Letterhead Template for HR Documents: One .dotx for Every Desk

A recruiter sends an offer letter from a laptop. A manager sends a PIP from a desktop. The HR director sends a policy memo from a third machine. If each of them starts from a different old file, the company ends up with three letterheads that almost match. This guide shows how to set up one letterhead template for HR documents in Word. You build it from the PDF letterhead you already have, so every document comes out looking the same.

A note on scope: this guide covers Word files only. That means headers, page layout, and styles. It doesn't cover what an offer letter, PIP, or policy memo should say, or whether one is valid. Ask your HR lead or counsel about that.

Why HR documents drift off-brand faster than other letters

A few people write most company letters. HR documents come from many people: recruiters, HR generalists, managers, and sometimes an outside provider. Most of them start from "the last one I sent." That file was copied from someone else's, which was copied from an even older one.

Each copy picks up small changes. Someone moved the logo to fit a longer address. Someone pasted text from an email and brought Calibri 11 with it. Someone cut the margins to 0.5 inches to keep a memo on one page. A year later you have a family of near-matches.

HR also has some pressures of its own:

• Volume spikes. Hiring season means a lot of offer letters written fast.
• Copy-paste from other systems. Text pulled from an applicant tracking system or HRIS carries that system's formatting along.
• Multi-page documents. Policy memos and PIPs often run past one page, and that's where continuation headers tend to break.
• Mixed platforms. Some staff use Windows and some use Mac.

A style guide PDF won't fix this, because people ignore it. A single .dotx template will, because it makes the correct formatting the default and the wrong formatting hard to apply.

One letterhead, three document types: offer letters, PIPs, and policy memos

You don't need three letterheads. You need one letterhead plus a small set of body styles that cover all three layouts.

Every HR document gets the same header and footer. Only the body layout changes. Here's how the common layout pieces map to styles, assuming your documents use them:

| Document | Common layout pieces | Styles that handle it | |---|---|---| | Offer letter | Date, recipient address, salutation, paragraphs, signature block | Date, Address Block, Body Text, Signature | | PIP | Title, info block, numbered sections, signature lines | Title, Memo Block, Heading 2, List Number, Signature | | Policy memo | To/From/Date/Re block, headings, bullet lists | Memo Block, Heading 2, List Bullet, Body Text |

You can set this up two ways. One option is a single .dotx that holds all the styles, where users pick what they need. The other is three .dotx files that share the same header and style set but open with different placeholder text. Three files are easier for new staff, since each one opens with the right skeleton. One file is easier to maintain. Whichever you choose, the header artwork and style definitions must be identical across the board.

Build the template once: header artwork, first page, and continuation pages

Start from the PDF letterhead your designer delivered. Don't rebuild it by hand. Retyping the address into a text box and dragging a logo into place is exactly how drift begins, and copy-paste from a PDF fails for predictable reasons.

Here's the structure you want:

1. Artwork in the header and footer, not the body. The logo, address line, and any rule or color band go in the header and footer layer. Body text can't push them around there, and nobody selects them by accident while typing.
2. Different First Page turned on. Double-click the header, then check Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab. Page 1 gets the full letterhead. Every page after that gets the continuation header.
3. A lighter continuation header. This is usually a small logo or the company name, plus a page number. For longer PIPs and memos, "Page X of Y" makes a missing page easy to spot. Insert it from Page Number > Current Position > Page X of Y.
4. Margins that fit the artwork. Word uses one top margin per section. The usual approach is to set the margin for the continuation page and let the taller first-page header push the body down. The other approach is to anchor the first-page artwork in a fixed spot. The header height geometry walks through both.

This is the part Letterhead Lab handles. It reads your PDF in the browser and lifts the artwork into the Word header and footer. It sets up the first page and continuation page and leaves the body clean for your styles. The PDF never leaves your browser, and the preview is free, so you can check the result before you pay. For more on the second page, see how the second-page header is set up.

Lock styles so every HR user gets the same body text

A clean header won't help much if the body is still a free-for-all. Lock the styles before you share the file.

1. Define the styles. Set the font, size, and spacing in Normal. Base every other style (Body Text, Memo Block, Signature, and so on) on Normal, so one change carries through all of them.
2. Open Review > Restrict Editing. Check "Limit formatting to a selection of styles," then click Settings.
3. Choose the allowed styles. Click None, then check only your HR styles. Also check "Block Theme or Scheme switching" and "Block Quick Style Set switching."
4. Leave editing restrictions off. People still need to type freely in the body.
5. Start enforcing protection. Add a password if you want one, and give it to whoever owns the template.
6. Save as .dotx.

After this, the direct font controls are grayed out and the style gallery shows only approved styles. When someone pastes formatted text, Word maps it to an allowed style instead of importing a new font. To make pasting even cleaner, set the default paste option to Keep Text Only under File > Options > Advanced.

Be clear about the limits. Formatting restrictions control styles. They don't stop someone who has the password, and a user can still open the header if they try. Keeping the artwork in the header layer means it stays out of the way during normal typing, and that's what counts day to day. The style-locking walkthrough was written for law firms, but the same settings apply to HR.

Roll it out to the HR team and keep it current

A locked template only works if people actually use it.

• Ship a .dotx, not a .docx. Double-clicking a .dotx opens a new untitled document, so nobody overwrites the master. Here's why the file type matters.
• Put it where Word looks. On Windows, point everyone to a shared workgroup templates folder (File > Options > Advanced > File Locations). In Microsoft 365, an organization assets library in SharePoint works well. On Mac, use the personal templates folder. The office deployment guide covers each option.
• Retire the old copies. Ask staff to delete files like "Offer Letter FINAL v3.docx" from their desktops. If old files stay around, someone will keep using them.
• Name one owner. Pick one person to own the master file and the protection password.
• Test before rollout. Open a three-page memo on Windows and on Mac. Print one copy. Check that page 2 shows the continuation header and that nothing clips at the edges.

When the address or logo changes, replace the one .dotx. New documents pick up the change right away. Documents created earlier keep the old header, because Word copies the header into each document when it's created. See how to update a letterhead template for both fixes.

What it costs to convert your PDF letterhead into a Word template

The prices are flat:

• $39 single: one letterhead page converted into an editable Word template.
• $79 multi-page bundle: up to 10 pages. Use this if your designer sent separate first-page and continuation-page designs, or a few variants.
• $99/mo Studio and $199/mo Shop: for design agencies and print shops that convert letterheads for clients.

Preview is free, and you only pay at download. Conversion runs in your browser, so the PDF isn't uploaded anywhere. Full details are on the pricing page.

Here's what it doesn't do. It doesn't design letterheads, and it isn't a general PDF-to-Word converter. It doesn't write your HR documents either. It does one job: it turns the letterhead you already have into a Word template your HR team can't easily break. If you also want engraved or printed stationery, use a stationery printer or engraver.