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Square Inch
The Typographical Make-Up Of Business Letters
Part IV
The Dress Of A Business Letter
Chapter 13
All
business houses recognize the necessity for having printed letterheads and
envelopes, but the variety of designs and styles are infinite. Nothing, not
even the paper, affords such an index to the character of the individual or
firm as the typography of the envelope and letterhead. An impression,
favorable or otherwise, is created BEFORE THE LETTER IS READ. This chapter
describes the methods of printing, engraving and lithographing; the
advantages of each process, and the difference in prices; the proper placing
of date, name and address, the width of margins, spacing between
lines--little points that contribute to the appearance of the letter and
give it tone
* * * * *
The feature of a business letter that invariably commands the first
conscious attention of the recipient is the name--printed or written--of the
firm or individual from whom the letter comes.
Except when the correspondent intentionally omits this information for the
purpose of inducing the recipient to notice a circular letter that he might
otherwise ignore, the name and address of the sender is printed on the
envelope.
This is done for two reasons: it brings the name of the correspondent before
the recipient immediately upon receipt of the letter; it tends to secure
favorable attention, and it enables the post office authorities to return
letters to the senders in case of non-delivery because of removals, death,
wrong address or other causes.
In either case, the interests of the correspondent are best served by
printing this information in the upper left corner of the face of the
envelope. It is this side of the envelope that bears the address and the
stamp, and consequently the only side, under ordinary circumstances, that
receives attention from either the postal officials or the recipient. When
the sender's name is printed in this position, it is brought prominently to
the attention of the recipient as the letter is placed before him. But even
a more practical reason for putting this data in the upper left corner is
that such a location on the envelope permits the post office rubber stamp,
"Return to Sender," to be affixed, in case of need, without the confusion
and annoyance that is caused when this address is printed on the back of the
envelope, as is sometimes done.
As a rule, the printed matter that appears on the envelope should consist
merely of the name and address of the sender in plain, legible letters.
In no case should the address be ambiguous. However many branch offices the
firm may have, the use of more than one address on the envelope is apt to be
confusing and may result in a communication's being returned to an office
other than that from which it comes. To avoid this, only one address should
be printed on the envelope, and that should be the address to which the
correspondence is to be returned by the postal authorities in case of
non-delivery to the addressee. The trade mark or other similar distinctive
imprint of a firm may properly be used on the envelope, but only in cases
where it will not tend to confuse or crowd the essential wording. The name
of the person to whom the letter is to be returned is of considerable more
practical value to the postman than a unique design with which the envelope
may be adorned.
The letterhead offers wider opportunities for an array of data. Pictures of
offices, buildings and factories, trade marks, lists of branch offices,
cable codes and the names of officers and executive heads may be used, but
too much reading matter leads to confusion. The tendency today is toward
simplicity. The name and address of the firm, and the particular department
or branch office from which the communication comes, is regarded as
sufficient by many houses. The day of the letterhead gay with birds-eye
views of the plant and much extraneous information seems to be passing, and
money that was once spent in elaborate designs and plates is now put into
the "quality" of the letter paper--and quality is usually marked by
dignified simplicity and directness.
Letterheads may be mechanically produced by several different processes that
range widely in costs. The principal methods of printing letterheads are:
First: From type.
Second: From zinc or half-tone plates made from drawings--generally
designated as "photo-engraving".
Third: From plates engraved on copper or steel.
Fourth: From lithograph plates, engraved on stone.
Fifth: From photogravure or similar engraved plates.
Generally speaking, letterheads printed from type are the cheapest. The
costs of type composition for an ordinary letterhead will vary from fifty
cents to four or five dollars, dependent upon the amount of work. The
printing ranges in cost from one dollar a thousand sheets for one color to
several times that amount, dependent upon the quality of ink and paper, and
upon local conditions. Many concerns are discarding letterheads printed from
type, as more individuality can be shown in some form of engraved or
lithographed work.
Good results may often be secured from "line cuts" or zinc plates-- which
cost from five to ten cents a square inch, with a minimum charge ranging
from fifty cents to a dollar--made from pen-and-ink drawings. Good and
distinctive lettering may often be secured in this way, where type matter
does not offer the same opportunities. The cost of printing from zinc plates
is practically the same as the cost of printing from type. If the drawings
are made in water color, "wash" or oil, or if they contain fine crayon or
pencil shadings, the reproductions must be made from half-tone plates. These
cost from twelve cents to twenty cents a square inch, with a minimum rate
that usually is equivalent to the cost of ten square inches. Half-tones,
however, can be printed only on an enamel or other smooth-surface paper, and
cannot be used satisfactorily on a rough-surface paper as can zinc plates.
Copper or steel engravings are made from designs furnished either by the
engraver or by some other designer. For simple engraved lettering such as is
customarily used on business stationery, the cost of a copper plate is about
ten cents a letter. For elaborate designs the costs increase
proportionately. Steel plates, which are more durable, cost about sixty per
cent more. Printing from such plates is considerably more expensive than the
two processes previously described. Engraved letterheads cost from six
dollars upward a thousand for the printing, while the envelopes cost
approximately two dollars and fifty cents a thousand. The envelopes are
usually printed from steel dies, which cost about ten cents a letter.
For large orders of stationery, exceeding 20,000 sheets, lithography offers
economies in price and other advantages that render it more practical than
metal engraving. The design is engraved upon stone and printed from the
stone block. While the initial costs of lithography are high, ranging from
$25.00 to $100.00 for the engraving (with an average cost of about $50.00),
the price of printing is so moderate as to make this form of production
popular among extensive users of business paper. Lithography gives a smooth,
uniform and permanent impression on the paper, and permits of an
indeterminate "run." The cost of printing from lithographic plates is
practically the same as from steel or copper plates. The savings effected in
large orders is in the cost of the plates, for copper and steel must be
renewed as they become worn down.
The photogravure process is costly both in the plate-making and in the
printing. While it gives a rich and uniform impression on the letter paper,
and is highly valuable for reproducing pictures and ornate designs, it is
adaptable only for special purposes and is not generally regarded as
suitable for commercial work. A photogravure plate costs from seventy-five
cents to one dollar and twenty-five cents a square inch, or about $12.00 to
$50.00 for a letterhead. The printing costs about the same as for other
engraved stationery. With other processes, somewhat similar in the market,
this method of printing letterheads has not yet won extensive favor.
It is now almost universally recognized that a letter should be written on
one side of the sheet only.
A copy should be kept of every communication that leaves the office. Either
a carbon copy may be made at the time the letter is written--six good copies
can be made simultaneously on the average typewriter, although one is
usually sufficient--or a letter-press copy can be made from the sheet after
it is signed. Both forms have been accepted by the courts as legal copies of
correspondence.
Such copies are usually filed alphabetically either by the name of the
company or individual to whom the letter is addressed.
Letter-press copies must necessarily be filed chronologically, even when
separate books for each letter of the alphabet are maintained. In either
case the search through the files for a letter copy is facilitated by
placing the name, address and date of a letter at the top.
For the same reason the date of a letter should be placed in the upper right
corner of the page; the recipient must know when the communication is sent;
it may have a bearing on other communications. The name and address of the
addressee, similar to the address on the envelope, should in all cases be
placed, as the formal salutation, in the upper left corner of the sheet,
whether the correspondent be greeted "Dear Sir" or "Gentlemen." Not only
does this establish at once the exact individual for whom the communication
is intended but it facilitates the filing of the correspondence, both by the
recipient and by the sender.
The margins of a business letter, owing to the limitations of the
typewriter, are usually variable. The space occupied by the letterhead must,
of course, determine the margin at the top of the sheet. Theoretically, the
margins at the left and right should be exactly the same size; practically,
however, the typewriter lines will vary in length and cause an uneven edge
on the right side. In printing, the use of many-sized spaces not only
between words but at times, between the letters themselves rectifies these
variations, but the typewriter does not permit this. The more even the right
margin is and the more uniform it is to the left margin, the better the
effect. The margins should be about one and a half inches in width. The
margin at the bottom should not be less than the side margins. Should it be
smaller, the page will appear cramped for space as the reading matter will
be really running over into the margin--a typographical defect that is as
noticeable on typewritten as on printed pages.
The spacing between the lines and between the paragraphs of a business
letter may vary to suit the tastes of the individual, although
considerations of a practical nature tend to establish a few general
principles.
Both for purposes of convenience and of economy, a letter should be as
compact as possible, both in words and in mechanical production. It should
not take up two sheets if the message can be written on one without undue
crowding. Hence most business letters are single spaced; that is, only one
space on the typewriter separates the lines. Even when a letter is short, it
is advisable for purposes of uniformity, to use single spaces only.
The first line of each paragraph is usually indented from five to fifteen
points on the machine. Each business house should establish exactly what
this indentation shall be in order to secure uniformity in its
correspondence. Instead of indenting the first line, some concerns designate
the paragraphs merely by separating them by double spacings, beginning the
first line flush with the left margin. The best practice, however, seems to
embody both of these methods, but the average business letter usually has
its paragraphs separated by double spacing and indenting the first line.
The address on the envelope, to which the salutation at the top of the
letter should correspond, either exactly or in slightly condensed form, may
be properly typewritten in various ways. The style that is most observed,
however, and which has the stamp of general approval, provides for an
indentation of about five points on each line of the address.
Between the lines the spacings may be either single or double but the latter
is preferable. Greater spacing tends to separate the address too much to
allow it to be read quickly.
Another approved, though less popular form of address does not indent the
lines at all.
Any radical departure from these forms should be made cautiously, especially
if the various items of the address are separated from each other.
The address, like a paragraph, is generally read as a unit--as a single,
distinct idea. The closer the address conforms to the generally accepted
forms, the more readily are the envelopes handled by the post office and the
less danger of delay.
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