Company headed paper

[japancool]

I've just been asked for a document on company headed paper.

I don't actually have any company headed paper! Haven't had to use such in years. How many of you do/don't have it?

 

[HFE Signs]

Can't you just add your branding to the header in word and send it as a pdf?

 

[estwig]

I got a thousand of the bl**dy things in a box, somewhere in the loft.

Send 'em a pdf!

 

[fisicx]

Never had headed anything apart from invoices. Don’t even have a business card.

But it takes moments to knock something up using a wordprocesser.

 

[hikiwari]

Pre-pandemic I used to write to prospective clients on letterhead and post it to their office address. My letterhead was on high quality cartridge paper and my logo was embossed in colour and it looked very smart.
Now I don't use it at all as the Finance Directors I used to write to are rarely in their offices so it's a waste of time. I've made up a Word version now and send it as a PDF by email. Not half as effective.

 

[japancool]

Never had headed anything apart from invoices. Don’t even have a business card.

But it takes moments to knock something up using a wordprocesser.

Sure. Just curious how much call people get for "company header paper" these days, including actual physical paper, what with this being the 21st century and all.

 

[HFE Signs]

Sure. Just curious how much call people get for "company header paper" these days, including actual physical paper, what with this being the 21st century and all.

Hardly any, we all send and receive PDF's and have done for some time now, save trees and all that

 

[DontAsk]

Print your own.

 

[fisicx]

Sure. Just curious how much call people get for "company header paper" these days, including actual physical paper, what with this being the 21st century and all.

I get paper bank statments and other odd documents but none of there are headed notepaper. It's just a bit of paper with the logo at the top, contents of the document below and the legal stuff at the bottom.

The days where to created a letter using word and printed it out using posh embossed company stationary are long gone. Except for a few diehards who still think electric typewriters are a bit too modern.

 

[DontAsk]

I get paper bank statments and other odd documents but none of there are headed notepaper. It's just a bit of paper with the logo at the top, contents of the document below and the legal stuff at the bottom.

Some people still insist on these originals for ID checks. At least one financial institution I use plasters "Internet copy" all over downloaded statements, making them useless, and making it impossible to go completely paperless.

 

[fisicx]

At least one financial institution I use plasters "Internet copy" all over downloaded statements, making them useless, and making it impossible to go completely paperless.

I get that as well. Bank has a 'download pdf statement' and puts a big 'internet copy' across the top.

 

[DazRave]

I've just been asked for a document on company headed paper.

I don't actually have any company headed paper! Haven't had to use such in years. How many of you do/don't have it?

We were asked to provide this in order to buy from a supplier few weeks ago. We have some but I actually asked if she was joking over the phone. Made us think twice if the supplier is as old school as that.

 

[Stuart2022]

I was told the reason for still asking for this is because when you publish it you are giving your name, address, company number, VAT number and so on. That forms the legal record of who/what/where/when.

If you have given incorrect details then they can use that in Court to show you have deliberately or negligently given false details. This is thus easier to prove than relying on say a simple email in which you can say "Sorry your Honour, I mis-typed that..."

Stuart.

 

[Bob Morgan]

Traditional Stationery and Rubber Stamps/Seals, etc., are still the norm in many parts of the world.

 

[WaveJumper]

I was told the reason for still asking for this is because when you publish it you are giving your name, address, company number, VAT number and so on. That forms the legal record of who/what/where/when.

If you have given incorrect details then they can use that in Court to show you have deliberately or negligently given false details. This is thus easier to prove than relying on say a simple email in which you can say "Sorry your Honour, I mis-typed that..."

Stuart.

if your sending a pdf headed document with all your details that should be good enough. I went paperless years ago and part of that was giving up the business card ...... shock horror

 

[fisicx]

I was told the reason for still asking for this is because when you publish it you are giving your name, address, company number, VAT number and so on. That forms the legal record of who/what/where/when.

If you have given incorrect details then they can use that in Court to show you have deliberately or negligently given false details. This is thus easier to prove than relying on say a simple email in which you can say "Sorry your Honour, I mis-typed that..."

Stuart.

That makes no sense at all. Whose to say headed notepaper is correct.

In any case, my wife sees a lot of fraudulent claim all written on supposedly company documents. The existence of a document is not proof.

 

[Mark T Jones]

We often have to provide information on letterhead (our own or customers') its a useful way of consolidating details

No need for the letterhead to be 'fancy', nor even overly professional - a simple word template will be fine, as long as its compliant

 

[IanSuth]

Some people still insist on these originals for ID checks. At least one financial institution I use plasters "Internet copy" all over downloaded statements, making them useless, and making it impossible to go completely paperless.

A while back i was stood in a Lloyds whilst the cashier was trying to tell a Polish couple they could not open an account as their utility bill was a print out of an ebill and not a "proper paper bill which we need for ID" and they were trying to explain to the cashier that their utility provider did not have the option of paper bills.

 

[japancool]

Traditional Stationery and Rubber Stamps/Seals, etc., are still the norm in many parts of the world.

I'm aware of that, but we're not in those parts of the world.

 

[Stuart2022]

That makes no sense at all. Whose to say headed notepaper is correct.

In any case, my wife sees a lot of fraudulent claim all written on supposedly company documents. The existence of a document is not proof.

That's not really the point. When you provide headed notepaper you are making a contractual statement: Here is my company name. Here is my company number. Here is my address. Here is my VAT number. Here is the list of Directors (if included).

You are effectively making a contractual statement providing the above. Let us say you were a fraudster seeking to bypass credit checks, you provide slightly different details, such as mis-spelling or whatever, if you do that by a simple email and are caught (especially if you default) then you are open to charges of deception- but you could easily argue mistyping in a rush. If you provide a headed paper with the same 'errors' then it proves foresight and that's a different ball game.

Is it relevant in the modern World of instant credit and identity checks? That's not for me to say as I don't use them. But that's the reason why so many do, according to people I know who use that procedure.

HTH
Stuart

 

[fisicx]

Yes, but with MS word you can easily create headed notepaper with name, address, vat etc. having an actual piece of paper proves nothing. Which is why sending a letter with company details in a nice font and a splash of colour doesn’t provide any proof of anything.

 

[Stuart2022]

Yes, but with MS word you can easily create headed notepaper with name, address, vat etc. having an actual piece of paper proves nothing. Which is why sending a letter with company details in a nice font and a splash of colour doesn’t provide any proof of anything.

No, it doesn't. But put it this way if someone forged a headed paper to circumvent checks with your company and then you found out and they said "Sorry, Guv, I made a genuine mistake." You would reply "You made the same mistake in your application form AND your headed paper?"

I've given you the reason that was given to me. Some others may just do it because that's what the legal department required back in 1922 and no one has bothered to change it.

Don't forget that much of business is still conducted on trust. Deliberate abuse of trust always goes badly with Courts, whereas a simple 'error' may just get them the benefit of doubt.

 

[Mark T Jones]

That makes no sense at all. Whose to say headed notepaper is correct.

In any case, my wife sees a lot of fraudulent claim all written on supposedly company documents. The existence of a document is not proof.

Whilst it doesn't actually prevent fraud it does help discourage and unearth the lazier fraudsters. You'll be surprised how many lazy fraudsters there are.

For others, it creates a reference point in intent to commit fraud

 

[Bob Morgan]

I'm aware of that, but we're not in those parts of the world.

I do however, deal with them, as do others.

 

[japancool]

I do however, deal with them, as do others.

So do I. But the company asking for it is a UK company.

Then again, the companies I deal with in Japan (where faxes are still used) have never asked me for physical documents, although they all state that they may do.

 

[Stuart2022]

So do I. But the company asking for it is a UK company.

Then again, the companies I deal with in Japan (where faxes are still used) have never asked me for physical documents, although they all state that they may do.

Japancool,

I once provided a service for a Japanese company who sent a small delegation from a government/council group to visit UK and was surprised to see them pay entirely up front and on little more than an invoice and a website. I am sure they did checks with trust pilot and so on, but a UK company would rarely hand over that money in advance.

Is that normal for Japanese culture? I know they place honour and trust above all else, but I was still really surprised. Very demanding people, but polite, professional and (unlike many other foreign groups we have assisted) never caused any problems.

Sorry for the slight O/T.

Stuart.

 

[japancool]

Is that normal for Japanese culture? I know they place honour and trust above all else, but I was still really surprised. Very demanding people, but polite, professional and (unlike many other foreign groups we have assisted) never caused any problems.

Fairly normal, yes. Forget all that nonsense about honour, that's Hollywood. You're right about trust though - the Japanese tend to trust you unless you give them a reason not to, rather than the other way around. That's why Japanese train station automated gates are normally open unless you *don't* insert a ticket, whereas ours remain closed until you do.

Japanese culture also values punctuality, so I'm not surprised they paid up front. Debt is considered shameful (debt collectors will often turn up at a debtor's workplace to shame them into paying up).

But this applies to Japanese companies and the Japanese themselves within Japan. Outside of Japan, Japanese companies are pretty much like everyone else.

 

[14Steve14]

We got asked for a letterhead a few weeks ago from a new supplier. He said it was easier as they then had all the correct information that they could copy and input into their system. We made a word document many years ago just incase we needed it, and sent that to him by email, which was fine.

 

[DazRave]

That's not really the point. When you provide headed notepaper you are making a contractual statement: Here is my company name. Here is my company number. Here is my address. Here is my VAT number. Here is the list of Directors (if included).

In our case, they wanted a photo of it. The letter-headed paper we sent a photo of had nothing on it that wasn't already in my email signature on the email used to send it.

Sounds a bit old school and bonkers to me no matter how I look at it.

 

[paulears]

Some firms of course just had a rule from pre-electronic days and never bothered to change it.

 

[Onthebrightside]

I work virtually for people and all of them have online letterheads which are basically word documents with their chosen logo etc. It's all you need.

 

[Bob Morgan]

I work virtually for people and all of them have online letterheads which are basically word documents with their chosen logo etc. It's all you need.

Possibly for the UK - Different rules and customs elsewhere

 

[Onthebrightside]

Possibly for the UK - Different rules and customs elsewhere

Perhaps, but we get most of our invoices from the US, Germany etc. virtually now also. I feel that everyone is going to go that way now.

 

[Bob Morgan]

We're very much the same with SE Asia and Middle East. 'Letters' are also the norm too - Email is merely to attach them. Several Municipalities still request typewritten forms and embossed company seals.

 

[Onthebrightside]

We're very much the same with SE Asia and Middle East. 'Letters' are also the norm too - Email is merely to attach them. Several Municipalities still request typewritten forms and embossed company seals.

I have to say Bob, that there is something in me that would love to receive a letter that had an embossed company seal on it. For me it signals importance, old world trust (but then I am an old biddy). My father-in-law passed recently and in the loft we found his embossing seal for his old company. We kept it

 

[Bob Morgan]

I have to say Bob, that there is something in me that would love to receive a letter that had an embossed company seal on it. For me it signals importance, old world trust (but then I am an old biddy). My father-in-law passed recently and in the loft we found his embossing seal for his old company. We kept it

Yes, although they are the practices of a previous generation, there are advantages from time-to-time. With the use of ‘Letters’ to and fro (Sent via Email), the Project Files literally ‘Tell a Story!’ – Incoming correspondence is filed with outgoing. It also becomes easier to find historic documentation via the Hardcopy File.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I have to say Bob, that there is something in me that would love to receive a letter that had an embossed company seal on it. For me it signals importance, old world trust (but then I am an old biddy). My father-in-law passed recently and in the loft we found his embossing seal for his old company. We kept it

I also have - presumably in the loft - the seal for my first business, started in 1988.

From memory the box also contains mem and arts, plus a booklet on the responsibilities of a company director.

In my view, the booklet should still exist.

 

[Directimport]

I have dealt with businesses in China since 1978 and when first appointing an agent for my industrial chemical products that I invented and exported I quickly found that China has its own approach.

Important documents such as an agency agreement are certified by stamping them with a chop, then signing across the stamp.

A chop is like a rubber stamp except that traditionally it is carved from ivory. They are truly works of art.

In this age they are usually made of plastic and sometimes rubber!!! but ebony is often used.

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Important documents such as an agency agreement are certified by stamping them with a chop, then signing across the stamp.

A bit difficult to do on an email...!
I think I still have the seal from my first company dating from 1977...

 

[japancool]

A chop is like a rubber stamp except that traditionally it is carved from ivory. They are truly works of art.

The Japanese also use seals (called a "hanko"), but international documents are often signed rather than sealed.