Business stationery is essential for any new company, but this doesn’t mean you must spend your entire bottom line to get the right look. Often, you can find an alternative in preprinted business stationery to trim costs, but maintain the professional look and feel of custom stationery.
What is Preprinted Business Stationery?
Preprinted business stationery comes in many varieties, from a simple preprinted border to actual graphic images or a background pattern. Instead of designing an image and then having it printed along with your business information on your choice of paper, you simply choose a paper and design that you like and add your information to the existing design.
The basic business stationery package includes letterheads, matching envelopes (in various sizes if you send larger mailings), and business cards – and preprinted business stationery is no different. Choosing preprinted business stationery is often less expensive and can give you some good ideas if you are feeling creatively blocked.
How to Choose Preprinted Business Stationery
Before you begin searching for preprinted business stationery, take some time and evaluate your needs. If you are simply looking for the basic stationery package comprised of letterheads, coordinating envelopes, and business cards, then make sure you don’t get swayed by matching brochure paper that you really don’t need.
Then, consider the purpose of your business, your branding strategy, the degree of formality your stationery should have, and any colors already associated with your business. This way, you have a list of requirements with you when you begin looking and won’t get distracted by a design that really isn’t appropriate.
Preprinted Business Stationery Tips and Ideas
Most businesses need to maintain a certain degree of professionalism and decorum in their stationery choices, and therefore, loud colors and crazy fonts are usually not appropriate. The paper itself should be heavier than regular paper and could be bond paper, linen, or recycled. It is usually best to choose a white or ivory paper, as this gives you a professional yet neutral background suitable for any colors you might add. Your ink color should probably be black, unless you want your logo or business name to coordinate with your existing color scheme.
If you have a creative business or one where clients might expect your stationery to be edgier, then you have the ability to break the rules. For example, a children’s party planner might choose a fun preprinted business stationery package that features a colorful confetti border. She can then print the name of her business in bright red or even a combination of primary colors, but keeps the main information in a black, legible font. This tells parents that she is capable of providing a fun party, but is professional and trustworthy as well.
Whether your business leans towards the serious or the zany, choose preprinted business stationery that best matches your business and maintains a sense of professionalism – and no one will guess it isn’t custom.
