A handwritten note seems to have become a rarity. As many people will tell you, however, it is still noticed and appreciated by the recipient. Here is a way to create cheap professional stationery for business or personal use. Your clients and friends will appreciate the thoughtfulness of a handwritten message on very professional stationery.
Instructions
1. Determine what information is necessary on your stationery. Include at the top your first and last name, title, address and phone number. Create a business tagline or select a favorite quote for the bottom. You may also include your business logo on the top, but doing so creates clutter and makes the stationery less personal.
2. Decide if you want to print the stationery yourself (cheapest) or have a local printer print the stationery (cheap and easiest). Use white or off-white linen paper for your stationery. It is relatively inexpensive and professional looking. It is also easy to write on with any ballpoint pen. Typically the paper will include a watermark. If you print yourself, make sure you use a high-quality printer.
3. Open your Microsoft Word. If you want to use 8.5 x 11 stationery, enter the stationery information from Step 1 at the top and bottom of the page. Center align and bold all typing. Use 10 point with your favorite font. To create note-size ( 5.5 x 8.5) stationery remove all printing margins, set up for landscape view/print, and split the page into halves. Both halves should look the same, each reflecting the information discussed in Step 1.
4. Print a trial copy of your stationery and make sure you like the appearance. If your stationery is 8.5 x 11 and you like what you see, take the copy to your local printer and ask for high-end black-and-white or color copies. The former is less expensive. If you are using 5.5 x 8.5, fold the paper in half and make sure, using a ruler, that the lettering is properly aligned. Take this to your printer and have it copied on linen paper. Alternatively, print it yourself, but you will have to cut each page in half, which will require a quality paper cutter.
