Guidelines for
Business Letters
Digital Communication Systems
Comp. 5.03
What are the margin settings
for a Business Letter?
• 1st page:
– Top margin is typically 2-2 ½”
depending on the size of the
letterhead
– The left and right margins are 1”
– The bottom margin is 1” unless you
reduce it to pull a single line which
appears on the second page back to
the first page
What are the margin settings
for a Business Letter?
• 2nd and following pages:
– You will need to insert a continuous page
break so you can change the top margin to
1”
• The top margin was previously set at 2-2 ½” on
page one; therefore, the reason for the continuous
page break and the changing of the margin to 1”
– A single-line or multiple-line heading must be
keyed in the header of the 2nd and following
pages (leave a blank line below this heading
before keying the line at the top of the page)
– Left and right margins stay at 1”
– Bottom margin stays at 1”
Formal Business Letter
(Modified Block Style)
Basic Parts
• Letterhead
• Date
• Letter Address
• Salutation
• Body
• Complimentary
Close
• Name of Writer
Business Letter Special Parts
(may or may not use in a letter)
• mailing notations (CERTIFIED, REGISTERED,
SPECIAL DELIVERY)
• attention line
• subject line (keyed in all caps)
• Company name (keyed in all caps)
• Job title (keyed on same line as writer’s name or
on next line underneath writer’s name)
• Reference initials (keyed in lowercase letters)
• Enclosure/Attachment notation (ENCLOSURE,
ATTACHMENT)
• copy notation (C. Ms. Judy Smith)
• Postscript notation (a short paragraph keyed a DS
below the last letter part of the letter)
Special Letter Parts
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• Don’t crowd the letterhead at the top of
the page
– leave some blank lines in between the
letterhead and the date
• The letterhead is the return address and
will include some or all of the following:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Company or business name
Company or business address
Company or business phone number
Company or business fax number
Company or business e-mail address
Company or business web site address
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• Letterhead is commonly pre-printed
on the paper or saved as a
separate file
• The first letter part that you will type
is the DATE
– Spell out the month
– Key at the left margin (block format) or
key after tabbing six times from the
left margin (modified block format)
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If you are including a mailing
notation
– Key the mailing notation (CERTIFIED,
REGISTERED, SPECIAL DELIVERY)
a DS (double-space) below the DATE.
– After keying the mailing notation, DS
(double-space) again before keying
the LETTER ADDRESS
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If you are NOT including a mailing
notation such as CERTIFIED,
REGISTERED, SPECIAL
DELIVERY
– QS (quadruple-space) after the DATE
and then key the LETTER ADDRESS.
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• The LETTER ADDRESS may include any of the
following:
– Attention Line (use this only when you do not know
the name of the individual(s) who should receive the
letter)
• Attention: Personnel Department (use department)
• Attention: Director of Personnel (use job title)
–
–
–
–
Addressee’s name(s) (each name on a separate line)
Company name (on separate line)
Street Address or P.O. Box (on separate line)
City, State and Zip Code (on separate line; place a
comma after the city and one space before the zip
code)
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• DS (double-space) after the LETTER
ADDRESS
• Next, key the SALUTATION or “hello of
the letter”; examples include:
–
–
–
–
Dear Sir or Madame
Dear Gentlemen
Dear Ladies
Dear Mr. Smith (use individual’s personal
title and last name)
– To Whom It May Concern
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• DS (double-space) after the SALUTATION
• If you are using a SUBJECT LINE, key the
subject of your letter in all caps and then DS
(double-space)
• A DS (double-space) will appear before the
BODY of your letter. The BODY includes the
sentences and paragraphs or message of your
letter
– Use word wrap to single-space each line within the
paragraphs.
– DS (double-space) between paragraphs
• DS (double-space) after the last paragraph in
the BODY of your letter.
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• Next, key the COMPLIMENTARY
CLOSE
– If your letter is BLOCK FORMAT, key the
COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE at the left
margin.
– If your letter is MODIFIED BLOCK FORMAT,
key the COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE six tabs
from the left margin.
• Examples include:
– Sincerely
– Best regards
– Cordially
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If you will be keying the COMPANY
NAME in the signature block, then DS
after the COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
– If your letter is BLOCK FORMAT, key the
COMPANY NAME at the left margin.
– If your letter is MODIFIED BLOCK FORMAT,
key the COMPANY NAME six tabs from the
left margin.
• Key the COMPANY NAME in all caps
and then QS (quadruple-space)
– This large space is where the author of the
letter will sign his/her name after the letter is
printed.
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If you do NOT plan to use the COMPANY
NAME in the signature block, then QS
(quadruple-space) immediately after the
COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
– For a block format letter, key the COMPANY NAME at
the left margin
– For a modified-block format letter, key the COMPANY
NAME six tabs from the left margin
– Again, the large space that you are leaving in this
letter is where the author of the letter will sign his or
her name after the letter is printed
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• Next, key the WRITER’S NAME
– For a block format letter, key the writer’s name at the
left margin
– For a modified-block format letter, key the writer’s
name six tabs from the left margin
– Use a personal title in front of the writer’s name if it is
not clear that the writer is a male or female; for
example
• The first name Kim could be a man or a woman’s name
– therefore include the appropriate personal title (Mr.,
Mrs., Ms., Miss)
• The first name Casey could be man or a woman’s name
– therefore, include the appropriate personal title (Mr.,
Mrs., Ms., Miss)
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If you plan to include a JOB TITLE for the writer
– Key short job titles on the same line as the writer’s
name separated by a comma
• John H. Smith, President
• Susan L. Duggins, Secretary
– Key long job titles on the next line under the writer’s
name (do not use a comma).
• For a block format letter, key the job title at the left
margin
• For a modified block format letter, key the job title six
tabs from the left margin
• Examples include:
– John H. Smith
President
– Susan L. Duggins
Secretary
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• Key the REFERENCE INITIALS a DS
(double-space) below the writer’s name
or job title.
– REFERENCE INITIALS will be keyed at the
left margin whether you are using the block
format style letter or the modified-block
format style letter
– Key the REFERENCE INITIALS in
lowercase
– The REFERENCE INITIALS are the initials
of the person who typed the letter.
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If the author of the letter mentions
in the BODY of the letter that
he/she is enclosing an additional
item in the envelope, key
– ENCLOSURE a DS (double-space)
below the reference initials
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If the author of the letter mentions
in the BODY of the letter that
he/she is attaching (stapling or
paper clipping) an additional item to
the letter, key
– ATTACHMENT a DS (double-space)
below the reference initials
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• If you need to send a copy of the
letter to someone other than the
addressee, key the COPY
NOTATION a DS (double-space)
below the previous letter part.
– Key a capital C followed by a period
and the individual’s first and last name
• C. Kathy Bondurant
What is the required spacing
before and after letter parts?
• Historically, the POSTSCRIPT NOTATION was
used when you accidentally forgot to mention
something in the BODY of the letter
– With the use of computers today, the POSTSCRIPT
NOTATION is seldom used since you can just insert
the forgotten information into the letter and reprint it
before mailing
– If you choose to use a POSTSCRIPT NOTATION
• Key the information as a sentence or paragraph below
the last letter part.
• If you have indented other paragraphs in your letter,
then indent the postscript notation; otherwise, key at the
left margin.
• Do NOT include P.S. in front of the paragraph
How do you format letters that
are two or more pages?
• Include a heading at
the top of the second
and following pages:
– Single Line Heading
– or Multiple-Line
Heading
• Key the information in
the HEADER (View,
Header/Footer)
• Include the
addressee’s name,
page number, and
date
FINALLY . . .
• When printing a letter with 2 or
more pages, print
– The first page on letterhead stationery
– The second and following pages on
plain paper of equal quality
• DO NOT PRINT THE 2nd AND
FOLLOWING PAGES ON LETTERHEAD
STATIONERY!