Letter headed Paper

THE LETTERHEAD IN THE MODERN WORLD

Although we probably write fewer of them today than our forebears, it is still rather nice to either carefully craft a letter or to receive one from a friend or loved one. So, if you are going to the trouble of setting your thoughts down on paper or sharing the latest news, it makes perfect sense to make your beautiful personalised writing paper a joy to use. We offer a range of luxury papers in soft pastel shades that should encourage you to devote a little time to the so-called ‘lost art’ of letter writing and rekindle the enjoyment that it can bring. We also supply luxurious printed envelopes that match your paper and style as well as personalised correspondence cards and business cards which have been designed to match your selection and are grouped together on our personalised stationery sets page.

We are all bombarded with so much information and communication on a daily basis that it can very easily seem like overload. Harried by television, radio, live computer feeds, email, text messages and not forgetting social media feeds and streaming services, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and treat all content alike, forced to skim and select with little time for in depth appreciation. One antidote to this frenzy of communication can be found in the ‘lost’ art of letter writing which requires a dedicated and measured approach to the creation and expression of content and from which can be derived a mechanical enjoyment from the act of writing itself, that of placing pen nib on paper, that is simply not to be found when communicating via keyboard, keypad or touch screen.

By slowing the pace we are able to reflect more fully, giving greater consideration to our choice of words, our phrasing and our style of expression, all of which we are rarely afforded when composing a text or an email or when leaving a voicemail. Consider whether you would rather hear from a friend via Facebook or text message or would rather receive a letter from them that they have lovingly crafted and in which they have invested no small amount of time. How much more personal than the snatched, sometimes truncated and dare we say sometimes misleading messages that one sometimes receives via electronic means.

If you plan to invest time in writing a letter to a friend or any kind of personalised stationery, there is much to be said for handwriting it rather than typing it and then using your home printer to print it out onto your luxury writing paper. For one thing the effect on the recipient of a printed letter will be less personal as, save for the difficulties of illegible handwriting, it feels far more intimate and personal to receive something that is handwritten rather than typewritten. For you as the writer, the act of writing your thoughts down will help them to crystalise in your mind and will lead you to ponder more fully before putting pen to paper so that you become more immersed in the process and derive a greater sense of enjoyment from it.

What should I look out for when choosing my personalised letterhead?

Whilst part of that enjoyment will come from the act of handwriting, and here a favourite pen provide the greatest pleasure, your choice of paper will also play an important part in the whole process. To prevent show through, written text showing through the sheet from the other side, a quality paper of a superior grammage is best. Avoid, if you can, flimsy papers of around 100gsm and choose a weightier sheet, such our 135gsm, which will provide an altogether more substantial feel in the hand as well as a gentle handle due to its looser surface. Suited to a large number of different writing implements some feathering may occur with certain fountain pens so please ask us for a sample sheet so that you may test your pen if this of concern to you.

What letter writing paper sizes do you offer?

Our luxury writing paper comes A5 as standard; for A4 paper size, which is best suited for professional use and as such we would always advise this size to our corporate or business customers and can be ordered by contacting us directly.

What are letterheads and what information do most people have printed on their headed paper?

Letterheads can take all sorts of formats and styles. Generally speaking, business letterheads will include a logo and office address as well as some smaller print at the foot of the sheet. 

The convention with writing paper, for personal use, is for it to feature a full postal address including the postcode. With increasing use of the telephone a landline telephone number was also often included but nowadays, with the decline in their use, landline numbers are gradually giving way to mobile telephone numbers. The inclusion of an email address is not yet commonplace. Not only does it sometimes spoil the aesthetic of the layout it might even encourage a reply by that means, which surely should be discouraged! In the United States it is also common for the sender’s name to be included but here in the United Kingdom that is also less commonplace. We have created a number of writing paper formats which show you the type of information that is often included and these will give you a very good indication of different layouts too, although there is no substitute for seeing your own details typeset for you and presented to you in the form of a setting proof.

How do I commission a proof for my headed note paper?

Simply select the design that appeals most to you and which shows a similar amount of information, such as length of address, as your own. Then follow our ordering process, selecting whether you would like flat printed, raised printed or embossed writing paper where applicable and follow any prompts that ask you to select a font or an ink colour until the process has been completed and your order is submitted. Upon receipt we will use the information that you have provided to us to create a preliminary setting proof for you which we will send to you by email. We can change this proof for you until you are happy with the result and wish to proceed to production. The production schedule is determined by the print process that you have selected and can be found in the information provided with each design.

I am looking for plain paper, is this something that you sell and if so do you sell A4 coloured paper on its own?

In short, yes we do. Although we don't show plain coloured A4 sheets on the site yet, we have access to more than 50 different paper colours, some of which we display as A5 sheets and matching envelopes and these can be viewed here Letter Writing Sets. These are only a selection of the colours which are available and which we feel would suit being written on in terms of being legible so if you find a colour you like or would like to ask for more options then do please get in touch. 

We do also offer a wide range of Writing paper with printed colour borders to match their accompanying envelopes and in addition, we have greatly expanded our colour range to include contrasting stationery sets and envelopes.

I don’t get to London very often so can you deliver my personalised stationery?

We are delighted to meet client’s who wish to collect their finished writing paper from our office in Chelsea but are just as happy sending your paper anywhere in the world. We use same-day couriers where appropriate for clients who live in central London, overnight couriers for mainland UK whereas we use FedEx or similar international shippers for the rest of the world. Expect a transit time of between 1-3 days for major international destinations and slightly longer if you live somewhere remote or wish your goods to be sent economy. We will contact you upon completion to ascertain your preferences.