Business Letter Template Format

Choosing the font

If you're writing a business letter that's set to be printed out and folded into an envelope, you're better off using a serif font at size 12 points, such as:

* Times New Roman

* Garamond

* Georgia

We don't need to go through a whole typography lesson but if you're just shooting off an email that will simply be read on the computer, a sans serif font is easier to read, such as:

* Arial

* Verdana

* Tahoma

* MS Sans Serif

Choosing the page size

Acceptable sizes of business letters are on 8 ½"x11", A4, US Folio, or Legal size. If in doubt, you're safe with using A4 size in plain white. (No pink scented paper like Elle Woods!)

Choosing the page format

Block style is by far the easiest to do; there are no complications about indentations. Just start all the paragraphs and parts of the letter from the left margin! There's no need to indent the first lines of your paragraphs either.

Setting the text at 1.5 lines or double-space so that there's some white space in between the lines makes your letter look a bit more formal and easier to read. The easy way to do this is by highlighting the body of your letter, Format > Paragraph > Line Spacing. Choose 1.5 lines or Double.

Just set the margins to 1 inch on all sides (File > Page Layout > Margins). Adjust accordingly if you're using a letterhead. (Tip: You don't want to waste your letterhead paper. If you're not sure which side the printer will print on (even with the illustration on the printer), just get some scratch paper and mark one side with pencil. Feed to the printer the side with the mark up and test print some text. After you print on your pencil-marked paper, you now know how you should feed your letterhead.)

I also like to make the body of my letters appear either in the middle or spread evenly vertically, so that if the letter's too short it isn't so obvious. You can do this from File > Page Setup > Layout > Page: Vertical Alignment. Experiment with Center or Justified.

Don't freak out. Just get started with writing your business letter already! You'll get the hang of things soon enough.