City of Durham Stationery

Here are some of the most commonly overlooked standards that should serve as a checklist for anyone using City letterhead:

•     Font: Calibri, 11 or 12 point
•     Always include the recipient’s name, business name, full mailing address, and zip code.
•     Use a colon to close the salutation instead of a comma (Dear Mrs. Jones: or Dear Sir:).
•     Sign off: Use “Sincerely” or “Sincerely Yours”.
•     As a general rule, letters should not exceed one page in length if at all possible. If your letter is over onto the next page by one or two lines, edit the letter more to condense to one page, if possible.

Here are some additional helpful tips for using City letterhead and letter writing:

•     Do not use month abbreviations when dating letters.
•     Make sure to spell the recipient’s name correctly.
•     The body’s language should be clear and concise.
•     When closing your letter, include the direct telephone number and extension as well as your email address.
•     The signature should be followed underneath by a typed version of the sender’s name and job title. The signature can be original or a scanned version of the original signature.
•     It is acceptable to include typed professional credentials (such as PE, CSW, LCSWP) after the typed version of the sender’s name.
•     If you are typing the business letter on behalf of someone else, return twice after the signature lines. The sender’s initials should be typed in upper case, followed by a back slash and the preparer’s initials in lower case. If you are preparing the letter on your own behalf, this step is not necessary.
•     If sending a copy of the letter to another person, return four times after the enclosure line (if any) and type “c: Name“ (“c” is an abbreviation for “copy”). In the instances when a letter cannot be kept to one page, the following standards apply:
     » Use letterhead for the first page and the letterhead without a logo for any additional pages.
     » Place a header containing the recipient’s name, date, and page number on all subsequent pages one inch from the top of the page.
     » Return three times from the page header at the top of page 2 (or any other continuation sheet) and then continue your letter from the previous page.
     » Leave two lines on the first page if you must divide a paragraph between pages. Have two lines from the divided paragraph on the subsequent page as well.
     » If the paragraph is short, it’s better to move the whole paragraph to the subsequent page.
     » Follow the first page’s format except for the header instead of letterhead. All margins on the subsequent pages should match the first page.
     » For letters exceeding one page, it is acceptable to either paper clip or staple the letter. If your letter has multiple pages of enclosures, it is acceptable to staple or paper clip the enclosures together, but do not staple the enclosures to the letter.