something similar, so you can find it easily. Finally save it in the templates folder. You will be able to recall the document and print the letterhead paper whenever you need it.
Step 4. Enter the header
If you are working with Word 2007, click "Insert" and "Header". Create a blank one that will serve as the basis for your writing paper.
If you have Word 2003, you should be able to see the header by clicking the arrow under the "Header" command located on the "Insert" function. Then click on "Edit Header" which you will find in the drop-down menu
Step 5. Type your text
Enter the company name, address, telephone and fax number, the website address and that of a general e-mail to request information in the text box.
- Insert a physical carriage return by pressing the "Enter" key at the end of each section, this way the elements of the letterhead line up.
- You can avoid typing the website address if it already appears in the logo.
- Change the fonts, colors and text size for each element. The company name should be about 2 points larger than the address, and you could also use a different font and color to match the logo. The telephone number, fax number and e-mail address should be 2 dots smaller than the address, but always of the same character.
Step 6. Add the logo to the header
Click on the "Image" function in the "Insert" menu. Browse the folders for a digital copy of the logo and select a file with the extension.jpg,.bmp or.png. Finally click on the "Insert" button.
Step 7. Change the size and position of the image
It should be prominently displayed and in balance with the rest of the header.
- Slide the cursor over a corner of the image. The pointer will turn into a diagonal resize cursor. Click and drag the corner of the logo to make it larger or smaller.
- The image should have a size that is in balance with the contact information text in the upper left corner of the header.
- Move the logo by clicking on it to select it and then drag it to the spot you have chosen.
Step 8. Consider adding other cosmetic elements
For example, you can separate company information from the rest of the page by inserting a solid line from the left to the right margin, just below the header.
- Select the pull-down menu of the "Shapes" function located in the "Insert" menu and choose the first proposal in the "Lines" section. Click and drag this line.
- Right click on this line and change its color and thickness to fit the logo, using the "Drawing Tools" function. Select "Align Center" in the "Paragraph" section.
- At this point you can click once again on the line using the right mouse button and make a copy of it. Paste this copy wherever you want in the document.
Step 9. You can insert the slogan in the footer
If you like it, you can balance the aesthetic look of the header by adding the slogan, phone number or logo in the footer.
- Click on the drop-down menu that opens under the "Footer" option, which in turn is located in the "Insert" section.
- Choose the "Center Align" option within the "Paragraph" section which you can find in the "Home" menu.
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Type the slogan. Change the typeface and size. Slogans are typically written in italics and in the "title" style, with the first letter of each main word uppercase.
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Step 10. Check your work
Press the "Esc" key to close the "Header" and "Footer" sections. View the letterhead in full screen preview or print a copy.
Step 11. Save the document to your hard drive
When you need to write a new document using letterhead, open the template file and select the "Save As" feature found in the menu under the Office Windows logo.
Method 2 of 2: with a Word Template
Step 1. Open the Word program
At this point you will be offered a number of different types of documents to choose from.
Step 2. Select the "Letterhead" category to open the list of available templates
You can also download customizable templates from the official Microsoft Word site. Go to the site, type the words "letterhead templates" in the search box and download the one you prefer
Step 3. Customize the template
Open it with Microsoft Word and start editing it. Update it with your company title, contact information and logo.
Step 4. Check your work
Press the "Esc" key to close the "Header" and "Footer" sections. You can review your letterhead by printing a copy or in full-screen print preview mode.
Step 5. Save the document to your hard drive
When you need to write a new document using letterhead, open the template file and select the "Save As" function found in the menu under the Office Windows logo
