Look for online guidance and information before choosing a promotional letterhead printing option

There are websites that offer insight into the principles of letterhead design which can help you determine whether you'd like to attempt to design your own personalized letterhead or let a printing company take on all or part of the process for you.

I recommend: About.com offers helpful information and resources that can help make your decision an easier one.

For more options, choose a company that offers both stock and custom letterhead printing services

While some online letterhead printing companies offer only one or two options for designing and printing your letterhead, others give you greater freedom to determine which of several services will best conform to your company's needs.

I recommend: GotPrint.com and ImageOne allow you to upload your personalized letterhead file, design your own letterhead online using a choice of templates or let the company's graphic artists, who have experience in creating custom letterheads, design one for you.

If you're artistic, look for companies that let you upload your own business stationery artwork

Many companies are happy to let you use your own personally designed logo and other artwork as the basis for their promo letterhead printing packages.

I recommend: OniPrint accepts uploaded artwork, essentially giving you custom letterhead printing without charging you for the services of a graphic designer.

If you need logo design along with your business stationery, try companies that offer both services

Many companies specialize in logo design and also offer custom letterhead printing services on the side.

I recommend: The Logo Loft offers business letterhead printing services along with its main logo design service. Like many of the other companies mentioned in the steps above, it offers other services, as well, such as printed envelopes, business cards, brochures and more. LogoWorks, by HP also offers logo design packages, to complement HP's business stationery service.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, try using open source software to create your own business stationery

Instructions are available online that can guide you through the process of creating custom letterheads using specific software programs that can save you money.

I recommend: WindowsDevCenter.com provides detailed instructions for using OpenOffice.org Writer to design your company's business letterhead. A resource you might find helpful is Letterhead Fonts, a site where you can purchase your choice of many different fonts to use for your personalized letterhead.

If you're in a hurry, use services that let you do your own letterhead printing

Many online services that offer templates or allow design uploads offer the option of doing your own business letterhead printing on your home or office printer. This can make life simpler and save a great deal of time.

I recommend: HP.com offers both stock- and design-your-own templates, and they also have a line of "designer" templates, created by Paula Scher for your business letterhead. In both cases, your letterhead is created online and printed by you. Another helpful site, when printing your business stationery yourself, is Shop.com, which offers letterhead paper in various styles.