Company letterheads: legal procedures you need to follow

Are you aware of the important pieces of information all company letterheads need to include by law?
Sometimes when creating stationery material for your company it ‘s easy to give more attention to design, colours, shapes and quality of the paper. However, besides a striking logo and appealing colour palette, attention should also be given to legal requirements for a letterhead.

We have put together the must-have information your letterhead should include according to the type of business you run.

Sole trader  

If you ‘re a sole trader, you can run your business under your own name or a different one. If you choose to go with a different name, you must include your own name and the business address on all letterheads and order forms.

Partnership

Working within a partnership? Ensure you include the names of all partners and the address of your main office not only on your letterheads, but also on order forms, receipts and invoices. If you happen to have several partners, it might be easier and more practical to include a disclaimer about where a list of partners can be found.

Limited company

Both electronic and printed versions of your letterhead and corporate stationery must include:

• Full registered company ‘s name
• Registration number and place of registration (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland)
• The company registered address and the address of its place of business, if they ‘re not the same
• You don ‘t need to include the director ‘s name, but bear in mind if you choose to include directors you must list all of them
• This may seem obvious, but you must state you are running a limited company by spelling your company ‘s full name including  Limited ‘ or  Ltd ‘

Most letterheads also include a telephone number, link for your website and an email address.

Be aware that the list above is not exhaustive, therefore depending on your type of business you may have to comply to additional requirements. A good tip is to confirm with your industry trade body to make sure you haven ‘t left any detail out   you don ‘t want to land yourself a penalty fine.

CDP helps you to create the right letterhead for your business   from design concepts right through to printing.

If you need any advice, don ‘t hesitate to contact us: info@cdp.co.uk.