Dress up your document correspondent

Here are just a few simple guidelines for creating a professional-looking document:
��Avoid using too many typefaces. Today’s word processing programs make it possible for you to set up a letter that features, say, six or seven fonts. Such a document is likely to leave the
recipient’s head spinning!
Recommendation:
Choose one “display” font for headlines and subheadings, and one “text” font for the main
body of your message.

��Keep it (relatively) formal. Remember that you are writing something that will be received
by a business colleague, not a friend. So go easy on any personal touches (“Hiya Bill,” or “Let’s confab pronto, buddy!”) you may be tempted to inject.

��Be consistent in your formatting. If you indent the beginning of your paragraphs, then indent
them throughout the document. If you highlight text by using italics, avoid switching to underlining later. Take care that titles and spellings (especially spellings of proper
names), are consistent. Avoid referring to someone as Ms. Roderigo in one line—and Mrs. Rodderigo in the next.
��Avoid cramming a single page with too much text. Again, word processing programs may let you fit vast amounts of type on a page if you jam everything into six-point type. But would you want to read such a document? Once again—proofread! Aside from grammar, punctuation, and spelling, you may have accidentally omitted a word or two, or included something that is best deleted.