When you start a new business, arranging business stationery printing and in particular letterhead printing may not be a priority, but having a professional letterhead may help your negotiations with suppliers. Printing doesn’t have to be costly and could save you in the long run as you may find it easier to get business credit when you show your official professionally printed letterhead, complete with your registered business address and company’s registered number on it. This can be the difference between those who are just thinking about running a company and who are already behaving like a corporation.
Getting credit from suppliers

It’s become increasingly tricky for start-ups, small businesses and even established businesses to get credit over the last few years. Despite hundreds of thousands of new businesses popping up every year in the UK, more than half fail within five years.(Telegraph: Half of UK start-ups fail within five years)
So suppliers are naturally concerned about offering credit to new start-ups and are looking for some proof that you are established and serious about your new venture.
From mobile phone operators to banks, some suppliers will ask your new business to show them your printed letterhead before they will give you credit or allow you to open an account. Having a supply of professionally printed company letterhead will make your life a lot easier, and leave you more time to devote to securing new clients, networking and putting your business plan into action. It also helps you to build your brand identity. To help your start up or small business checkout our cheap professionally designed letterhead templates
Remember the Rules
If you do decide to go for it and order a supply of business stationery, remember there are certain rules that govern what must be included on your printed business letterhead, so have a peep at the government website before commissioning a printer to create your stock for you.Official rules: [https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/signs-stationery-and-promotional-material]
Sole Trader:

  • Your own name
  • Your business name (if you’re “trading as” something other than your legal name)
  • Your business address
  • VAT number (if registered)

Partnership:

  • All requirements listed above under “sole traders”
  • ALL partners must be named on the letterhead (it’s NOT acceptable to name just one partner, you MUST name them all. If you have a lengthy list of partners, an alternative is to simply state where a full list of all partners can be found (e.g. a website address).

Limited Company:

  • Your full legal company name (this usually ends with “ltd” or “limited”)
  • Your company registration number
  • Your place of registration (“England and Wales” or “Scotland”)
  • Your company’s registered office
  • Your VAT number (if registered)
  • Details regarding any registered profession you’re a member of (e.g. BPIF British Printing Industries Federation)

Other things to include
Although you’re not obligated to we at PrintUK.com would recommend that you include some other information on your business stationery as shown below especially on your printed letterhead. There is a whole host of reasons to include the below but ultimately it builds your business branding and enhances your personal correspondence material, whilst offering other ways to contact your company.

  • Contact telephone number
  • Email address
  • Logo (by including a logo, the recipient will instantly be able to identify who the letterhead is from)
  • Website address (URL)
  • Social profiles (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, etc.)


Having business cards and letterheads can help to build trust with suppliers and potential customers. And then comes the fun part: choosing the design, together with the satisfaction of seeing your new company’s logo and name in print, which helps remind you that ‘you did it’, it’s real, and this is where all the hard work really starts!
For professionally designed and printed letterheads and other business stationery, contact PrintUK.com