Outer Qualities - The outer qualities of a good business letter refers to the
appearance of the letter. It includes the quality of paper used, colour of the paper,
size of the paper etc. Good quality paper gives a favourable impression in the
mind of the reader. It also helps in documenting the letters properly. Let us
discuss the various outer qualities of a good business letter.
(i) Quality of paper - The paper used should be in accordance with the economic
status of the firm. Now-a-days the cost of the paper is very high. Therefore,
good paper should be used for original copy and ordinary paper may be
used for duplicate copy.
(ii) Colour of the Paper - It is better to use different colours for different types
of letters, so that the receiver will identify the letters quickly and prompt
action can be taken.
(iii) Size of the paper - Standard size paper (A4) should be used while writing
business letters. The size of the paper should be in accordance with the
envelopes available in the market.
(iv) Folding of letter- The letter should be folded properly and uniformly. Care
should be taken to give minimum folds to the letter so that it will fit the
size of the envelope. If window envelope is used then folding should be
done in such a way that the address of the receiver is clearly visible through
the transparent part of the envelope.
(v) Envelope - The size and quality of the envelope also need special attention. The
size of the letter should fit the size of the letters. The business firms use different
types of envelopes i.e., ordinary envelope, window envelope, laminated envelopeetc. In window envelope there is no need to write the address of the receiver
separately on the envelope. It is clearly visible through the transparent part on
the face of the envelope, which may be called as window. In laminated envelope
a thin plastic sheet or cloth is pasted on the inner side that gives extra protection
to letters from being damaged during transit.