Before we begin to discuss letter content，we must examine letter appearance，for it is the physical condition of a letter that makes the first impression on your reader．Before reading even one word you have written，the reader has formed an opinion based on the way your letter looks—the arrangement，the print quality，and so on．

When you have composed the body of your letter and are ready to print，keep in mind three things:

Typing

Letters should be single-spaced with double-spacing between paragraphs．Print should be clear and dark．Errors should be erased or corrected before printing．

Paragraphing

Paragraph breaks should come at logical points in your message and should also result in an even appearance．A one-line paragraph followed by an eight-line paragraph will look bottom heavy．Paragraphs of approximately the same length will please the eyes．

White space

In addition to the space created by paragraphing，leave space by centering the body of your letter on the page．An ample margin of white space should surround the message，top and bottom as well as both sides．If a letter is brief，avoid beginning to type too high on the page;if a letter is long，do not hesitate to use an additional sheet of paper．