Re: Latex & letter's headers...

[Paul Huygen <pemhuygen@chello.nl>]

Vittorio <vdemart@supereva.it> wrote:

> Well, actually Latex isn't that easy, is it? [..]

> My problem is that I can write a letter with
> latex but I cannot find the right commands to insert the official
> colour logo of my firm (*.jpg,*.ps,*.pdf) into the header of the
> letter and other chats in the footer.

Well, my thesis is, that writing letters with LaTeX is extremely
easy. It takes a little bit of effort to set things up, but then you
can produce a letter with less effert than you would need when using
a "conventional" word processor.

Your problem with placement of the logo can be solved by using package
textpos. With this package you can place a parbox on an absolute
position on the page, indepentent of the style parameters of your format.

The textpos package can be found on CTAN (www.ctan.org), in directory 
macros/latex/contrib/supported/textpos.

It is not difficult to construct a LaTeX class file that contains the
code to place the logo on the letter using textpos, and that includes
instructions to produces footers and headers for your letter, as well
as your signature etc. As an example I enclode a class that is based
on that class that I use to write letters. It is based on brief. cls,
a package that implement dutch-style letters. brief.cls supports
footers (voetitem), and a "briefhoofd" command that constructs the
header of the letter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
%
% myletter.cls
%
\NeedsTeXFormat{LaTeX2e}
\ProvidesClass{hitlnl}[1999/10/31 Fist, beta, version]
\RequirePackage{hitpos}
\LoadClass[adresrechts]{brief}
\voetitem{Telephone:}{0123-456789}
\voetitem{Fax:}{0123-456789}}
\voetitem{E-mail:}{\texttt{paul.huygen@huygen.nl}}
\setlength\footsep{30mm}
\signature{Dr.~P.E.M.~Huygen}
\renewcommand{\briefhoofd}{%
 \begin{textblock}{60}(9,36)
    \parbox{60mm}{ \mbox{\includegraphics{mylogo.eps}}
                 \\  mycompanynaam 
                 \\  myaddress
                 }
 \end{textblock}
}
\newcommand{\vg}{Met vriendelijke groet,}
-------------------------------------------------------

A letter can now be as simple as:

-------------------------------------------------------
\documentclass{muletter}
\begin{document}
\begin{brief}{  Vittorio de Mart
             \\ Streetname 123
             \\ City
             \\ Italy
             }

\opening{Dear Vittorio,}

this is a small, but complete, letter.

\closing{\vg}
\end{brief}
\end{document}