Rules for a Multiple Page Business Letter
When writing a business letter, there are no formal "rules," but there are conventions you should adhere to. These conventions also apply to business letters of multiple pages, as you should list the page number on each page except the first to comply with professional etiquette. Further conventions govern the rules of stapling. The exact convention, however, can vary by business and industry.
For any business letter, the first thing you should write is the return address and date in the top-right corner. You can replace this with your company's letterhead, if you choose. After that, leave a space, and list the address of the recipient. Then leave two spaces, and write the salutation, such as "Dear Mr. Smith." You should always use the name of a specific person, if possible.
After the salutation comes the body of the letter, which you divide into three parts. In the first part you introduce yourself, explaining who you are and why you are writing the recipient. The second part of the details the letter's main subject, and the third part specifies what action you want the recipient to take.
You should then wrap up the letter with "Yours Sincerely" if you are writing to a specific person, or "Yours Faithfully" if you do no know their name and addressing the letter using "Dear Sir or Madam" or something similar. Leave three spaces, and list your name and title. Sign your name above your name and title. There is indentation for most business letters, and you should align your typing to the left.
If you are writing a multiple page business letter, you must label the pages with numbers. This includes every page except the first page. You do not number the first page because it contains either your business's letterhead or your contact details. By convention, the letterhead of a business letter is the first printed item. Furthermore, there if there is no signature at the bottom of the first page, then it is quite obvious to the reader that the page is not the end of the letter. For the second page onward, you should include the page number, in numerical form at the top of the page.
You may also list the letter's addressee and the date if you wish; the exact method used can differ. One may simply put the page number at the top-center of the page, while others may list the addressee at the top-left, the page number at the top-center and the date on the top-right. Others may list the addressee, the date underneath, and page number underneath the date in the top-left corner of the page. A multitude a variations to the conventions apply. Furthermore, if you wish to conform to the most traditional of rules, do not print double-sided pages. This convention, however, is slowly changing as companies try to save paper.
There is no clear convention regarding the stapling of multiple pages. Some recommend not stapling pages together, while others say that conventions are more relaxed. If you want to adhere to the strictest of conventions, never staple the original copy of the letter. The order of the letter will be familiar to the reader if you have properly labeled the pages with numbers. You can, however, staple copies of the letter. If you really must bind the pages of the original letter, there is nothing against using a paper clip.