How to Type Letters at Home
Typing a letter of any kind, whether it is a cover letter, a business letter or a casual letter is a process that requires both accuracy and close attention to detail. Margins, fonts, proper spacing and style are all essential elements to determine prior to sitting down and actually typing out your letter. Once you understand the basic format and guidelines involved with typing a letter, you can easily type letters of all kinds, both personal and business related right from your home.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Printer
- Paper
- Pen
- Computer document writing program
- Address of the letter's recipient
- Envelope
- Postage
Instructions
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1
Determine the type of letter you will be typing. Typical letter types include business letters, such as cover letters for resumes, business-to-business letters, contract letters, termination letters and welcome letters. Casual letters consist of love letters, friendly letters, complaint letters, thank you letters and sympathy letters.
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2
Open a computer word processing program capable of typing documents, such as Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect or OfficeSuite.
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3
Set up your font and margins. The standard font and size for most typed letters is Times New Romans in size 12, although Arial font is also a commonly used letter-typing font. For more personal or informal letters, other decorative alternative fonts may be used. Before typing, make sure your margins are set to the standard margins for a typed letter, which is one inch on all four sides of the document.
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4
Type the date at the top of the letter approximately two inches from the top of the page. If you are writing a personal letter, this most commonly, but not always, will be the on the left side of the page beneath the inside address, while for a business letter it will be the first thing at the top on the right side, usually above the address.
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5
Type the address. If you are writing a business letter, the address most commonly will be directly below the date and will include the name and address of the letter's recipient. For a personal letter, the address most often will be the first thing on the page and it will be your address, sometimes preceded by your name, depending on the type of letter your are writing.
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6
Type the salutation. The most common salutation is "dear," while for more formal letters you might write, "to whom it may concern." For personal letters where you know the recipient personal, simply type their first name. For people that you don't know very well or for business letters, type the recipient's full name or "Mr."Mrs." followed by their surname.
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7
Type the body of the letter and format accordingly. The body paragraphs are separated by a space and are typically typed in a block or modified block format. Other paragraph styles include indented paragraphs, where paragraphs are indented without space in between them, and memorandum style paragraphs, where the body can either be indented or in a block format. Each paragraph should be separated by topic and provide a main point, and the last paragraph should bring the entire letter to a close.
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8
Type the closing salutation. The words you use will vary based on the type of letter that you are writing. Typical closing lines for business letters include "very sincerely," "yours sincerely" and "sincere regards," while personal letter closing salutations may include "sincere sympathy," "yours truly," "love" or "warm wishes."
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9
Type out your name at the bottom of the page below your closing. Leave enough space so that you can sign your name above your typed out name in pen.
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10
Review your letter. Make sure you have used the proper format for the type of letter you are writing. Perform a spelling and grammar check on the computer and proofread for any errors.
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11
Print and sign your letter. If you are writing a company letter, use company letterhead when appropriate.
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12
Send your letter. Fold your letter and place it in an addressed envelope. Place the proper postage on the letter and mail it to its final destination.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit letter image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
