Format

As far as formatting of a letter goes, given below is the standard format of any business letter:

Letterhead: Most companies have a specific letterhead that you will need to type letters on. This may make it necessary to adjust the margins so that words are not printed onto the letterhead area.

Name and address: Always try to have the name of someone that the letter should go to, even if you have to call to find it out.

Date: This is the date that the letter was written. It should be written out, such as January 15, 2008.

Reference: This gives a short description of what the purpose of the letter is. For example, one might write "lost invoice" or "account number 23654" or something like that.

Salutation: If you do not know the person, use a more formal one, such as Dr. Brian Lowden.

Subject matter/body: Single-space and left justify for modified block and block style letters. Have one blank line between paragraphs. The first paragraph should have a friendly opening and state the purpose of the letter. The subsequent paragraphs should support the purpose you stated in the first paragraph.

Closing: This should be "thank you," "sincerely," or something similar.

Signature: This is the actual signature of the person the letter is from, which may be different from the person who wrote the letter.

Typist initials: These are the initials of the person who typed the letter. These are not the initials of the person who it is from. If they are both the same person. then this line is not necessary. Usually the first initials would be that of the writer, and the second initials are of the typist and are in lowercase. For example: JW/sc.

Enclosures: List here anything else you may be sending, such as a brochure, samples, etc.

Each of these areas has a proper place, depending on which type of letter you are creating. What goes in each area also may vary, depending on whom the letter is being sent to and who is writing it. There are three main styles of business letter: block , modified block , and semi-block styles . Each is written in much the same way, including the same information, but the layout varies slightly for each one.

Sample of modified block style letter

Sender's name
Sender's address
(1 space)
Today's date

(drop down four lines)

Recipient's business name
Attention: person it's going to
Recipient's address
(drop down two lines)

Dear Name:

In this type of modified block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin. You do not need to indent at all. The margins should be set to 1-1.5" all the way around the page. If you are using company letterhead, you will need to account for that in figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.

You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between paragraphs.

Sincerely,
(drop down four lines)
Signature here
Add name,
Add title

[Identification initials]
Enclosures:

cc:	Name
	Name

Sample of modified semi-block style letter

Today's date

(drop down four lines)

Recipient's business name

Attention: person it's going to

Recipient's address
(1 line space)
Dear Name:
(1 line space)
In this type of semi-modified block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin. However, the first word in each paragraph is indented. The margins should be set to 1-1.5" all the way around the page. If you are using company letterhead, you will need to account for that in figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.
(1 line space)
You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between paragraphs. Keep in mind that these sample letters are a guideline. People often customize to meet their preferred style.

Sincerely,
(space down four lines)
Signature here
Add name,
Add title

[Identification initials]
Enclosures:

cc:	Name
	Name

Sample of block style letter

Sender's address

Sender's phone number

Today's date
RE: what the letter is about
(drop down 4 lines)

Recipient's name
Recipient's company name

Recipient's address
(1 space)
Attention: person it's going to

(1 space)

Dear Name:
(1 space)
In this type of block letter, all the paragraphs line up at the left margin. There is no indenting of the paragraphs. The margins should be set to 1-1.5" all the way around the page. If you are using company letterhead, you will need to account for that in figuring the margin where the letterhead is placed on the page.
(1 line space)
You only need to single-space between sentences. Leave an extra open line between paragraphs. Keep in mind that these sample letters are a guideline. People often customize to meet their preferred style.
(1 line space)
Some people choose to center the above sender information.
(1 line space)
Sincerely,

(space down four lines)

Signature here

add name,
add title

[Identification initials]
Enclosures:

cc:	Name
	Name

You should pay special attention to the font when typing a business letter. Even if you do the entire form exactly right and choose the wrong font, it can still make the document look very unprofessional and even hard to read. Some companies have a preference they would like you to use. Most of the time, using Times New Roman or Arial is recommended, with a font size of 12. It is important to keep in mind that if you are working for someone and writing letters on the company letterhead, you are representing that company. Therefore, it is best to keep personal innuendos, fluff, and cutesy stuff out of it.

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