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APPENDIX A: FORMAT AND LAYOUT OF BUSINESS DOCUMENTS
APPENDIX OUTLINE
First Impressions
Paper
Customization
Appearance
Letters
Standard Letter Parts
Heading
Date
Inside Address
Salutation
Body
Complimentary Close
Signature Block
Additional Letter Parts
Letter Formats
Envelopes
Addressing the Envelope
Folding to Fit
International Mail
Memos
Reports
Margins
Headings
Page Numbers
TEACHING NOTES
First Impressions
Professionalism is indicated by choice of:
Paper
Customization
Appearance
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Quality of paper is measured by the:
Paper comes in several sizes:
Standard size: 8½ by 11 inches (for U.S.; most other countries use metric sizes)
Legal size: 8½ by 14 inches
Personal size: 7 by 10 inches
To make a good impression, choose paper color carefully:
White is standard color for business purposes.
Name
Logo
Address
Phone number
Fax number
General a-mail address
Website URL
When preparing business documents:
printed second page.
Use your company’s standardized forms for memos and reports if they are available.
Nearly all business documents are produced using an inkjet or laser printer.
For the best appearance:
Include the proper spacing after punctuation:
One space after periods and colons
One space after commas, semicolons, and the periods in a person’s initials
No spaces in abbreviations for organizations, even with periods (e.g., U.S.A., not U. S. A.)
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Letters
Standard letter parts include the following:
Heading
Date
Inside address
Salutation
Body
Complimentary close
Signature block
Generally, use letterhead.
If no letterhead is available, start 13 lines from the top of the page (a 2 inch margin).
The date’s position depends on the type of heading you use:
Place the date one blank line beneath the letterhead.
audience’s time references.
The inside address is placed one or more lines below the date (depending on the length of the letter) and
includes the following:
Addressee’s name, preceded by the addressee’s courtesy title (e.g., Dr., Mr., Ms.)
Addressee’s organizational title
Name of department
Address
For the salutation, be sure to:
Use the first name for friends.
Spell names correctly.
Use a polite description (“Dear Alumni,” “Dear Colleague,” “Ladies and Gentlemen,” “Dear
In the United States, you may also use a salutopening (omitting the “Dear” and using the recipient’s
name in the first few words of the body).
The body uses:
Single-spacing within paragraphs
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Double-spacing before the complimentary close
The signature block:
Includes the sender’s name and title
Is placed three lines below the complimentary close
Additional letter parts are optional; use the following as needed:
Addressee notation
Attention line
Subject line
Second-page heading
Is typed in capital letters
Is placed two lines above the inside address
Use an attention line when the inside address does not include the name of a specific person.
The subject line tells the recipient at a glance what the letter is about.
The second-page heading:
Needs to be used whenever an additional page is required
May be special letterhead
Use capital letters.
Place it a double space below the complimentary close.
Reference initials show who helped prepare the letter and:
Are typed at the left margin
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receiving a courtesy copy (cc).
The mailing notation (e.g., Special Delivery, Registered Mail) usually follows the reference initials and
enclosure notation, and comes before the copy notation.
The Postscript begins with one of the following:
P.S.
PS.
Letters have three basic formats:
Letter formats differ in three ways:
The way paragraphs are indented
The placement of letter parts
Some punctuation
Letter formats are similar in three ways:
The way paragraphs are indented
For letters, the standard (or mixed) punctuation style:
For letters, the open punctuation style:
Places no colon or comma after the salutation
Envelopes
Letterhead envelopes use the same paper stock and the same color ink as letterhead stationery:
Standard business size: No. 10 (9½ inches long)
Smaller size: No. 6¾
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Name and title of recipient
Name of department or subgroup
Name of organization
The postal code in Canada
To fold letters properly:
Fold the letter in thirds.
Memos
When preparing a memo:
You may be asked to use a special memo form.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
If a memo has wide distribution, type See distribution list or See below after To: and place recipient
